The now-legendary, iconic Stonewall riots were spontaneous— and successful— and began on June 28, 1969 in Greenwich Village, and continued into the 29th. Drag queens and trans people were the shock troops… fearless, courageous, heroic. 54 years have passed and, releasing the results of a new poll yesterday, Data For Progress noted that “Less than half of transgender adults feel comfortable dressing and acting the way they want or engaging in public displays of affection in their local community without fear of violence or harassment.” Imagine… in 2023!
There were two polls that came out, one of LGBTQ adults and one plain ole likely voters. Writing for Data For Progress, Devi Ruia, Kirby Phares, and Sabrina Jacobs noted that though the LGBTQ+ community has achieved monumental progress, including legislative and judicial victories and greater representation in media and government than ever before… this increased visibility has been met with a political backlash, particularly at the expense of the transgender and nonbinary community. Trans people are the GOP’s new punching bag. “New Data for Progress polling,” they reported, “finds that a majority of LGBTQ+ adults feel like they somewhat or strongly belong in U.S. society (53 percent) and in their neighborhoods and surrounding community (52 percent). However, a majority of transgender adults report a low sense of belonging in U.S. society (59 percent) and in their neighborhood (50 percent). In comparison, a majority of LGBQ+ adults who do not identify as transgender report a high sense of belonging in U.S. society (56 percent) and in their neighborhood (53 percent)… [O]nly 43 percent of transgender adults feel comfortable being open and transparent about their sexual orientation or gender identity in their local community, compared to 60 percent of LGBQ+ adults who do not identify as transgender.”
In a separate survey of likely voters, LGBTQ+ voters report feeling higher levels of dissatisfaction with their mental health, standard of living, and household income compared to straight, cisgender voters. Among straight, cisgender voters, 72 percent are satisfied with their mental health, 65 percent are satisfied with their standard of living, and 52 percent are satisfied with their household income. In comparison, 51 percent of LGBTQ+ voters are satisfied with their mental health, 46 percent are satisfied with their standard of living, and only 38 percent are satisfied with their household income.
In addition to higher reports of dissatisfaction with their standard of living and household income, LGBTQ+ voters are more likely to struggle to pay essential bills. While 53 percent of cisgender and straight voters say they never have problems paying for food and groceries, only 31 percent of LGBTQ+ voters report the same. Fifty-five percent of cisgender and straight voters never struggle to pay utility bills, compared to 36 percent of LGBTQ+ voters.
It’s clear that many LGBTQ+ adults, particularly those who are transgender, struggle to feel a sense of belonging and don’t feel comfortable expressing themselves in their communities. The alarmingly high levels of dissatisfaction with mental health and standard of living cannot be divorced from the reality that the LGBTQ+ community has increasingly been under attack and made to feel less safe. Elected officials must work to confront economic and health disparities, defend LGBTQ+ people against misguided political attacks, and implement intersectional policies that foster acceptance and connectedness.
Can I share a poem? “A Litany for Survival” was written by Audre Lorde who described herself as “black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet," who "dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism and homophobia.” The New York State Poet Laureate, she died in 1992, long before the people like Meatball Ron came along to screech about woke.
For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children’s mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours;
For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.
And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.