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25 vintage photos that prove Pride was NEVER just about white cis gay men
Queer women, trans people, queer people of color, and disabled queer people have always been a part of this movement whether some people like it or not!
Queer people are — and always have been — everywhere. Queer people come in every shape, size, color, religion, ability, and age.
In an interaction on X (formerly Twitter), one user had an excellent retort to an account that makes a lot of claims surrounding transgender inclusion in queer liberation movements. They're the same ones that we've seen repeated ad nauseam to try and delegitimize trans people: that being trans is new, it's a fad, and that there were no trans people around in the '60s/'70s/'80s/et cetera. But we've always been here, as made evident by the person who clapped back simply by posting slews of pictures from Pride's of years past featuring people other than cis, white gay men.
Pride would not exist as we know it today without trans people, and it has always been a diverse movement of diverse people. Whether some people like it or not, the queer liberation movement has always pushed forward thanks to solidarity between transsexuals, drag queens, fags, dykes, sissies, cross dressers, degenerates and all other oppressed peoples. No amount of posturing or respectability politics will change that. We're here, we always have been here, and we've got the photos to prove it.
For more queer archival footage, take a look at the New York Public Library's digital collection of LGBTQ history, the GLBT Historical Society, the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
