Library Research Notes #51
Pride month is every month
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Happy June
Hello, dear readers. I’m still taking a hiatus but felt drawn to write a little something for June. It is Pride Month, after all, and I can’t let it go by without a comment on all the ways that the Conservatives are trying to erase the LGTBQIA++ community, most especially the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming wings of that acronym.
Thank you for reading and if you want to suggest future topics or give your opinions, please comment by clicking the link below. I look forward to a lively conversation.
Pride month is every month
Pride in Nashville - Pride in Franklin - Pride in Buffalo - Pride in NYC - Pride in San Francisco - Pride in Cookeville - Pride in Memphis - Pride in Seattle - Pride in Boston - Pride in Baltimore - Pride in DC - Pride in Chicago - Pride in New Orleans - Pride in Houston - Pride in Santa Fe - Pride in Denver - Pride in Los Angeles
Trans Liberation Now
Pride started as a reaction to the atrocities committed against the LGBT community, and Trans Women of Color were at the forefront of the fight. If not for Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera standing up for their rights at the Stonewall Inn on 28 June 1969, and igniting a movement, pride would not exist. At least, not in the way that it has since that time. Many people see pride as a time of celebration, but just as it was in 1969, in 2023 it is still a fight for the full rights of LGBTQIA++ people. Meanwhile, State Legislators, far-right pundits, and white christian* nationalists across the United States are working in concert to make the lives of Trans and gender non-conforming people more difficult by the day.
Just this morning, the Supreme Court ruled that a Christian* web designer should be protected if they refuse service to a gay couple who requests a website, based on religious freedom.
“In a 6 to 3 vote, split along ideological lines, the court held that the First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees”
source: NYTimes.com
The United States is awash in right wing conservative grievance and they are currently pointing the ire of evangelicalism at LGBTQIA++ people. They have always pointed in that direction, honestly, but since they had been sidetracked by their hyper-focus of removing bodily autonomy from those who can become pregnant the fight to win what they consider a “culture war” was put on the back burner. On simmer, if you will. The ‘pro-life’ movement supersedes all other fights, unless we are talking about gun control. Ah, to live in a time of complete and total cognitive dissonance. Isn’t it just grand?
The thing that strikes me as odd with the SCOTUS ruling is that business owners are already allowed to refuse service to whomever they wish. Unlike the wedding cake case, this case was not brought by a customer claiming to be discriminated against, but rather by a business owner who wishes to pre-emptively discriminate and be protected on the basis of religious freedom.
Um, what?
As a business owner in the U.S. you advertise, field offers, and then accept business based on negotiations of time and materials. This means, if you don’t have the time or the customer is not willing to pay the price for your services, you don’t create a contract with them. Simple. The case today will set a standard of discrimination that overrides protections won by the LGBTQIA++ community and that is both sad and infuriating.
Why are we still fighting for separation of church and state in this country? We are NOT a Christian nation just because the Christians* say we are. We are a free nation with freedom of religion. That includes ALL religions. SCOTUS allowing religious freedom to be written into the law in a way that discriminates against a protected group is heinous.
Even before the SCOTUS ruling today, conservatives have been busy removing rights for trans and non-binary people at the state legislatures and this year has been incredibly difficult on that front. There are people doing this tracking that are highly dedicated, so I will link to them rather than write it myself, but I wanted to make everyone aware of this horrible direction we are still moving in here in the United States. The only way to fix this is to vote out the people who mean us harm. All the conservatives who think they are doing the will of g-d by passing legislation that harms others are doing harm to everyone, including themselves. So please vote.
I know I say this every issue, but it is imperative to vote, and bring others with you to vote as well. We don’t have enough voter turnout in this country and that is why we are spiraling downward, so please be sure to vote in EVERY election. If we all vote, we win. It is truly that simple. There are more people of conscience in this county, who care about humanity, than not. It might not feel like it at times, but it is the truth. Gerrymandering isn’t just a fun little exercise the conservatives have been pushing for decades - it is their only way to win. But if we circumvent their cheating, we will prevail.
Resources
Erin is the pre-eminent resource for tracking of anti-trans legislation across the country. Click below to see the map, read about the legislation we need to be fighting against, and if you have a bit to spare subscribe as a paid sponsor. The information is well worth $5 (or more) per month.
And lest we forget… the anniversary of overturning Roe was last week. (fuck scotus)
