Pride is about speaking truth to power.

Friend –

This year's Pride has been different. For over four weeks now, many of us have been spending this time protesting an end to police brutality and to protect Black lives – all while in the midst of a global pandemic.

But as different as this all might seem, the history of Pride is rooted in our community responding to police violence and abuse of LGBTQ people, sex workers, and all those who fought back. And let us not forget the Black and Brown trans women who led that movement, either.

A decade before the riots at Stonewall, the ACLU was representing people who had been attacked by police at an LGBTQ bar in California. Now, over 50 years have passed since the Compton's Cafeteria and Stonewall riots, and we are still coming together and taking care of one another, even when it feels like no one else will.

That's what this year has reminded us of: that we are "resilient together." Those words kept coming up for the ACLU team when we talked about Pride this season. And it's how we came up with the title for our 2020 Pride Zine, which celebrates the strength of our community and sums up the year in LGBTQ rights. <[link removed]>

ACLU Supporter, we chose those words because Pride has never just been about the parade or the parties. It is about saying we all have a place in this world. We all deserve to have spaces where we belong. And it's about speaking truth to power.

This is particularly meaningful right now in our country when so many of us continue to face harassment and mistreatment in our daily lives. LGBTQ people of color – particularly Black transgender women – face even higher rates of discrimination and too often violence.

That's why one of the most powerful ways to honor the history of Pride, and all those who we have lost along the way, is to keep fighting.

If you are looking for ways to get involved or stay involved in the fight for LGBTQ rights, consider purchasing our Pride Zine. <[link removed]> It has activism tips, pivotal stories of the year, and profiles of trailblazers in trans rights – including our late client, Aimee Stephens, whose recent case in SCOTUS marked a landmark victory for LGBTQ employees.

Of course, no matter how you take in the final days of this season – whether from a safe social distance or protesting in the streets – I hope you'll be with us in the work ahead.

To all those in our LGBTQ community, remain strong in your power. And to all my trans and non-binary folks, especially trans people of color, remember that we will not be erased.

This year, and every year, we will be resilient together.

Happy Pride,

LaLa B. Holston-Zannell
ACLU Trans Justice Campaign Manager

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