Pride Month Every Month
Tanya Atkinson
President & CEO of Planned Parenthood WI and President of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin ?? Heart-centered leader focused on making an impact in accessible health care
A few weeks ago, I wrote on LinkedIn about the intersection of #Pride and bodily autonomy. Pride this year is significant for many reasons – this year we stand in the face of near-unprecedented threats on the #bodilyautonomy of LGBTQIA+ people in the U.S. This June also marks the anniversary of the overturning of #RoevWade , which comes amidst a slew of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation being introduced and passed around the country.
The media tends to frame these attacks as “trans issues” or “trans discourse,” but that’s a dangerous line to adopt. It gives unwarranted validity to these unprovoked attacks on the livelihood of LGBTQIA+ people and forces the community to defend their very right to exist, not just in public, but at all. Calling this “discourse” implies a certain level of sport, as if this is something up for debate.
Let’s be very clear: regardless of anyone’s approval, the LGBTQIA+ community has a right to exist. It is not a game. It is not a conversation topic. This is about the real lives of real people.
As such, Pride Month is about much more than hanging up a flag or attending a parade. Those acts are super-charged with renewed weight in a climate of deadly politics surrounding the existence of LGBTQIA+ people. When someone sees that flag, it tells them, “this is a place that I can feel safe in.” Our celebration becomes a celebration of bodily autonomy. “In this space, I can exist without being threatened. I can exist liberated. I can exist free.”
This is why it is important to #celebrate Pride beyond the month itself. Since threats to the #community persist, liberation and bodily freedom do not expire on July 1st. #Autonomy over our bodies is a fundamental right at any age. Robbing someone of that robs them of a fundamental part of their personhood, which is precisely the intention behind these vicious attacks.? By celebrating our freedom, joy, and pleasure in Pride is one of the most beautiful forms of protest we can invoke.
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As we close out Pride Month, I hope that many of you are able to experience all of these things now and throughout the year.
Pride Month may be ending, yet our joy and love—our most valuable traits—never have to.