rosalarian:

I see a lot of white cis queers calling for more cops at Pride events right now. I’ve already seen them, walking through Boystown in Chicago, armed police silently watching us in their bullet proof vests. We forget that this is not comforting for a lot of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Most Pride events won’t be attacked. Honestly, as afraid as we are, most likely, this isn’t going to happen to us. Most Pride events are going to go off without anyone mass murdering us.

The thing I’ve noticed is that when cops go in expecting a fight, but don’t get one, they get bored. When cops get bored, they go looking for a fight, and they find it with people of color, and with trans/gnc people, and with sex workers. 

And make no mistake, these are often the people doing the most for the queer community, the most radical, the most fired up. The most vulnerable members of our community are stuck in this place where they face a threat from both armed gunmen and cops. Bringing in more cops actually increases the likelihood that they’ll face trouble because again, these events have a 99.9% chance of not being attacked by homophobic citizens with guns, but now they have an increased likelihood of an altercation with police.

White cis queers, we have the privilege to not be bothered by this, but let’s not revel in this privilege. Don’t create a safe space for yourself at the expense of queer PoC. Reject increased police presence. Don’t trust them. Watch them. Protect our PoC, trans/gnc, sex worker community members from them. Don’t let more injustice happen so you can feel personally safe from a boogeyman.

Now, go have responsible fun at Pride. Do no harm, fight for your rights, and the rights of those below you on this unjust hierarchy.