The LGBT South is a weekly email newsletter, compiling national, regional, and local news important to LGBT Southerners. Subscribe to get the latest edition to your inbox every Friday morning and keep up with what the Campaign for Southern Equality is up to!
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“It’s totally different now. It’s like all the terrifying and awful memories I had have been replaced with tonight, with this unity and all this love. We’re all still grieving but this gave me some closure. I could smile and remember the 49.”
–Ramses Tinoco, a Pulse survivor, after returning to the space for a memorial
Here’s your breakdown of what’s happening this week in the #LGBTsouth:
PULSE, PRIDE, AND PROTEST
This week saw the one-year anniversary of the Pulse shooting as well as Capital Pride – the largest Pride parade in the country – and the protests that surrounded it. In remembering those we lost in the Pulse massacre last June, many survivors, family and friends of victims, and first responders are telling their stories. Two photo projects – “We are family” and “Dear Orlando” – are showing the healing process of survivors and giving a window into how their lives were changed in one terrible night.
Other notable stories: StoryCorps’ discussion with Emily Addison, who lost her partner and co-parent to a young son, Deonka Drayton, at Pulse. Addison says, “She used to always tell me that, as long as she was alive, our son and I would never want for anything. And she kept her word.” In addition, first responders discuss how, after the chaos and tragedy of that night, many of them have suffered the effects of PTSD and are learning to cope.
And an eloquent op-ed by John Paul Brammer examines the “sad, joyful” legacy of grief within the queer community. Brammer writes, “Grief is not always a candlelit vigil, or a protest march, though it can be. Grief can be neon, can be a ball, can be camp, can be a read, or can be a parade. It can be as joyful as it is sad. Grief is the thing that comes after the hurt. It is an agent of healing. It is the reckoning, in all its phases both painful and triumphant, with the hurt you’ve been given.”
At Capital Pride, protestors affiliated with a group called No Justice No Pride disrupted the parade, causing it to be rerouted. The protesters were drawing attention to the fact that many Prides around the country have become increasingly corporate and inaccessible to people of color with heavy involvement from law enforcement. Some pride-goers were upset at the protestors, yelling “Shame!” at them repeatedly and scolding them for “ruining the parade”; however, those affiliated with NJNP said their aim was to bring Pride back to its roots in resistance and unity.
BUILDING A BETTER SOUTH
A crisis seems to be emerging in the Southern Baptist tradition as of late. Long held as a mainstay of Southern culture and the most prominent (and conservative) sect in the Bible Belt, like many faith traditions, it is reckoning with how and whether to adapt to the changing world outside church walls. Literal interpretations of the Bible have often been used to support restrictive gender roles and invalidation of LGBTQ identities, but the most recent version published by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) takes a gender-inclusive approach, using words like “parent”, “child”, and “humanity” over “father”, “son”, and the plural “man”. Previous attempts to make the text more inclusive have been met with strong backlash from members of the church, but one of the publishers said the new version is not gender-neutral, but rather “gender-accurate”.
The SBC is also under fire for another issue that seems as uniquely modern as it is timeless in our country. Leaders declined to vote on a resolution to condemn alt-right ideology – a modern offshoot of white nationalism – and its attendant racism, xenophobia, and bigotry, at their annual meeting on Tuesday. After drawing swift backlash from church members and leaders, the convention decided to regroup and vote to approve a rewritten measure on Wednesday evening, however the quick reversal can’t undo the damage done by revealing the lingering ideological fault lines within the Southern Baptist faith left over from its historical role in shaping and upholding racism in the South.
Of course, these divisions within the church mirror the ongoing ones within society at large, as well as the need to address our collective history. Current events – such as the recent KKK presence at a Pride parade in Florence, Alabama – underline the need to address the past to move forward. Understanding, for example, that the resurgence of Confederate imagery came in response to the Civil Rights Movement, or rejecting the myth of Robert E. Lee as a hero and patriot is integral to understanding where our states, region, and country are today and ensuring that where we’re headed is toward progress.
WHAT ELSE?
Athlete Chris Mosier, who became the first trans athlete to compete for the U.S. National Team last year, talks mentorship, visibility, and role models.
The Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C. is opening a new exhibit called “Gendered” today, which will explore rapidly evolving ideas on gender in the U.S.
Despite evolving societal views and the first prosecution of the murder of a transgender woman as a hate crime this year, the so-called “trans panic” or “gay panic” defense for murder is still legal in 48 states.
In Chelsea Manning’s first interview since her release from prison, she discusses why she leaked classified documents and the difficulty of her time behind bars.
An updated design of the pride flag was unveiled in Philadelphia this week, adding black and brown stripes to represent LGBTQ people of color.
There are a historic seven LGBTQ candidates up for election in Virginia, including Danica Roem, who could become the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature.
The title of this feel-good article says it all: “Just A Bunch Of Really Good Parents Supporting Their Kids For Pride Month“.
WHAT THE CAMPAIGN FOR SOUTHERN EQUALITY IS UP TO
We are excited to launch Safe Schools, Safe Communities, a new round of rapid response grants to promote safety in schools and communities across the South.
We’re open to all kinds of ideas. If it will make your community safer, we want to hear about it – whether you’re organizing a rally to speak out against violence against trans women of color; hosting trainings to provide sanctuary for undocumented immigrants; educating legislators about the importance of access to affordable healthcare; or building a coalition of staff, faculty and parents to reduce bullying against LGBTQ, immigrant and Muslim students.
We need all of these efforts and more to protect and defend those who are most vulnerable in our communities across the South. Click here to apply for funding today.
We will accept and review applications for grants of up to $500 on an ongoing basis. Applicants will receive a response within one month of submission.
We are excited to host a series of FREE “Protect Yourself” Clinic that centers the trans experience.
Led by and for trans folks, these clinics will cover a range of safety issues including: trainings in self defense and pepper spray, writing a safety plan, and using safety apps on your phone. Free and confidential HIV testing and counseling will also be available.
Clinics are coming up in Atlanta, GA on June 23 (this clinic will be accessible to Spanish speakers). Thanks to Estrella Sanchez for co-hosting!
