40 years on, Remember Stonewall.
So, who airbrushed the trans folk from Gordon's morning bash for [London]Pride, this year?
Gordon and Sarah's reception on the morning of [London] Pride 2009 was clearly enjoyed by the great, the good and the celebrity gay men and lesbians.
Maybe someone did arrange for a trans person to attend, but there isn't a face here I recognise, and yet we were there, in truth, we were there.
40 years on, Remember Stonewall - the bar where a leather dyke was arrested for wearing 3 items of 'mens' clothing, that initiated the riots and sent Stonewall into the history books. The queens who then picked up their handbags and toook to beating the police at their own game, by beating them.
40 years on. Remember Stonewall. It was Sylvia Rivera, trans person extraordinaire, and merely a 17-year-old Puerto Rican-Venezuelan trans woman who threw one of the first Molotov cocktails, out in Christopher Street. Have you seen the grainy black and white film images of Sylvia Rivera, in that truly outrageous knitted lycra body suit, which I have always presumed was the colour of silver when she dressed that morning, grabbing the mic on the stage of an early Gay Activists Alliance stage at Pride circa 1971. If you haven't, and your trans, do. Not only does the lycra suit grow both larger and dirtier, as the day goes on, but Sylvia grows with it. Smaller , physically, compared to it, but very so much larger in stature and shouting her lungs out for Trans Pride.
A few years later, shortly after the 1992 Pride March, the body of her friend, and collaberator at those early events, Marsha P Johnson was found floating in the harbour just north of Christopher St. Apparently the police investigation consisteed of 2 phonecalls and they said she had committed suicide. No, she was murdered, as her injuries were to prove, like so many before and so many after. That a hero like Sylvia was to spend the next 25 years living on the street, or in doss houses, or sofa surfing -- well that is another story.
I remember what it was like here in the dark, chimney strewn. poverty filled desert of slums and council houses in Manchester, in the UK 40 years ago. And how Sylvia and people like her were far off in the dreams of escape to a home that took many, many more years to materialise. I also remember when 8 years ago Manchester City Council held a 25th anniversary reception for the founders of the Manchester Gay Switchboard. Not one trans person was invited other than Julia Grant who was by then a local dignitory. But she hadn't been around in 1975. Carol, Linda, Stan, Roy-in his rubber suit, and even little ol' me - not one of us was invited, and you cannot tell me they didn't know how to get in touch with me at least. We were there, but also airburshed out at a later date.
Moonflowrr, of whom I am a big fan, writes on her blog 'Transpolical' on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, of Sylvia, Marsha P. Johnsone. Miss Major and their friends, and says "The Stonewall Girls and Guys? They virtually all feel they've been co-opted and tossed away by the modern day movement like a used condom."
My dear, that is what happens with us all - especially when we are no longer young and beautiful. and the type of lucky mascot they like to have their picture taken with. "Oh - didn't I tell you, thats my tranny friend ..... uhm, now what is his/her name".
Back in London Pride 2009, in fact, I wasn't there. Living over 200 miles away, with train tickets costing a minimum of £61 for weekend travel, even if booked in advance, it would have contributed to breaking the bank. Being even a little disabled and unable to walk the distance is also a big issue. Why would I want to attend Pride to sit in a bus? Take a wheelchair, someone says. As someone who also cannot push themselves in a chair, even getting a chair on the train is hard, then making my way on London Transport (no tube acess, and buses that don't stop!) , before begging people to push me, and much as though I would grateful if anyone would push me. I never get to speak to them - because theyare all 'up there' and I am 'down here'. Get lost, I'm prouder than that.
But, where were the trans folk? Maybe sometrans folk did visit Gordon & Sarah's for a glass of lemonade. Mabe they didn't. But either way, we are clearly not fit to be seen in an 'official' photograph with the PM, at least not in public. However, we WERE THERE - not just in 1968 but also in 2009.
So, if anyone out there has some photo's of OUR presence at pride 2009, and the trans people in them are happy to be seen, then let me have them, I'll make sure we are seen here, and on the Press for Change website; ww.pfc.org.uk
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1 comments:
Some say that every cloud has a silver lining - well at sunset and dawn sometimes the pink takes over and the subtlties of the grey ( aging, diabaled or minorities within minorities are lost )
This is a mentally provacative post for me in many ways.
I, as a disabled pensioner who does what they can to advocate for trans rigts- and has bukleys of spending money on exhorbidant travel expensses when those who are well psoitioned to expoit my inablity to attend, can themsleves even claim their travel on tax in my home county - i can certainly relate to your frustrations about access and the anihalation of the lived experience of those who were there by pinkly fraganted stories of historical events.
We have similar problems with some mainstream eletist trans persons in Australia who rumour has it are by their actions disociating themself from the full colours of the spectrum.
In other words I do hope that the story going around that the newly forming ANZPATH is not consciously wording there constitution to avoid participation of specific individual people or individuals -
there is strength in diversity but also in numbers when facing adversity the full colours of the spectrum must be present to obtain an accurate image of every day life.
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