The Tribune

Last week, a series of events were held in New Providence for PRIDE. PRIDE is rooted in the history of the LGBTQI+ movement and, more specifically, the Stonewall Riots that took place in New York in June 1969. This is the reason that many LGBTQI+ communities all over the world have PRIDE during the month of June. PRIDE is the commemoration of the riots and the resulting advancement of rights in the US and beyond. Equally important, it is an opportunity to bring community members together and to advocate for further advancement the human rights of LGBTQI+ people. Human rights are inherent, indivisible, and interdependent, and full enjoyment of any rights relies on access to all rights.

PRIDE is not a time of grandstanding, however it may appear to people outside of the community. It is a direct response to the expectation that LGBTQI+ people be invisible and quiet, performing shame for the benefit of people who are uncomfortable with and hateful of people who have different identities and do not conform to their limited understanding of human life.

As actress Laverne Cox said, “In 1969, there was really no such thing as being ‘out’. Gay and lesbian people were deeply stigmatised. Of course, it was illegal to be who you were. There weren’t a lot of places where LGBTQI+ people could gather. So, everything was underground.”

Pushing LGBTQI+ people to the margins did not prevent people from being LGBTQI+. Sexuality is not a choice, so gay men continued to be gay men, lesbian women continued to be lesbian women, trans people continued to be trans people, and so on. Being criminalised meant it was or felt safer to be less visible. As all human beings need social engagement, it became necessary to create spaces that were safer for LGBTQI+ to inhabit. People negotiated space, made it available in limited ways, and made deals to keep them open to the intended market.

Cofounder of the Gay Liberation Front Jim Fouratt—who was walking up Christopher Street when he saw a police car outside the Stonewall Inn and 30 to 40 people in the street at the start of the Stonewall Riots—said: “Wherever there was a gay bar that existed, the cops were paid off.”

It is not much different from what we see today. It was not long ago that “web shops” operated in The Bahamas, everyone fully aware that they were places for Bahamians to illegally gamble. Everyone was fully aware that authorities were being paid off. Raids happened, but not much else. Soon enough, against the results of the “opinion poll”, the law was changed and we now have a different reality. Some people are still upset about the legal change, some people who opposed the change now participate, openly or secretly, in gambling. Some people could not be more happy that they can buy numbers and spin from home. For some, the issue of gaming, the “opinion poll”, and the change to the law will always be the first example they reach for when they consider whether or not the government is trustworthy.

You may be against gambling, but you have to recognise that it is not against the law in certain circumstances. You may believe gambling is against your religion, but that has no bearing on what others choose to do, or even what is in the law. You may be against the diversity in sexuality, but you have to recognise that it is not against the law to be an LGBTQI+ person. You may believe being LGBTQI+ is against your religion, but that has no bearing on the existence of LGBTQI+ people or entitlements through the law. No one has to live by your religion. No one has to have the same sexual interests as you do. You can concern yourself with your own sexuality and sexual activity, and it that is too boring, talk with your sexual partner about safe, consensual ways to change that.

PRIDE exists today in response to the fear and secrecy that shaped the environment for LGBTQI+ people who tried to balance living their lives in authentic ways with surviving in a place rife with hatred for people who are othered and a very specific hatred for and violence against LGBTQI+ people. The social and legal changes, as small as they have been in comparison to what is needed, have made it possible, to varying extents in different countries, for LGBTQI+ people to simply exist. In a sex-negative society, it is, of course, difficult for (sexually repressed) people to see and accept the sexual freedom of consenting adults, and this may be a source of jealousy. This discomfort and jealousy can lead those experiencing it to focus on LGBTQI+ people rather than investing in education, therapy, and practices that can foster a positive relationship to sex and sexuality. This may be a driver of the misconception of PRIDE as an in-your-face stick-it-to-the-heterosexuals affair. LGBTQI+ people, however, do not center non-LGBTQI+ people in LGBTQI+ events.

Many, perhaps intentionally, misunderstand PRIDE. While LGBTQI+ people are justified in having positive self-regard and security in identity, PRIDE is a shaking off and refusal of shame. It is a shame that was imposed by people who harbour hatred and seek to oppress people whose identities and lives are different from and have no effect on theirs. It is a reclaiming of space, a building of community, a refusal to hide, and a decision to take up space.

There are marches for various causes held at various times of the year and at the onset of events. These are largely unchallenged. It is generally understood that people can organise themselves, carry signs, chant phrases, make demands, and draw attention to themselves and their interests. In most cases, these marches and protests take place without opposition. When it comes to PRIDE, however, people choose to be loud in their opposition in order to gain a spotlight, often in the name of a god they may not even truly know.

On Saturday, a group of people showed up at the PRIDE march in New Providence, claiming that they were doing so for god. Drawing more attention to the event, they imagined themselves to be protesting PRIDE, having no understanding of what PRIDE is or why it exists in The Bahamas. A person in this confused group said, “The months belong to God,” in a weak attempt to put LGBTQI+ people in opposition to god—the same god who presumably made them.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. October is known for the Food and Wine Festival by Bahamas National Trust. It is known for “Food Fest”. November is known for Jollification. It is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. It is Movember. December is known for the holiday season, including Christmas, which is, itself, often quite separate from god and religion. There is generally no opposition to issues being attached to months. It is understood by the reasonable among us that it is useful to mark a particular time of year with an issue, cause, or observation to raise awareness, share information, and engage people for a distinct period, repeating it year after year. Suddenly, in October, when a PRIDE march is taking place, all of the months “belong to God”.

There are other ways to seek relevance. There are far better ways to represent the Christian god. The fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control - could be a great place to start, within oneself before anywhere else. How might a deep, unconditional love for oneself unlock love for neighbours Christians are called to love as they love themselves? How might this prevent judgment of others and distraction from one’s own areas for improvement? How might access joy change the way one approaches life and where attention goes? How might the pursuit for peace turn one away from activities that lead to confusion, discrimination, and violence? How might the way we treat one another and share this earthly place change for the better if everyone lived according to the principles of their own religions rather than focusing on the (mis)alignment of others? If only the right-thinking Christians would be as loud and visible as those fuelled by hatred and the desire to control others.

RECOMMENDATIONS: 

1. International Culture Wine and Food Festival. On Saturday, October 18 from 11am to 11pm and Sunday from 11am to 9pm, you can spend time in “the park” between Clifford Park and Bay Street. For more information, visit the website culturefestbahamas.com.

2. There are many Palestinians in need of direct assistance. Families are struggling to survive. An easy way to make a financial contribution is through linktr.ee/fundsforgaza which provides several options for giving directly to families. Buying eSims for Gaza continues to be a necessary contribution, helping Palestinians to connect with one another and share their stories beyond Palestine. Go to connecting-humanity.org to make a donation.