Intersectionality Matters: Advocating for Racial Justice While Celebrating Pride and the LGBTQ+ Community
By Nick Thorpe
As I marched from the U.S. Capitol to the White House on Saturday, June 6 in one of the many protests happening across the country, protestors repeated the well-known chants of, “Say his name: George Floyd. Say her name: Breonna Taylor.” With the Old Post Office (now the Trump International Hotel) in the background, one of the nearby protestors replaced Breonna’s name with another: Nina Pop. “Say her name: Nina Pop.”
Nina Pop was a 28-year-old Black trans woman who was stabbed to death in her apartment in Sikeston, MO on May 3, 2020.
Tony McDade was a 38-year-old Black trans man who was shot and killed by a police officer in Tallahassee, FL on May 27, 2020.
Monika Diamond was a 34-year-old Black trans woman and business owner who was shot in Charlotte, NC on March 18, 2020.
Iyanna Dior was a 23-year-old Black trans woman who was brutally attacked after a minor car accident in St. Paul, MN on June 1, 2020, though luckily survived.
Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells was a 27-year-old Black trans woman who was found dead after being pulled from a river in Philadelphia, PA on June 8, 2020.
Riah Milton was a 25-year-old Black trans woman who died after being shot multiple times during a robbery in Liberty Township, OH on June 9, 2020.
Say their names. Nina Pop. Tony McDade. Monika Diamond. Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells. Riah Milton. They join a long list of trans people of color who have been murdered, either by police or others — in addition to those who have been attacked and experience transphobia. The recent killings and attacks on Black trans people only underscore the intersection between racial justice and LGBTQ+ acceptance and advocacy.
The Pride Movement started because Black, Latinx, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming individuals rose up during the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District in 1966 and the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969. Our freedoms as an openly queer community would not exist without the leadership, persistence, and resilience of Black trans people. Pride was a riot, and Black queer voices have been leading this effort from the beginning.
The killings of Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Monika Diamond, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, Riah Milton, and countless other Black queer people illustrate the long path toward embracing and accepting the LGBTQ+ community, not only before the law but among fellow Americans. Some people thought, “Well, that’s a wrap,” when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges five years ago in a narrow, 5–4 decision. While the LGBTQ+ community experienced a significant victory on June 15, 2020, when the highest court in the land protected the LGBTQ+ community from workplace discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the fight for equality is far from over. For example, on June 12, 2020 — the same day as the four-year anniversary of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, FL — the Trump Administration finalized a rule erasing non-discrimination protections for transgender patients in the healthcare system.
Recognizing my own privilege as a cisgender, gay man who identifies as half white and half white Latinx, I am constantly learning, reflecting, and pushing myself to moments of discomfort, while aiming to amplify, uplift, and center the voices of others, especially those who are on the frontlines. I encourage you to do the same when identifying the intersectionality of the movements and causes you are a part of, and to learn more by checking out the resources below (which, of course, is not exhaustive). It is essential to center racial justice and equity as well as recognize intersectionalities when discussing an equitable and just transition to a clean energy economy. The Clean Energy Leadership Institute recognizes that Black Lives Matter and that racial justice is central for an equitable, decarbonized, and resilient energy future. As we celebrate Pride Month, reflect, and work for a more inclusive society, CELI further recognizes that Black Queer Lives Matter, too.
Resources (and there are plenty others out there!)
- Out Magazine’s The Trans Obituaries Project: Honoring the Trans Women of Color Lost in 2019
- Human Rights Campaign’s Violence Against the Transgender Community in 2019
- Human Rights Campaign’s Violence Against the Transgender Community in 2020
- The Lily’s Tony McDade was a black transgender man shot by police in May. Protesters are fighting to keep his memory alive.
- Jael Goldfine, How to Support Black Trans People Right Now (June 2, 2020)
- Tiq Millan, When Black lives matter, Black trans people must be freed from discrimination and violence, NBC News (June 9, 2020)
- The Netflix documentaries The Life and Death of Marsha P. Johnson (“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us”) and Disclosure
- Sydney Baloue’s Voguing for Our Lives. Again, New York Times (June 20, 2020)
- We are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown (founders of the lgbt_history Instagram)
- Alexis Plair’s A Week of Podcasts for the Advocate New to Climate Justice
- Thinking Critically About Racism, Whiteness, and Class
- Political Climate’s Racial Justice Protests Put a Spotlight on Pollution and Clean Energy Solutions (June 11, 2020)
- Greenbiz’s How Racism Manifests in Clean Energy (June 5, 2020)
- Grist’s Why Racial Justice is Climate Justice (June 4, 2020)
- Inside Climate News’ A Human Rights Expert Hopes Covid-19, Climate Change and Racial Injustice Are a ‘Wake-Up Call’ (June 10, 2020)
- Inside Clean Energy’s The Racial Inequity in Clean Energy and How to Fight It (June 11, 2020)
Nick Thorpe (he/him/his) is the Equity Programming Manager at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, a 2018 CELI Fellow in Washington, DC, and the Climate & Energy Program Associate at Earthjustice. Read more from Nick on Twitter and Medium.
