Pride 2023: Our Retrospect.iv

Grounded in Pride

Near the corner of Christopher St. and 7th Ave., Pride began as a protest against the powers attempting to erase queer voices in 1970. Their collective voice rose above oppressive forces to protect their diverse joy, community, and experiences in New York and beyond. Today, as we stand in political progress and regression, we recognize Pride Month as a time to celebrate our voices and our stories as we push for our liberation.

This year’s Retrospect theme of “The Intersection of Pride & Protest” recognizes the historic development of Pride as both a celebration of LGBTQIA+ lives and as an act of resistance against queer erasure. While we honor the relevance of June as a month celebrating LGBTQIA+ history, Retrospect is proud to embody that reverence in our daily work. We hosted a team roundtable to explore how our Pride exists as both members and advocates of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Evolution of Our Pride

From growing up in a liberal small town in Cali or emigrating to New York from Nigeria, our team has had a global experience with the spaces that shape our identity and perspective. Many of us grew up in hometowns that didn’t hold space for our full identities, which resulted in mentalities that shrunk how we live and how we think about those existing out loud.?

In Costa Rica, Eva Bristol (Senior Designer), grew up under the precedence of a religiously-conservative country where many LGBTQIA+ topics and people are taboo, marginalized, and excluded. Today, that awareness of exclusion has led Eva’s curiosity in design to explore how sexuality and identity come to life through artivism. By seeking out feminist and LGBTQIA+ groups and publications, Eva has contributed illustrations surrounding the themes of pride, acceptance, identity, and social activism.?

Nigeria, Joy Ekuta ’s? (Co-Founder + Chief Strategy & Operations Officer) home country has been historically an anti-LGBTQIA+ to the point of imprisonment. A leader at heart, Joy talked about the mission of “parenting up” in her own community. “I’m intentional about educating my older generation – parents, and community on how to create more equitable spaces for people to be seen...” Joy and Eva shared the sentiment of the importance of doing the heavy lifting so those who identify as LGBTQIA+ don’t have to endure the extra burden of educating everyone else.

For those of us who grew up in the States, Kaylin Young (Lead Cultural Strategist) shared the disconnect between her sexuality, faith experiences, and the cultural exclusion of her perception of Pride events. “For me, Pride has always seemed like an event for white gay cisgender men. As a Black bisexual woman, I have never seen myself (or the Black queerness of my relationship) openly reflected in Pride celebrations, so I haven’t felt the need to participate. That sense of exclusion is also learned from my upbringing in conservative Christian communities that discouraged celebrating what was deemed “sinful.” Somedays, it’s still a struggle to break out of that mindset, but it starts with cultivating a community of folks who are both queer and those who value my full self.”

In a similar upbringing that was unaffirming of queer identities, Brian A. (Account Director) saw anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric migrate from the pulpit to the kitchen table, causing his brother (LGBTQIA+ identifying) to shy away from family. “My brother moved from state to state, moving further away every time, and it really tore me up. I remember the day he decided to come home and start a candid conversation about his sexuality. For many of us, we were so proud and happy to have him home. It took some time for other members of the family to come around, but their journey of awareness and acceptance ultimately helped bring us closer as a family. We care and love each other no matter who we date, love, or marry. This also helped me navigate questions about my own sexuality, and unsubscribe from the damaging culture of hypermasculinity that excludes and marginalizes so many. For me, Pride is a reminder of the deep divide that exists all over the world, and the work we all have to do to eliminate the hatred, fear, intolerance, and bias against the LGBTQIA+ community. But it’s also a moment to celebrate and reemphasize my commitment as an active and outspoken ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.”?

How Our Pride Exists Today

The common question of what Pride means to us should be answered with attention to nuance. While that nuance is a necessary outlook, we are consistent in the notion that Pride is intentionally celebrating who we are and finding strength in the refuge of our community.

Our Pride is in the essence of our stories. The stories of our team, ancestors, and our greater communities. As we’ve evolved from our stories of origin, we have become storytellers of a narrative that liberates.

Our Pride is in our collective conscious standards of: “I don’t identify you. You identify you, and I honor that.” We don’t go into interviews, meetings, or presentations with assumptions about pronouns or personal identification.

Our Pride is in our advocacy for the protection of LGBTQIA+ rights. This year has seen an unprecedented amount of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation moving across the country, with over 500 bills proposed to strip LGBTQIA+-identifying folks from their rights to healthcare, marriage, childcare, livelihood, and more. In response to these oppressions, our team documented their stances about rainbow-washing statements in a video entitled “Love Isn’t Love.”?

We invite you to watch our Love Isn’t Love video here and share your own reflection about love and the evolution of your Pride.