Monday 19-08-2019 - 16:47

Pride can be many things, such as a chance to be truly visible in a cis-heteronormative society, a chance to celebrate how far the movement has come, or for some it’s a chance to let loose. The time of year is signposted by rainbow flags popping up in every shop, business and street but in reality, life in the LGBTQ+ community isn’t all rainbows — our society is still deeply and unashamadly homophobic and transphobic. With the horrifying treatment of our community under Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, pride flags burned in New York, or lesbian couples beaten by teens on a bus in London — it’s important to remember the true origins of Pride. It began as a protest, and it still is.

Pride serves to commemorate the Stonewall riots — a crucial moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. After constant harassment and social discrimination, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn refused to back down against a homophobic and phyiscally aggressive raid by the NYPD. The riot led to six days of protesting with violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar and on the neighboring streets.

The mainstreaming of LGBTQ+ people in public life has stripped away the radicalism of this early movement, but this comes at the cost of leaving many transgender people behind despite the Stonewall Riots being led by transgender women of colour. Yet, even in the past 5 years, reports of transphobic hate crime has more than tripled. This shows that our fight is still crucial and we still have work to do. 

More recently, we have seen other problems arise, such as rainbow washing — a tactic used by companies and governments who don’t do any tangible work to support LGBTQ+ people throughout the year.

These organisations often directly harm our community, such as airlines that actively deport LGBT+ refugees, or companies that donate millions to anti-gay politicians, yet will still place a rainbow filter on their logos and promotions for one month a year, or even sponsor Pride in order to call themselves allies.

The large amount of money that companies use put toward rainbow washing marketing should be questioned. While it can be argued that it improves the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, should this be the main priority for these corporations?  Large corporations have the privilege and resources to do a lot of good, to put people who do real work in the LGBTQ+ community in the spotlight, and truly support and engage with them. Despite this, they often fall short as they turn to another weak-willed marketing strategy by changing their branding and only giving a damn once a year because it looks good for their PR. Money that is spent on rainbow marketing could be better spent on initiatives to support the wellbeing of their LGBTQ+ employees or training to improve workplace conditions.

Despite the complicated nature of Pride, it still remains to be an incredible opportunity for those that are LGBTQ+. Pride is about showing the world that we are not alone in this fight, and rejecting the isolation the community is all too often subjected to. The celebratory element of Pride can be part of the antidote to this isolation, and it’s importance shouldn’t be understated. Pride can and should be life changing, and despite all its flaws, it serves as a testament to how far we’ve come. 

So as Pride approaches and so many new students beginning their Manchester Met journey at the same time — it’s important to think about how many of them will be in the crowd, waving their rainbow flags and watching the parade. How many of our existing students will be by their side? And how many will have been empowered to build the courage to attend for the very first time?

This year, celebrate our progress and our protests. As rainbow washing corporations walk by, take note of the protesters and activists that surround them and how many there are, marching with a message being shouted so loud you cannot ignore it. Celebrate, but see beyond the blinding glitz and glam and remember the most equally important component — the protest.