Approved Textiles

I’ll never forget the first time I saw, who I read as, two men holding hands walking down the street. Spring break, 2004, West Village. I saw nurturance of queerness in public and my life was changed.

Public displays of queerness and transness that subvert normative cultures will forever be my catnip.

Then I got this text from my sister this morning and was reminded why.

I also realized I need to reclaim the rainbow more fully so I can speak this person’s language. This person who felt the need to communicate their hurt in such an unfortunate way.

If hurt people hurt people, this is where I rely on allies and accomplices who have people in their lives who use slurs to choose love and help them heal.

I think part of the reason this hit me so hard is that I became resentful of the Pride flag as corporations, institutions, and big business co-opted it within capitalism.

Pride as profit, not Pride as survival.

I had to search for a new symbol that I could communicate with. BUT symbols only matter if they help us reach each other.

For any allies who need an actionable on Philadelphia’s day of Pride: unblock or refollow that problematic in-law and engage.