I’ve been toying over whether this is appropriate or not, given the riots against racist police brutality going on, but wanted to mark #PrideMonth2020, which was built on the back of 5 days of riots against police brutality following the stonewall raids.

I’ll post a drawing of an important queer figure each day, and will start with some of those who were part of the stonewall riots. Also want to emphatically add that I am very pro-riots, and that Black Lives Matter, and are the foundation of our queer movement.

Let’s start with Marsha P Johnson, a sex worker and activist who was treated really poorly by the white gay community, but was a key figure in the stonewall riots and subsequent protests and community action. We owe her so much. #PrideMonth2020

Worth remembering too that stonewall has been mythologised around some key figures, but it was a movement born from anger and desperation by hundreds and hundreds of brilliant queers, many of them black and latinx, whose names we’ll never know.

Also worth remembering that the figures we all know about were kids when they were risking everything for our lives, Marsha was 23, Sylvia was 17! Many who joined the riots were homeless youth. We owe our elders so much, but it’s also a reminder to have faith in young queers too

I really recommend the stonewall episode of the podcast @yourewrongabout, which highlights some of the misconceptions around stonewall, but also celebrates the joy and the community that were built around the riots

You can donate to the Black Lives Matter movement here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Today I’m thinking about Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a trans activist who is still protesting police brutality at the age of 79. She was present at the Stonewall Inn when it was raided and suffered a beating and a broken jaw at the hands of the police.

Today I'm going to donate to this, you can split a donation between loads of great organisations: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ab_mn 

I’m also thinking of Stormé Delarverie, a butch lesbian who many believe to be the first to throw fists at the violent police at Stonewall, he was known as the Guardian of the Lesbians, and later worked as a bouncer for several lesbian bars, he also performed as a drag king

(I deleted my first post of this, as someone informed me that Stormé used he/him pronouns)

Oops I think I broke this thread: https://twitter.com/MeltingSwans/status/1268118490734624770?s=19

Day 4: Victoria Cruz, a trans activist who was at the Stonewall Inn the night of the riots, and took part in the first NYC pride march in 1970. She’s in her 70s now, and dedicates her life to helping LGBTQ+ victims of violence and rape