On Sunday June 18th, Philadelphia Pride proved problematic as ever, starting with the sponsorship by multiple alcohol brands, big banks, and investment companies. Instead of throwing bricks, burning police cars, or taking it to the streets in protest, Pride has lost its revolutionary roots and instead become an agent of the very thing that oppresses us. Transphobia and transmisogyny run rampant in all aspects of culture. Queer youths are kicked out of their homes and make up almost half of the homeless youth population across the country. As of mid-June 2017, thirteen black and brown trans women have been murdered this year.
While LGBTQ Pride began as a riot lead by black and brown trans women, today’s Pride celebrations do nothing to address the unjust system that oppresses queer people of varying intersectional identities, namely Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC).