If You Consider Yourself an Ally, This is the Most Important Pride of Your Life

By Lori Perkins

I am not going to bore you with my ally bonafides – that is not what this essay is about – but I want you to think about how important your ally ship is in the current discourse currently raging through this country on homophobia and transphobia.

Yes, you wear Pride shirts and buy Rainbow tumblers at Starbucks and even make an annual contribution to Lambda or The Trevor Project and you LOVE RuPaul. I’m afraid that’s not enough this year and wasn’t enough in the past either.

Even signing a bunch of petitions and swearing never to go to Florida ever again or never eating at Chick-Fill-A or start eating at Chick-Fill-A (because they have supposedly gone “woke” by hiring a vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion) is not enough this year.

Because there’s a vocal portion of this country that feels entitled to their rhetorical bigotry in the name of Trump and God, and it is our job to make sure they know that they ARE in the minority.

So, the next time a relative or friend of a friend makes a comment about trans people in bathrooms stop being polite. Remind them that everyone uses your bathroom without a gender check. The next time they say something about pandering to the “LGBTQ agenda” (I actually love this one. Can I get a copy?) ask them to explain what that is and how it works and where they read about it. They will be out of spittle in no time. And, of course, when they go on and on about “the groomers,” make sure you remind them of the priests and ministers and Boy Scout leaders and Olympic coaches that actually did groom an entire generation of kids without a single rainbow logo.

This year, get your ass out there and march in your local Pride parade.

And if you’re older (code word for Boomer), make sure you let those in their 20’s and 30’s know that you care more about people than profits and brands. Go to Target and ask to see the Pride selection. Take a picture of yourself at the Kohl’s Pride display. Hold your tastebuds and drink a Bud Light. Put this all on Facebook so your fellow Boomers can see your true colors. Let them feel the discomfort they create in people just trying to be their true selves in an already difficult world.

Boomers know that the right words at the right time can change the world. It’s Time.