TrendingTEA, Episode 3: Tough Love Tea

On the repeal of DACA and our queer response

 
It was a whopper of a week.
It’s like the universe said: Let’s see how much madness we can fit all in one week and BAM we got these last seven days. From the gas-pocalypse in Dallas to Irma to the wildfires in California to L’Oréal UK firing Munroe Bergdorf for speaking out about racism in Charlottesville to Trump’s repeal of DACA, it was a hell of week for social rights activists.
Meanwhile Joel Osteen was handing out collection plates to the victims of Hurricane Harvey. *face palm*
But at least we still have Beyonce. More specifically Beyonce’s birthday and the life that is Michelle Obama as “Formation” Beyonce gave us.

And whoa was that a refreshing jolt of goodness after the week we’de had. So were Obama’s words on Trump’s decision to resend his 2012 DACA act supporting the Brown Dreamers of America.
Which leads me to today’s tea — a tea that I already know is going to be a hard flavor for some to swallow. But the truth is, its way past time for some tough love.
As a queer community we have GOT to start talking about race. And not in a “I don’t see color” or “we are all the Human Race” kinda of way, but in a way that is open to learning, seeing, and understanding its own privilege. Because the reality is, White gay male bodies are privileged in a way that queer Black and Brown bodies aren’t. Privileged in the fact that they aren’t bearing the brunt of Trump’s policies on their backs. Privileged in a way that they don’t have to worry about being stripped from their homes and deported to countries they have never once called home.
Make no mistake, this isn’t an attack. Nor is this a blanket statement of ‘you’re to blame’ rhetoric. This is a sincere call to action for our LGBTQ community to rise up and speak out in social-political situations that have to do with race. To talk about race by acknowledging that inequalities based on the color of one’s skin exists. And because people of color are part of our queer community too — even if you don’t want said colors represented in our queer flag.
So as loudly as we march and fight for our right to party in our full out, all out glitter and glam queer glory, we’ve got to do the same for our queer family of color. We can no longer afford to be colorblind because the only people we are shortchanging is ourselves.
Because in the full spectrum of who we are, we are all connected. And we, the LGBTQ community, will never be treated as equals until the most oppressed individuals in our community — trans, Black, Brown, and female bodies — are too.
Our Lady of Queer icon Cher gets it.

 
Now we have to get it too.
Okay rainbow, let’s get in formation.