In conclusion -- Pride 2024

I could have called it hodgepodge; there is some of that.

For example, in reading Over the Top, there was a reference to Jonathan Van Ness writing a children's book. Actually, he wrote two:  

Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathan Van Ness and Gillian Reid

Gorgeously Me! by Jonathan Van Ness and Kamala Nair

They were pretty cute. Both had good messages, but the illustrations for GorgeouslyMe! were... well, gorgeous, on a different level than Peanut Goes for the Gold. I think both sets of illustrations suited the content though, which is really the important thing.

Also, there was this one book that had been on the reading list for a while that I finally got to:

Ash by Malinda Lo

For a not completely relevant story, I initially got stuck on finding it. I was looking for "Ember", and then I figured out that I was thinking of Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I am not even sure Cinder has any queer characters. This is just a reminder that there are many re-tellings of fairy tales in different settings and it can be easy to get them mixed up. 

Ash was well told and the resolution was ultimately satisfying without being predictable, all well and good. 

However, I had indicated that the last post for my Pride writing would be more about activism; those books feel more important.

Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary by Toshio Meronek and Miss Major    

Honestly, this one was kind of a mess. It was very free-flowing, made worse by the author quoting a lot of full text in the introduction. At some points I wondered if there was a printing error or I had gotten confused in my place because I knew I had already read that. 

(If you do read it, I recommend skipping the introduction.)

To be fair, last time around I had thought I should know more about Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, and then I kind of added Miss Major as an afterthought. Maybe it serves me right.

Then there were the two books that were really important, published in 2021 and 2022:

Let the Record Show: A Political History of  ACT UP New York, 1987 - 1993 by Sarah Schulman

It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic by Jack Lowery

It is so interesting that these books about illness and activism, but from getting close to forty year ago, came out so recently; could something have happened to stir up memories?

I can't tell you the shape of the future, but there will be deaths and dangers that will require protest and information and mutual aid and care. There are things we can learn from the past.

Lowery's book is more about Gran Fury, which focused on artistic protest. It is good, but more specific.

Schulman's book just has so much! I spent longer with it and wanted to treasure it. There is so much understanding of then that is useful for now.

It came about as a result of over 200 interviews, which is the source for the abundance of information and different perspectives. While it is long, the organization is excellent. I have recently grown to hate the laziness of oral histories; I have to give Schulman credit for getting that much information but working to give it focus and narrative, while still leaving the original interviews accessible. There is a real consciousness and conscientiousness that I cannot praise highly enough.

I recommend this book!

For a conclusion, there are two things I want to note.

With other history months (especially Native American Heritage Month, with the Sand Creek Massacre), there are points when there is a realization that this is familiar. After time there is a background where many things are familiar and you are putting more details against that. Even if something is pretty new there is a helpful context for it.

I seem to be there already with Pride Month reading.

I think it is because so much of what I am reading about happened in my lifetime, or maybe just a little bit before. 

I understand that queer people did not suddenly spring into existence at Stonewall in 1969, but for a lot of the activism, it did and I remember reading or hearing about it. 

For much of the history before, it kept getting erased. That includes Nazis burning books.

I realize there is a lot more to know, but what I am finding feels really relevant for now, even for straight people. It resonates, and we still know people who have been around for it, even though many or those people have been lost.

Also, in an earlier post I had mentioned continuity, and not being sure if this was a regular thing or what schedule to follow.

That was partly due to realizing that the plans for this year's reading for Pride Month had actually happened when I had been reading for Transgender Awareness Week; I forgot that it hadn't been about Pride all along until I checked an old post.

(My always being behind schedule is a contributing factor here, I know.)

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/10/pride-month-continuity.html

When I did the Transgender Awareness reading, I initially thought it was a one-time thing. I realized there were other things to know.

From this round of reading, there are even more other movies to watch and books to read and people to look up. Even though I think I have built up a pretty good context, there is more to be added to it. 

Pride takes in more people, and June will come sooner. 

Therefore, -- as much as COVID and Trump mean we will need to know how to resist plagues and fascism -- Pride Month reading is going to be a regular thing.