this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2024
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The fact that you frame "affirming your identity" as such a pathetic offering shows how little you think of LGBT folks in this context tbh.
Look, I get the anger, but keep your sentiment pointed in a way that doesn't imply that gay people are the enemy soaking up valuable time and resources, or at least listen to us when we say we're uncomfortable with you painting the symbols of our self-determination as cheap tokens to be eschewed from leftism if it wants to help people.
The rainbows aren't hurting anyone.
They aren't a substitute in lieu of governance or political progress either, and are often treated like they are by neoliberals.
"LGBTQ people" are people who need to eat too. Rainbow ribbons aren't hurting anyone, but they aren't edible either.
The American people aren't getting their physiological and safety needs taken care of on Maslow's hierarchy, paying lip service to the top of the pyramid while intentionally letting the base rot away is only patronizing. It's only opportunism.
Its the difference between saying you love someone and being in a position to show them and never doing so. You want to give them credit for the clearly self-serving platitude with no action behind it?
Here I'll do what you've been doing, why do you have a problem with poor LGBTQ people who need more than affirmation if they are to survive?
Gay rights movements generally do not make demands in the form of food.
They do, however, ask for you to actually listen to the demographics you're trying to talk over if you want to help them.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/for-transgender-people-finding-housing-has-become-even-harder-during-the-pandemic
How about housing?
As with anything else, It's more important to care about any group in order of those within it that need the most help to those that need the least.
It's more important for a politician to set policies for poor trans people to have a home and a bed than it is for that same politician to profess their solidarity with their identity on Ellen DeGeneres for a photo op.
What the hell does solidarity mean in that case? Be free to die horribly on the street of exposure as who you are? Wow thanks?
Yes.
Being able to be open about your identity is very important to trans people. This is an important element of people's lives, insofar that even in the face of rejection by traditional society we tend to come out and just face the consequences of it - yes, that includes, for many, rejection by their families, housing and food insecurity, and many other things that are, in effect, downstream of the impacts of lack of acceptance. That's the very reason why it's so important to us. We make the conscious decision to seek acceptance knowing it is futile and in most cases results in these things. It's spitting in the face of trans rights movements to try to insinuate that they should simply pretend to be someone else if it means getting food or shelter.
For most of us, that was already an option that we threw out because the cost was too great. To see people argue on our behalf that we should simply take a backseat so we can eat? Fuck that, we'll figure it out ourselves if that's supposed to be the cost.
It's clear that you care plenty about this stuff, I don't think all that was meant as a disparaging thing.
But you shouldn't paint gay rights movements as being a boondoggle inherently tied to liberal policy. It's (presumably unintentionally) insulting, and definitely paints the picture that you don't care, or that you'd rather side with someone that didn't give a shit about us.
People who don't eat or have shelter quickly don't figure anything out.
They die.
Regardless of identity, some things are universal to the human condition.
I'm also not against a politician celebrating LGBTQ culture. Im completely for it.
...As long as their voting record doesn't stand directly against their interests, and instead align with their claimed advocacy and you probably know problems like homelessness disproportionately effect LGBTQ individuals.