It’s June, y’all! The month my brain shifts into summertime mode and Extra Gay Mode.
If you don’t know, June is Pride month. Celebrating the 1969 Stonewall Riots, June has become a month of parades, events, parties, get-togethers, and general celebrations of being trans or queer or lesbian or gay or asexual or any other flavor. For many, the true celebration might fall on the last weekend of the month to reflect the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – June 28, 1969. Whenever, and however, you celebrate, I wish you a happy Pride and a very warm welcome if this is your first year celebrating. You belong here, no matter how you identify.
As a result, I’ll be writing a lot about Pride this month. About being queer, figuring out my queerness, thoughts on how to celebrate in a pandemic, people you should know, and more. I have been trying to develop QC’s roots behind the scenes to make this blog more firmly grounded in BDSM and power exchange but my BDSM life is so deeply entwined with my queer life that I can’t not write about it.
Along with this, I will be striving to center Black creators and voices in many of my posts this month. The riots in the US continue, as they should, and shall not be ignored in favor of Pride celebrations. Black people have historically been an important part of the LGBTQ+ movement and continue to be. Ignoring their activism and voices is whitewashing our history and needs to stop.
Things to Check Out
Some of these links were shared in May’s Good Reads round-up but they are incredibly important to current events. I also encourage you to look to Black Lives Matter groups, many cities have local chapters, along with other Black organizations for the best ways you can help.
- Tony McDade’s GoFundMe
- George Floyd’s GoFundMe
- JusticeForBreonna.org
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- LGBTQ Fund
- Cora Harrington’s Twitter thread for Black creators’ Patreons
- A Twitter thread of bail funds
- Google Document containing bail funds, memorial funds, political education resources, etc,
- A Twitter thread of info, ways to support, and education resources
- A Guide to Allyship
- 11 Things You Can Do To Help Black Lives Matter End Police Violence
I wanted to also share some links to various articles and blogs to kick off the month!
- 7 Riots, Rallies, and Protests That Propelled Queer Liberation
- National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
- Mx Nillin has started a trans and queer meme to celebrate Pride all through the month of June. Check out their post here and the hashtag #OneRainbowApart on Twitter.
- Violet Fawkes has not just one but two great memes to participate in! Both are pride-themed this month: Lingerie is For Everyone (#LiFE) & Write Big Sexy Words
- The Complete Guide to Every Queer Pride Flag
- 13 Books Packed With Queer Joy to Block Out the World
- 10 Queer Fashion Designers Helping With the Mask Shortage
- 10 Black LGBT Icons Who Changed History
How are you feeling about Pride this year? Are you planning on doing anything?
Drop some comments below and share any links, funds, organizations that you’re participating in or helping out!
