Hello Scribblers!

As I write this, Pride events for June are starting to ramp up and I want to remind you to take some time to really celebrate what is out there. I’ve got some history below for you to read through and a quick excerpt from Dancing in the Ghost Light, featuring the cast of Cat’s Eye at Pride.

Quick real talk: May kinda sucked and my being sick for a bunch of it is why this is late. Instead of rehashing all of it, I'm going to spend our precious internet time this month talking about Pride. Because it's June and we are here, we are QUEER, and despite what the Republican party seems to want, we ain't going anywhere.

Why Is June Pride Month (and why should you care?)

All right. Let’s get into it.

So, it’s June. Pride Month. Right on schedule, the internet trolls have come out to ask the question: why do we need a Gay Pride month? So, I’m here to talk about what Pride is and why it matters.

Let’s start with the definition. From good ol wikipedia:

Pride Month, sometimes specified as LGBTQ Pride Month, is a month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) culture and community.[1] Pride Month is observed in June, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests.[2]

For the record, this rundown cuts down the acronym. If you’re going to list the letters, it should be 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Ace/Aero).

So, how did it all begin?

Let's do a truncated history, shall we?

PLEASE check out the included links! They do all of this better than I do.

In 1969, when gender normative rules were strictly enforced by police and the police state, gay bars were frequently raided and people who were not dressed correctly were arrested, beaten, and their lives were ruined in a very public way. Those bathroom bills that are being passed across the country? Nothing new. Cops would take people - specifically women - who were not “dressed appropriately” into the bathroom to force them to prove their “sex.” Finally, at the Stonewall Inn, a haven for Trans and Queer folks, they fought back. What is important to remember as we look down the long lens of Queer history in this country is that the women who are credited for picking up the bricks and throwing them at the cops as they raided the bar are Trans women of color. Storme DeLarverie is credited by eye witnesses as the woman who threw the first brick and started the riot. Other women, including Marsha P Johnson (who was there that night), Sylvia Rivera, and Brenda Howard all carried the fight forward.

As we look at what this modern-day administration is doing, it’s important to know that Queer folks have seen this before. From the Hayes Code through to The Reagan administration single-handedly being responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of gay men during the AIDS epidemic to Clinton signing the Defense of Marriage Act and supporting Don't Ask Don't Tell.

With every bathroom bill that is passed, every Trans athlete who is denied the right to compete, every Trans kid who is denied puberty blockers while their CIS counterparts are allowed them (for athletic purposes even!), every Queer couple who do not feel safe being out at work, every queer family that lives in fear of an ex-spouse coming for their kids, it is a reminder that this fight isn’t over. Did you know that Renee Good had a wife and children? A fact that has barely been mentioned in the coverage of her death at the hands of ICE in Minnesota.

So, what can you do, oh faithful readers? My suggestion is to choose one or two of the options below, and see how it goes for you. Then, add one to your list each month as the year goes on.

1. Go click the links above and read the Wikipedia articles.
2. Educate yourself on your local and national politicians. Find out how they vote on issues and call and hold them accountable. Please remember that words and terms like “profanity” and “morality” are dog whistles for policing queerness. Not sure where to start? BallotOPedia is a great first step.
3. Quick tip: If you are an ally, you don’t need to let your queer friends know. Don’t tell us you went to Pride (although thanks, that’s awesome!) Instead, talk to your friends and family. Don’t let that gay joke slide past. Don’t let the rant about Trans athletes go on without commenting. Don’t ignore the social media post from your family member. Not sure where to start, The Trevor Project has some fantastic tools.
4. Take some time to read up on Queer history in this country (and around the world!) Some of it is beautiful! A lot of it isn’t. Read memoirs from Queer activists and LGBTQIA personalities. Learn about the Reagan Administration, how the Hayes Code impacted queerness in media, and what it meant to be a Friend of Dorothy. Not sure where to start? Check out the next suggestion on this list!
5. Support local queer-owned businesses and bookstores. Period. The booksellers will have suggestions for you! Need a book? Skip Amazon and B&N (especially this month) and reach out to places like Under the Umbrella and The Legendarium. They can order (and ship!) anything you want! It doesn’t just have to be queer! Additionally, stores like these have stickers and day planners and notebooks and jewelry and coffee. Queer bookstores are one of the most important social pillars of our community. They are safe and sober third spaces where you can gather safely, hold meetings, and see yourself represented not just in the books but the people who work there. The best way you can be an ally to the community is to actively support it.
6. Attend a Pride festival or event this year! Utah has so many happening this month! Check out the calendar!
7. And finally, and this is the easiest one for you to do, I swear: STOP EATING AT CHICK-FIL-A (they are still donating to groups that actively, and I mean actively, work to harm queer people around the world.)

​Queer media is being cut left and right from television as social media trolls and bots threaten boycotts. Companies that were long-standing allies have given into political pressure and backed off from promises made to the community. The Pentagon is discharging Trans soldiers (although a judge JUST RULED THIS WEEK that they can't do that - even though they can block people from enlisting). States are filing suit against same-sex marriage (though they seem to be failing for now). Groups like the Heritage Foundation and Focus on the Family are writing legislation overseas that make queerness illegal. Families are fleeing Republican controlled states, seeking safer options while they still can. Tennessee is working to create a database of Trans people.

The point is, the fight remains. We are doing so much better than we were when I was growing up, but we aren't there yet.

Look, I'm getting married in July and this is something that kid-me never thought would happen. One of my most formative memories is sitting there, watching Bill Clinton sign the Defense of Marriage Act, and while I didn’t yet realize my queerness, I knew not only that it impacted me but that it just wasn’t right. It wasn’t good. If I’m honest, it kicked off my life-long hatred of the very idea of marriage because the government didn’t want me, so why should I want it? (I’m also very excited to get married this summer, so yes, multiple truths can exist!)

I've given you a lot of information! So, let's have some fun.

I give to you, Shauna's Top Ten Pride Songs Playlist

1. ​Seasons of Love (Rent) - Measure your life in love.
2. ​Make it Stop (September's Children) (Rise Against) - What God would damn a heart?
3. ​Pink Pony Club (Chappell Roan) - I heard there's a special place where boys and girls can all be queens, every single day.
4. ​Virginia Woolf (The Indigo Girls) - They published your diaries, and that's how I got to know you.
5. ​Yes, I Am (Melissa Etheridge) - To the question your eyes seem to send: am I your passion, your promise, your end? Yes, I am.
6. ​Crazy, Classic, Life (Janelle Monae) - I just wanna find a guy, and I hope she loves me too.
7. ​Hot (Dream Wife) - Hot girls in bands, hot boys in bands, hot theys in bands. Hot!
8. ​Amen (Halestorm) - My life. My love. My Sex, my drug, my lust.
9. ​The Joke (Brandi Carlile) - Let them laugh while they can.
10. ​Hallelujah (k.d. Lang) - You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.

(Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change this list at any time because top tens are always and forever changeable depending on the list creator's mood.)

In my ever present hope that you will head over to the Patreon and support there so I can do things like publish these books and spend more time writing about Queer life in Salt Lake, I give you to an excerpt from Dancing in the Ghost Light. In this, Siobhan (who is 60) is attending her first ever Pride parade, and doing it in Salt Lake of all places.

***

Truthfully, Siobhan was shocked to see this many people gathered. Over and over and over again, Salt Lake had caught her by surprise but this parade rivaled some of the ones she’d seen in far bigger areas.

Down the street, she watched a contingent of activists draped in pink, blue, and yellow flags gather with their group and hand out signs: Black Lives Matter, Black Trans Lives Matter, We Aren’t Free Until All of Us Are Free.

Organizers in yellow vests made the rounds, checking in floats, answering questions. Siobhan climbed up onto the float and took a seat, her legs dangling over the edge and tangling a bit with the shiny blue garland. Dancers from one of the other shows were in rainbow tutus and long flower crowns.

Chaos in its most organized form, really.

“Ahhh, Salt Lake in its finery,” Rosemary said as she climbed up next to Siobhan. She was in rainbow leggings and a show tank that somehow she’d found the time to tie-dye in pink, purple, and blue. Her braids were wrapped up on the top of her head and secured with a matching bandanna. “Gotta get out the gays.” She grinned. “Actually, Jenn says it’s not that bad here, really.”

“I keep being surprised.” Siobhan said.

“Same, honestly.”

Behind her sunglasses, she watched the gathering crowds. A dance troupe with rainbow flags rehearsed some moves. A cheer squad warmed up on the sidelines. “Can I tell you a secret?” Siobhan asked of her costar.

“Please!” Rosemary said, grinning.

“This is my first parade,” Siobhan said, rolling her eyes.

“Like, ever? Even attending?”

Shamed, slightly, she nodded. “I realized I was bi long before it was cool to be,” she winked. “But, I was always working or busy or didn’t want to bother with the crowds and well, my darling ex-husband loved to go on rants about the commercialization of the festival and how it wasn’t pure anymore.”

Rosemary laughed. She threw back her head and laughed. “First,” she said, once she’d regained herself, “congrats on joining the party. Never too late.” She squeezed Siobhan’s hand. “Secondly, your ex isn’t wrong. It’s totally commercial and don’t get me started on the prominence in any parade that’s given to the banks and the fucking cops. But you know what …” she paused and pointed down the street, to where the crowd was already gathering. “Right down there, there’s gonna be a kid whose parents bring them every year because they already know their kid is queer and want to make sure they see people like them. There’s gonna be some terrified mom who came down with her kids to make sure they are safe and she’s gonna realize life is just life.” She poked Siobhan. “I know that some gen xer who never made it to a parade until now will get to see how much fun it is. So yeah, there’s a lot to criticize but here’s my thing …” she shrugged. “It’s a lot like politics. I can’t criticize it unless I also engage and know what I’m talking about. Otherwise, I’m a troll who thinks I’m better than anyone else.”

Siobhan smiled. “I love that.”

“But this is also America. If we don’t have corporate support, there go the rights we have fought for,” she snorted. “So yeah, I get it. But it’s also a damn party and sometimes, we deserve to stop rioting and fucking celebrate, you know? You can’t change the world if all you ever do is fight.”

Tears welled up in Siobhan’s eyes. “Wow, yeah … when you put it like that …”

“Also at the end of the month, there’s supposedly a people’s pride that doesn’t have any banks or shit so … hopefully we can hit that one up too. Be a good way to wind down the show.”

“Smart.” Siobhan nodded, scanning the crowd again. Where was Jenn? God. What if she’d chased her away. Should she have asked to kiss her? What was the protocol? Did she tell Rosemary?

Ethan emerged, holding two iced coffees and handed one up to Rosemary. Tawny raced over, her shoes lighting up as she ran. Siobhan watched Jon lumber over, hand in hand with his husband.

All right, friends. Thank you for hanging in there with me today.

If I've convinced you to follow along elsewhere, here is where you can find me:

​Patreon: What do you get? Access to discord, excerpts and outtakes from the Salt City Queers novels, art, recipes, zines, and my willingness to send postcards to your elected officials if you so desire.

​Ko-Fi: What do you get? Links to my past work (some of it is even good), the ability to commission me to write for you, and the chance to support local, queer artists I want to hire to do my covers and such.

Follow me on:

​BlueSky: It's better than twitter, but still pretty messy.

​Instagram: I try to post pictures of where I've been and what I'm up to, but it's mostly pictures of my cats.

​Threads: Not sure what I'm doing there yet except getting sucked into the algorithm.

This month is sponsored by my parents. They took one look at both of their queer as fuck kids and said "you know what, our job is to love them more than anything on the planet and give them to the world to see what they do with it." They don't always understand us, and they don't always agree with us - but that's usually over music or TV or how passionate we can get over reclaiming the means of production than anything else. Lori and Steve taught their two kids that the world can be something more than what we see every day, and they have never once asked us to be anything other than ourselves. (And okay, maybe to have done better in school...)