Sometimes I've forgotten how it feels to be respected, to be seen "normal"... I walk down the streets everyday, with stares everywhere. I've gotten so used to being the one that stands out, for better and for worse, being questioned of "what" I am, being alienated, being... discriminated against.
Yet at Pride, I fit in, who I am was no longer a controversy. We all were celebrating who we are, and we embraced each other's unique differences. It feels almost like a dream, and the moment I've walked away from the streets of Downtown Toronto and into the underground subways, the dream slowly faded... The more stops we pass, the further away we were from Downtown, the magic is gone... I've suddenly woke up from a beautiful dream, a dream us will only dare to have once a year. The entire month of June is International Pride, but people complain that it's too long. People don't understand why we need a whole month. People don't understand why we need Pride. The problem is the fact that we still need Pride, the fact that once June is over, us Queer and Trans people have to go back into our communities, our little neighbourhoods, our family even, and make ourselves smaller again. We need to curl up into a ball, taking as little space as possible, to stay safe, to stay sane, to stay.... alive.
The first Pride Parade was a riot against Police Brutality, against the oppression against specifically Queer and Trans Women of Colour. Pride month is not a time for allies and others to tolerate us, to give us the space and platform to celebrate. We have fought and earned our rights, we have resisted against the system to have our visibility shown. We have been so brave, and Pride shall never end. We will keep on fighting, and keep on celebrating.
The sky is oppressive, and only after the rain, after the storm, after all the destruction, will the sky allow the rainbow to appear. Yet the sky asks the rainbow to only show with the sun, but the sun have done nothing, the sun watched the pouring rain, the wind...etc. The sun didn't do shit. Let's stop glorifying the sun, and let's give the rainbow some credit. The rainbow just want the platform to spread it's beautiful colours. The rainbow has always been there, through the storm, through the night, through everything. The rainbow shall and will endure ! #QueerPower
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