Happy Pride month, fam, a time to honor the resilience and strength of the LGBTQ+ community, to raise awareness for the ongoing fight for our right to exist and live freely, and to buy corporate Pride merch from big-box stores to protest bigots destroying corporate Pride merch at big-box stores.
As someone who writes joyful queer stories, it’s upsetting to see these kinds of ridiculous backlashes—like, really? You’re so fueled by pointless ire that you’re going to take it out on a sleeveless romper?—on top of the hateful slew of legislation largely aimed at trans youth that’s been sweeping the country this year.
(It’s become so dire that the Human Rights Campaign declared a “state of emergency” for LGBTQ+ Americans.)
I don’t receive much hate mail, but just a few weeks ago, in response to my newsletter on queer friendship, I got an all-caps email from a man who called me a slur and claimed I was promoting male emasculation…somehow.
I’m thinking about all…