Your rage is valid. So is your fear. Those aren’t easy words to say to anyone, but it’s the clarion reality of this moment in our lives. We are under attack. We have been. It is not new. The Supreme Court’s draft opinion regarding abortion is an outrageous attack on basic human rights. Abortion is healthcare, it is a right, and it is still legal. Reproductive justice is LGBTQ justice. This alone is enough to invoke our fury and action.
The draft opinion also openly targets LGBTQ rights calling out the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case from 2015 which ruled that the right to marry is fundamental and guaranteed to LGBTQ couples by the United States Constitution, and even more terrifying was the call out to the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case which decriminalized LGBTQ physical intimacy. Our rights are under attack. This is not new. The extremist strategy of seeding policy and judicial appointments to erode protections for marginalized communities has been operating in the clear light of day for decades.
As our anger at this moment is rightfully rising, we must remember the racist origins of the anti-choice movement. Racial justice is LGBTQ justice. The rising attacks throughout our nation on choice, LGBTQ rights – particularly trans rights, and voting rights are inexorably connected. Our common threat has been and continues to be white supremacist extremists. Our call to action must be united across our movements as we pursue a diverse, inclusive, and free democracy.
Each of us has the personal power to make large and small strategic decisions about how we fight back; how we call out and dismantle oppression. Our media outlets, educational institutions, and places of work and worship all have the power to invest in equity, divest from hate, and tell the honest truth about our lives and what is at stake. What will you do in this moment?
Together, we have and will continue our long legacy of fighting for justice for all people. As ballots drop and voting begins next week, we will show up. When the call to action is to knock on doors or march in the streets, we will be there. These feelings of anger are valid. Assess where you direct it. You don’t owe perpetrators your energy. Strategic solutions deserve your attention if you have energy to muster. If you don’t, pause. We need you rested for the fight ahead. Let your rage forge stronger your resolve. Together, we will return to pursuing Justice with Joy.
In Solidarity,
Fernando Zweifach López
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Executive Director
San Diego Pride
P.S. Help us turn out the LGBTQ vote this June. Sign up here as an individual or here as a group, or email [email protected].
Fernando Lopez is the Executive Director of San Diego Pride. Lopez’s years of LGBT advocacy, nonprofit management, public education, diversity consulting, media relations, guest lectures, and organizing have made them a consistent presence ensuring the struggles of the LGBT community are ever visible.
