The First Pride Was a 'Riot'
Catching up on Midwestern Pride and all-things Fourth Wave
Greetings my fellow writers, readers, critical thinkers, and newcomers to Fourth Wave, this is Dre Cáceres from Kansas with a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting the stories we’ve published since May 30. But first, let me catch you up on all-things Kansas and a little bit about what has been happening here. I write to you from the little local café-bar I wrote about in our last newsletter because it is the best space I have currently since packing up and moving to Wichita exactly seven months ago. Any bit of furniture that did not fit in a four-by-eight trailer hooked up to the back of our Toyota Corolla was sold or donated, meaning we are starting fresh in a whole new state. It also means my partner and I have had a bit of a rough start, and our involvement in local community events are limited to free-entry.
First and foremost: happy pride month to our LGBTQIA+ community! My partner and I, both queer, have been excitedly awaiting the news of what Wichita Pride has to offer. But just this week we read about an official warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding precautions against targeted attacks at Wichita Pride this year in particular.
After volunteering at Sacramento Pride last year, I was eager to send my volunteering application for Wichita Pride to continue my dedication with community organizing; but with the official warning of potential danger, it leaves our local queer community in anxiety and hyper-vigilance. And then I remembered, the first pride was a riot. And it was not just one ¹riot: there were multiple uprisings happening in the late 1960’s prior to the most notable uprising— the Stonewall Riot of 1969. But the most critical part about how Stonewall (and all the other uprisings) rose into a movement against the ²hyper-policing and criminalization of queer people — especially trans BIPOC folx — is the resilient alliance of the queer community and their allies. The point of the uprisings was to respond to the hate and policing, to unite in solidarity against the main oppressors. So with that noted, I’m sending my application in!
Now you may be wondering what has been happening recently on Fourth Wave, and we are excited to announce a new addition to our growing staff of volunteer editors. Joining us is a long-time Medium writer Elle Beau ❇︎, whom you can learn more about in this recently published story.
Also recently published is a Fourth Wave stylesheet describing how we format stories for this publication.
For this newsletter — which includes links to every story published on Fourth Wave since the last newsletter published on May 30 — I would like to highlight the wide range of topics and contributors. One of my favorites is this one by Maria Cassano, who dives into a herstory about witches-turned-organ traffickers. Specifically, she cites a 15th century text accusing witches of making penises disappear and then hoarding them as pets! While so many of the stories below were nominated for a boost this month, only some received approval by curators for wider distribution; you can recognize those by the asterisk.
I hope you all get a chance to look over this rich list and find a few stories that you want to read and enjoy. And don’t forget to clap, highlight, or comment to support your fellow feminist and womanist writers. As the tagline says, Let’s start something!
Remember, dear allies and intersectional feminists, the first pride was a riot. So don’t be afraid to put on your gear!
With all humanity and in solidarity,
Dre Cáceres
Newsletter Editor
Fourth Wave
¹It is important to note that Stonewall Riots were defined as uprisings or rebellions by the activists, and as riots by police
²I use hyper-policing and hyper-criminalization (defined by author Victor Ríos) to describe retribution for everyday activities, styles, or behaviors done by marginalized individuals but is viewed as deviant by society
Writers who contributed stores this period include:
Bella DePaulo, Patsy Fergusson, Pragya Chaturvedi, Shaira Kadir, Lola Rosario, Jess West, R. Wayne Branch PhD, Streamofsocialconscience, StartledEgg, Moymona Begum, Hermione Wilds Writes - Writer and editor, Suma Narayan, Alan Tabor, Maria Cassano, Catherine Oceano, Katarina Felicia Lundgren, Edward Swafford, Luca Storm, Amy Sterling Casil, Mona Lazar, Mallory Mosner, Robert Pacilio, Lisa Ziska-Marchand, Ed.D., Christyl Rivers, Phd., Kristi Keller, Jay Rooted, Seconde Nimenya, Stephanie Sora, Lynette Tremblay, Eleni Stephanides, Rebecca Ruth Gould, PhD, Harry R. Sinclair, Aza Y. Alam, Osi I., Sangeeta Kalsi, Roz Warren, Writing Coach
Topics we covered since the last newsletter include:
Stories about life, relationships, & well-being:
The Systematic Disadvantaging of Single People and How It is Denied
Fruit Tasted Better in My Childhood
Battling Our Upbringing
Humans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Can Help Heal Trauma
The Emotional Inequality of Single Life
Through Thick and Thin
What’s in a Size?
Breaking up is Hard To Do
Avoiding My Parents’ Marriage
* How to Find Your Happy Place
* Abuse — From the Perspective of the Abused
Stories about the patriarchy and prejudice against women and other marginalized people:
How I Support Friends Experiencing Domestic Abuse
Meet The Female Andrew Tate
Witches Were Accused of Keeping Disembodied Penises as Pets
* Why Quiet Prejudice Hits Women Harder Than Flagrant Bias
Rape Denialism as Public Sport
“Passport Bro” is a Fancy Term for Sexual Exploitation
* “Hot Girls Don’t Gatekeep”
Dude! I’m Not Your Photographer — Go Away!
Stories about empowerment of women and other marginalized people:
* Ladies — It’s Time we Stopped Dragging Each Other Down
Celebrating the First Psychedelic Explorers
The Indian Women Who Saved A Forest
* High-Performance Women Are Less Emotional Than Men
* Closing the Gender Equality Gap
* How to be a Girl in the World
* The Midlife Revolution
Channeling the Flames: Women’s Anger as a Catalyst for Change
Why Does My Voice Do That?
Stories about books, movies, and other media:
Stories about decolonization, global rights, and world culture:
Questions I Wish I Had Asked My Israeli Former Colleague
* Prisoners of Binary Thinking
Gender vs The Springhill Mining Disaster
Cultures as Contracts and the Risk of Being a Contract Breaker
A Person Should Control Her Fate
* By 2030, AI Could Replace Three Hundred Million Jobs Globally
* Crossing the Language Barrier
Fourth Wave News:
Elle Beau Joins Fourth Wave as Editor
Stylesheet for Fourth Wave
And finally, since today is Father’s Day, this special Dad’s category
For more stories with a view to equality and justice for ALL, follow Fourth Wave. Have you got a story or poem that focuses on women or other disempowered groups? Submit to the Wave!
