And we're being reminded about how many struggles we face and how much privilege we don't have. With the ongoing pain of crimes and violence against LGBTQ people still ever-present, the community is grieving. "The most important thing a straight ally can do is make sure they aren't taking up space for LGBT people." "The most important thing a straight ally can do is make sure they aren't taking up space for LGBT people - especially in talking about and dealing with the tragedy in Orlando," Fallarino says. Using that privilege thoughtfully is crucial - especially at a time when the threats of homophobia and transphobia are so apparent. Recognize your privilege.Ĭredit: WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty ImagesĮven if you're the ally of the year, you're entering Pride with a lot of privilege. So join us in celebration and appreciate the culture of our community. "We aren't there for your entertainment," Roybal puts it simply. It means celebrating and embracing it with us, and not using our embodiment of otherness as a prop for your good time. "We don't often get places where we can openly do that."Ĭoming to Pride as a straight ally means moving beyond merely accepting this display of visible, flamboyant and unapologetic pride. "We are out and proud, we are wearing interesting outfits and we are showing our love for one another," Fallarino says. "We aren't there for your entertainment." Straight allies need to embrace that when taking part in our celebration. But that's also what makes Pride so fun.ĭrag queens with towering hair and caked-on makeup, men covered in glitter and not much else, same-gender loving at every turn: these are all realities of Pride. And, at times, such glaring opposition to the norm may be a little jarring. We deviate from the expected when it comes to gender and sexuality, but we also wear that uniqueness outwardly. The culture of the LGBTQ community - especially at Pride - is one of unapologetic otherness. Respect the concept of being "out and proud."Ĭredit: CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images But I also want people to understand why we have it and why it's necessary." 2. "Certainly I want folks to have fun at Pride. "This is not an excuse to go get drunk," Roybal says. A brief Google search can go a long way in ensuring you're well-informed - and a responsible participant. Take time to research the history of the celebration before taking part in it. "If you go to a celebration and don't understand its origins, then you don't understand what it's about. "I think should at least have knowledge of what the struggle has been and why we have Pride in the first place," he says. Russell Roybal, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, says that although Pride can seem like more of a party than a protest on the surface, it's still a political act - and that needs to be recognized. "If you go to a celebration and don't understand its origins, then you don't understand what it's about." "Just because people are scantily clad or in their leather gear, it doesn't mean they aren't interested and serious about our movement,"James Fallarino, NYC Pride media director, tells Mashable. That's a complicated relationship to confront as a straight participant in Pride - but it's essential to understand and acknowledge that activism can't be separated from the party. And people who don't identify as part of the community are the source of that hardship. We celebrate our identities in a world that discourages us from doing so. We march to protest the struggles we still experience in a homophobic society. We celebrate in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, a noted and violent stand against police raids that criminalized LGBTQ identities.
It's tied to a long history of struggle that shouldn't be ignored - especially by straight participants. Pride didn't become an annual event just because queer people needed a party.
Credit: NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Crowd attempts to impede police arrests outside the Stonewall Inn in June 1969.