It’s time to welcome Pride Month to 2022! Some years feel more celebratory than others and right now it feels like the U.S. is regressing in many ways. 2SLGBTQIA+ people do not have equal rights across the country, and are actively losing rights in many states - a strong reminder that Pride began with riots and protests. (If any of those letters are unfamiliar to you, the abbreviation stands for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning and/or queer, intersex, asexual/ aromantic/ agender, and the plus aims to encompass the vast variety of identities and orientations in the community.) It’s important to balance celebration with action, and there are many different roles to fill in the pursuit of social change. I won’t claim to be the perfect source for education or resources, but I can try to share the information I do find. I can also do my best to share my own experiences, and to spotlight those within my field - small businesses and creators. Let’s start with ways to support!
Showing Support
In the past few years there has been a greater understanding that people outside of a community should not profit from the struggles of those within the community. And that includes both monetary profit and social gain from using a cause to promote your work. We know that we should buy our Black Lives Matter materials from Black-owned businesses. Likewise, we should recognize that big businesses filling shelves with rainbows during June is simply a marketing ploy if they do not take year round action to protect 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and lives. However, I have also seen the opinion that big businesses believing that supporting Pride isn’t a risk to their bottom line is a sign of progress. How great is it for younger generations to see themselves represented in public places and for Pride merch to be easily accessible when that was not the case not so long ago?
Still, if you are hoping to have the greatest impact on queer and trans lives, supporting queer and trans-owned small businesses and individuals directly will do more than the percentage given from a big brand T-shirt. More-so, we know that we can’t buy our way to a solution. Being a consumer might be a quick way to give monetary support to someone, but you can also donate to causes and individuals without a material return. And if you’re not in a position to give monetarily, listen to 2SLGBTQIA+ leaders, educators, creators, and more. Use your time to join protests, write or call your representatives, or simply have one on one conversations with friends and family. Remember, there are many roles that can be filled and you don’t have to be all of them at all times.
As June approached, I was conflicted about whether I should make any Pride-themed collections. Even though I identify as pan, my straight-passing privilege means that I haven’t faced the same struggles as many others in the community, and so I didn’t feel right taking any of the spotlight. I talked to several other LGBTQ+ artists and was repeatedly assured that there is no level of queer “enough” to celebrate Pride. Sharing your experiences simply adds another story to the growing visibility and variety of queer lives. Later this month I will be releasing a few pieces with the goal of celebrating queer joy (like everyone’s love for Our Flag Means Death,) and will announce where the funds will go then as well.* Until then, I also wanted to help spotlight some of my favorite 2SLGBTQIA+ businesses, creators, and charities. Check the links below for people and groups to support now and all year long. This list is definitely not exhaustive, just a small collection I’ve found over the years. Check back as I add more from my memory and your suggestions!
*EDIT: This year’s Pride collection will donate proceeds to The Knights and Orchids Society. Item listings will include details. TKO provides affirmative healthcare, housing and food assistance, and community activities for Black LGBT people across Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, and North Carolina. They are currently raising funds to purchase a building to center their services at the foot of the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. (TKO is not affiliated with my shop, but their mission is one I would like to support. Please donate directly to them if you would like to send support as well.)
Podcasts
I love listening to podcasts while working in the studio. Listening to podcasts can help you learn new perspectives, and streaming numbers help the creators too. Here are a few of my favorites with LGBTQ+ creators and themes!
Minority Korner
Are you easily confused by terms like cultural appropriation, cisgender, toxic masculinity, twunk, queer, black girl magic, and woke? Or maybe you’re tired of explaining terms like these and you need a community that gets you! Welcome to Minority Korner, where we take an introspective look at the world. through an intersectional lens. Join James: a queer, political, comedian, self proclaimed, sexy blerd (that’s Black Nerd) and each week he’s joined in the Korner by another fabulous minority tackling pop culture, the news, media, and history all with a little self care, and self love sprinkled throughout! It’s time to Learn, Laugh, and Play, right here at Minority Korner- because together: we’re the majority!
Suggested Episodes:
To be honest, I am a little behind on Minority Korner because they’re not on Google Podcasts, so I can’t feed them into my automatic queue, but if you just want to try them out, the slightly shorter and more focused MK Rewind episodes are a great place to start!
Dungeons + Drama Nerds
Dungeons + Drama Nerds is a podcast produced by Todd Brian Backus, Percy Hornak, and Nicholas Orvis, three dramaturgs interested in the intersection of theatre and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). In the summer of 2019, they decided to take a break from sitting in the corner of rehearsal asking 'But why?' and turn a Twitter thread into reality. Dungeons + Drama Nerds is mixed and edited by Anthony Sertel Dean.
Each season will feature three different TTRPG systems alternating between Actual Play and Commentary episodes. As our players explore these adventures we’ll dissect what sorts of storytelling each system fosters.
Suggested Episodes:
If you want to listen to the Actual Play episodes, check their feed and find the games that interest you. Of course I suggest listening to everything, but here are a couple LGBTQ+ related commentary episodes that you can pick up without needing to be caught up.
Historically Really Good Friends
History says they were really good friends - who just happened to live together and share a bed.
Historically Really Good Friends hosted by Jared Fembleaux and Rachel Craig is an introduction to queer people and the queer events that have happened, but history books never taught you about! Some people say that history wasn't actually queer, but we're here to tell you that that isn't true.
Suggested Episodes:
I haven’t listened to the whole library yet, but here are a few I’ve completed so far. I like that they include all their sources in the show notes, so you can go on to read the articles if you want more information.
Small Businesses and Creators
A collection of some of my known favorites and new discoveries from my recent call to artists. Click on the pictures to visit their sites.
Send me an email or a DM if you would like to be added to the list!
Donations and Organizations
Donating to any 2SLGBTQIA+ charity is great! Many of the well-known, national organizations have partnerships with big brands in June and see an influx of donations during Pride. If you’d like to support these groups, consider setting up monthly donations to help with year round expenses. I also like to see my money make a direct impact, so I try to give to small organizations, and to individuals in need. Here are some suggestions of where to start:
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is full of people needing help to pay for gender-affirming health care, as well as queer or trans youth needing housing after being kicked out from unsupportive homes. Use keywords like “gender-affirming,” “trans youth,” “queer youth,” etc. to search for donation campaigns.
Local Groups
If you don’t already know about groups in your community, try searching with keywords and your town or city and see what you can find! You might find educational and outreach resources, or even social groups to support. Also check to see if your community has any mutual aid groups.
One of my Christmas traditions for many years has been to see the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus preform their winter concert. Here are some other groups too!
Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus
ImageOut Film Festival
Flower City Pride Band
Smaller Charities
There are so many great groups out there doing what they can to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Here are a few to look into. (Email or DM me if you have suggestions of smaller organizations to share)
My Story
When I first started writing this blog, I had my story at the top, but after adding the links to all these great artists and organizations, I realized that they should all come first. I don’t have a monumental coming out story, and coming out also isn’t a requirement of Pride - there are many valid members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community still in the closet. But, since I do feel safe and comfortable sharing about myself, I’d like to add my story in the hope that maybe others can relate and feel represented.
My identity doesn’t feature heavily in my art, so I don’t often define my orientation under the “Fired Figments” name. Even in my personal life, I never really “officially” came out in a public way - mainly because my ten years and counting straight-passing relationship means that I haven’t been in the dating pool for awhile. That straight-passing privilege also means that I have not been a victim of the hate crimes or discrimination that others in the community have faced. I cannot go without thanking the people who have come before me and fought for rights and acceptance so that I feel comfortable to so nonchalantly mention that I am pan. Coming out is still not safe for many youths and adults, so the fight must continue.
It took me several years to learn about myself. Growing up, I was often coined a “tomboy” - I quit Girl Scouts in second grade and joined karate instead. I refused to use pink crayons unless it was for coloring the inside of dogs’ ears. I also got in trouble for calling a classmate a “girly-girl” like it was an insult. Of course, my rejection of femininity can now be easily linked to internalized misogyny and society’s devaluing of traditionally feminine interests. But, it also meant that I was asked at a young age if I was happy being a girl and if I would rather be a boy. Even though my gender expression has sometimes opposed the “norm,” I still knew that I was comfortable as a girl. I actually had an experience of someone misgendering me in elementary school and knew I didn’t like it. We had a field trip to a one room schoolhouse and were supposed to dress in time-period appropriate clothing. I was in my refusing-to-wear-a-dress stage and so wore overalls like the boys, but kept my hair in pigtails. The schoolhouse teacher refused to use she/her pronouns for me because of how I was dressed, and I remember going home so angry that day. This one day will obviously never equate to the anger and hurt felt by trans and nonbinary youths (and adults) in unsupportive environments - I will never know what it is like to have my identity questioned and even dismissed on a daily basis. But, that schoolhouse is a memory that I look back on when reflecting on my identity. Now, I’m not offended if someone chooses to use they/them to reference me, and I even enjoy causing gender confusion once in a while - like when a child asked their parent in the grocery store, “that’s a girl!?” after I said “sorry” for being in their way - my voice a little surprising coming out from under a masked face with short hair. But, I still know that she/her are my preferred pronouns.
Identifying as pan took a bit longer - especially since I didn’t have the language to define myself until college. But, I have some key memories in my journey like being a young teen and the little rush of rebellion I felt when I first started circling “Sometimes” under the question “Do you find girls attractive?” on my pediatrician’s annual physical forms. In my senior year of high school I had the most butterfly-inducing kiss with the girl I had a crush on all year. But, I still didn’t really know who I was or how to handle those feelings. In college I tagged along to a LAMBDA meeting with a friend, and the topic that night just so happened to be defining LGBTQ+ vocabulary. There I learned the difference between bisexual and pansexual, and found that pan’s definition of “being attracted to people regardless of gender” felt the most right to me. At the time, bisexual was defined to me along the binary of men and women, but really bisexual is generally defined as “being attracted to two or more genders” and sometimes it is used interchangeably with pan, while other times there are debates about which term is actually more inclusive. However, since pan is what resonated with me when I found my identity, I still choose to use it now.
If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom - thank you for reading! I hope you discovered some new creators and organizations. Pride is a time of celebration, a time of remembrance, a time of mourning, a time of action, a time of empowerment - it can mean so many things to so many people. May your Pride month be everything you need it to be!