Pride and Prejudice

The many stories, broadcasts and events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion and LGBT Pride make me proud of the health and vitality of the movement for queer rights. Marriage rights are breaking out all over (give it up for Iowa) and at our LGBT Community Brunch on June 27th, we heard from the leaders of FIERCE and the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD) , two longtime North Star Fund grantees who are on the leading edge of combining arts, activism, organizing and youth leadership development that will leave even the cynic inspired.

But amidst all the floats, buttons, rainbow flags and beads, members of two recent North Star Fund grantees felt the continued sting of police harassment and transgender bashing.

At the Heritage of Pride March, members of the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society and the Audre Lorde Project were roughed up and pulled off the parade route because a cop felt they had fallen too far behind. Click here for more info.

The Transgender Legal Defense Fund (TLDEF), a North Star Fund grantee, reported that two men face felony hate crime charges after they allegedly assaulted a transgender female in St. Albans, Queens last week. The victim, Carmella Etienne, told police the two assailants chased her down while throwing rocks and bottles, yelling slurs and threatening to kill her. Click here for more info.

A month prior, on June 19 at 2:30 am, another transgender female, Leslie Mora, was brutally beaten by two thugs while walking home in Queens. Click here for more info.

These incidents remind us that the road to LGBT liberation is long, and hard, and too often violent, especially for transgender members of our communities.

So be here, queer and proud, and also act. Follow the links above to take action. And donate, donate, donate so these kinds of incidents aren't brushed under the rug or rationalized away by the Bloomberg Administration.