Several hundred people crowded into the parking lot between Cathedral of Hope and Resource Center on Sunday afternoon for a short rally before pouring out onto Cedar Springs Road and marching to The Crossroads.
The March for Queer & Trans Liberation, organized by a coalition of more than 20 local organizations with GLAAD’s Texas representative and communications director for Texas Latino Pride Jacob Reyes, was held in response to the ongoing wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation and policies coming out of Washington, D.C., and state Capitols around the country, including Austin where Texas lawmakers this session have introduced a record number — 205 — of anti-LGBTQ bills, especially focusing on anti-trans efforts.
In explaining the reasons last week for the march, Cece Cox, CEO for Resource Center which was one of the organizations behind the march said, “The Queer & Trans Liberation March sends a message to all in Dallas and across Texas that when we stand up and show up for our communities, we move closer to reclaiming justice.’
The gay community continues to play the constant victim and partake in public spectacles like this “march”, then wonder why society as a whole still looks at them as a joke and in a negative light.
SMH!
It is sooooooo rich that GAY MAGA needles our community for playing “the constant victim” and participating “in public spectacles”. Police raids on bars had been a familiar part of gay life for decades, but one made history on February 11, 1967. The demonstration called by Los Angeles advocacy group PRIDE (Personal Rights In Defense & Education) signaled the first gay rally against police violence in America, the earliest gay street demonstration, and the historic beginning of the gay liberation movement. Several hundred people—perhaps 500 or more—gathered in the bar’s parking lot to protest the raid more than 2 years before the Stonewall Uprising in New York.
The crime? Kissing at midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1967; 14 men arrested by the LAPD vice squad. The place? The Black Cat Tavern on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. The charge? Lewd conduct. Since GAY MAGA claims to represent “society as a whole”, I take personal offense to his characterization of my community as a “joke”. It’s no crime to share a quiet moment of love & affection to celebrate New Year’s Eve, everybody needs love. And, baby so do I. We’re gonna keep on dancing (as long as it takes) until GAY MAGA & his friends respect our PRIDE. It’s no crime.