Sunday 06.21.20
Brooklyn Liberation — An Action for Black Trans Lives
The rally took place outside of the Brooklyn Museum — about 15,000 people attended.
Sunday 05.31.20
Get involved now!
Here's a list of places where you can donate
Destroying property has been an essential part of the fight for civil rights of people of color in the US. It is an expression of outrage that cannot be ignored. Black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of white people. And certainly the history of white supremacists murdering and torturing black people stretches further back than recorded history: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Amaud Arbery, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Keith Lamont Scott, Rodney King, Marquette Frye, Emmet Till among so many others.
Remember that everything is connected.
Angela Davis once said, “Certainly the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender movement would not have been conceptualized in the same way had it not happened against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement… “
In 1969, Stonewall was the site of riots, of destruction, of breaking windows, slashing tires, throwing bricks, and lighting fires. It was a tipping point, a moment that demanded the spotlight of the American media through brute force. And keep in mind—there is only one known photo from the first night of riots. It shows the homeless youth who slept in nearby Christopher Park in a clash with the police.
Accountability and change were won through disturbance and exposure. In 2020, smart phone cameras and viral hashtags have become the tools of public outcry. Let them know we are watching. Get involved and collect evidence of this moment. Demand a better tomorrow.
HERE’S A LIST OF PLACES WHERE YOU CAN DONATE:
BLACK LIVES MATTER. …
Monday 11.05.18
POLITICS: VOTE
You don’t need us to tell you to go VOTE because you are already going to VOTE on November 6th. But just in case you were thinking of skipping this one (I know, you would NEVER) we thought we might just remind you why it’s so important. OK, so first thing first, VOTE because you can vote. There’s a lot of people in this country who don’t have that option (undocumented immigrants, felons, those under 18, Green Card holders) if for no other reason VOTE in honor of them. Second: this election has more tied races than probably any election in history (a few hundred votes will likely decided many of them). In 2016 Trump won by a mere 70,000 votes. That. Is. Nothing. If only 0.2% more people under 40 had voted he would have lost. Third: whoever wins the house gets to draw the redistricting map that will be in place for the next 10 years. Google “redistricting” if you want to know how big a deal that is. Lastly, enough is enough. It’s time to put the big orange menace in his place. It’s time for some checks and balances for the President. We can’t take another two years of him raging unchecked. Wherever you are, whoever you are, at the voting box you matter. Your vote matters. I know at times it feels like it doesn’t, but that’s what they want you to feel. Don’t believe them. Tell the Republicans to sashay away. If you need help finding your closest voting station click here. Go Vote!
THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO VOTE FOR YOUR LIFE!THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO VOTE FOR YOUR LIFE!
Saturday 06.23.18
Pride Pals 2018
Be proud, CELEBRATE!
Every year June rolls around and rainbows unravel from flag posts. What is now recognized as the LGBTQ+ flag was created by Gilbert Baker for San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day in 1978, and the eight colors selected — symbolizing sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, art, serenity, and spirit — have become beacons of hope, and prosperity even, for LGBTQ+ identifying people in areas around the globe where the community is still terrifically repressed.
The U.S., no stranger to consumerism, has been using the flag and Pride month in general as a way to garner more publicity, promoting world-wide tolerance and donating parts of sales to various LGBTQ+ charities. When brands began to reveal their various Pride collections and capsule campaigns, we felt it necessary to place the Rainbow-centric pieces where they most belong — on our LGBTQ+ family, just like we did last year.
Because the history of the LGBTQ+ community also plays a major role in our queer-future, we took our cast to the many LGBTQ+ landmarks around New York City. From the Christopher Street Piers, to the East Village’s long-withstanding dive Boiler Room, our pride pals buddied up in the streets, leaving nothing inside the closet, and celebrated with each other. Proud as can be.
Now a National Historic Landmark, The Stonewall Inn is the birthplace of the modern day LGBTQ+ rights movement. In 1969, police raids at gay bars were as common as today’s tank tops. On June 28th, 1969, having been fed up with law enforcement routinely discriminating against gay bars, folks like Marsha P. …
Tuesday 06.19.18
#PRIDETRAIN
MTA is cracking down on bigotry, homophobia and prejudice for Pride
If you’ve been on the New York City subway this June, chances are good you’ve seen the colorful #PrideTrain MTA-style posters hanging up in stations all over the city. When I first saw one I naively assumed it was an official service information announcement with a fun, gay rainbow across the top as a nod to the month’s theme. However instead of train info, the posters read: “No bigotry, hatred, or prejudice allowed at this station at any time.” And instead of the MTA, the posters are the work of the #PrideTrain Initiative, a campaign launched by SVA Design faculty and alum Thomas Shim and alums Ezequiel Consoli and Kyle Harrison. The series came about a year ago in June 2017 when the facist administration failed to mention anything about the nationally recognized Pride Month, despite naming June “National Homeowner’s Month.” Inspired by this and “the feeling that hate was on the rise,” the team took their message of love, inclusion and pride straight to New York’s most public place.
The guerilla-style series features text pulled from LGBTQ+ pop culture under the headers “travel alternatives” and “reminder,” designed to mimic official MTA announcements. One particularly current travel alternative even reads, “Miss Vanjie, Miss Vanjie, Miss Vanjie…” As for the actual MTA, Shim says they’ve never made an official comment on the series, though they have removed some of the posters from their stations. Regardless, the posters are showing up all over social media under the hashtag #PrideTrain, printed along the bottom of each one. …
