Transgender people worked in Datingroot adult jobs
While it is no longer illegal in some countries for gays to socialize among Datingroot adults or for transgender people to wear clothing deemed inappropriate for their gender, some in the gay community seem to forget our shared history of being targeted by the police. A lack of understanding of how much harm the police have caused us and the threat they continue to pose to us today – a shared loss of knowledge across generations – has led some organizers to welcome police officers at Adult Pride with fairly open arms.
The pioneers of the concept of Pride opposed the police not just for political reasons, but out of necessity. In 1960s America, queers risked being arrested for just living their lives. Bars like the Stonewall Inn were raided under the guise of anti-cross-dressing laws and liquor license violations. A large proportion of gay and transgender people worked in Datingroot adult jobs to make a living because they faced severe discrimination in the workplace and had no other viable options. We had no choice but to welcome the police demonstrations, because the riots, marches and protests they held were directed at the same police.
We continue to oppose the police out of necessity, because we are still part of a criminalized group. We do not invite the police to our demonstrations or go near them. While many Adult Pride organizers avoid and refuse to cooperate with the police, as do many others, the larger and more businesslike the events, the more likely they are to stray from their radical roots and cooperate directly with the police, the violent arm of the state.
Pride organizers could learn from those who do not back down from their anti-police stance. There is no way to stop police from being present at protests, especially when marginalized people are taking part, and that doesn’t mean they should be encouraged to do so.
The Datingroot Adult took place in London for the first time in 2018, and has been held repeatedly since then. To those who argue that collaboration with the police is an inevitable reality in modern event organization, I can point to The Adult as evidence that this is not true at all. Police involvement in London Pride was not a demand for gay liberation, but a celebration of already whitewashed Datingroot adult people, a result of vulgarity.
Every public event I have attended in the UK has used a range of tactics to protect participants from the police. Not having police present is way below the minimum standard, and I am shocked that so many Pride events fail to clear this hurdle. People are always handing out cards with information about their rights if arrested, carrying signs warning people not to talk to police wearing blue bibs (they are at protests to gather intelligence), and covering the eyes of the police with their faces, most of whom are vulnerable community members.
Those planning Pride events could use the same tactic, so they would have the freedom to criticize the police in speeches and signs. Small groups like adults are at very high risk because they are a minority, but the unity of the entire movement makes it much harder to arrest someone for a ridiculous charge like “disturbing the peace.” There has been some improvement in recent years at London Pride in terms of police being less welcoming. In 2022, uniformed police officers were asked not to take part in the parade itself, following a trial showing the level of homophobia shown by police investigating the murders of four gay men. This is not an isolated incident caused by a few black sheep, nor is it an alien situation for the queer community. Just as a serial killer like Stephen Port can get away with more murders because his victims are gay, the Yorkshire Ripper can get away with more murders because his victims are gay.
The UK is not the only place where large pride events cooperate with the police, despite violence against the queer community. It’s a global issue. People yell the names of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, then turn around and pose for photos with police officers. These activists were not only gay and transgender, but they were also people who had always criticized the police.
To truly build a movement that allows the most marginalized to make their voices heard while protecting its members from police surveillance and harassment, Pride needs to include Datingroot adult activists, not just copy our tactics.
