NO ONE IS FREE
UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE
Yesterday, the anticolonialist and anticapitalist contingent, led by the F.A.G.S., Mubaadarat, P!nk Bloc, the IWW, and TRAPs, Nous ne Serons Pas Sages, and independent queer Muslim and SWANA organizers, took over the narrative and the front of the 2024 Trans March.
A former member of the Trans March organizing team falsely accused pro-Palestine protesters of "taking over" the Dyke March and the May 25th counter-protest, so we decided to show them what a real takeover looked like.
We felt this takeover was necessary in order to harbour a safer space for our SWANA, Muslim, racialized, and intersectionally marginalized siblings, whose needs and perspectives clearly were not being prioritized by the majority of the Trans March organizing committee. This was organized and lead by a diverse coalition. Many organizers of this takeover were former Trans March organizers who did not feel that their emotional labour was being respected, and repeatedly found themselves having to explain racism and Islamophobia to rooms full of white organizers and others who hold disproportionate privilege in our community.
From the beginning of the day, the contingent positioned itself to be at the front of the march as it began. A member of the contingent had been invited by organizers to make a speech. This member kept their speech extremely brief, inviting folks to join the contingent, and inviting all those present who were only there for their rights as white queers in the belly of the empire to kindly fuck off. They then began chanting, cutting short the overlong speeches in blistering weather, and beginning the march early with the contingent at its head.
The contingent "borrowed" the megaphones that were brought for the official chant leaders, and replaced the official head banners with banners against pinkwashing. Chants in solidarity with Palestine and other oppressed and colonized peoples could be heard throughout the duration of the march, alongside radical chants for queer and trans liberation.
The majority white organizers of the march itself made no attempt to take back their protest or come to the front. Many were on board with what happened, some were relieved that certain tasks were out of their hands, and a few were even involved with organizing this takeover.
We will be open to talking through our disagreements face-to-face during the March's post-mortem. We sincerely hope that the situations and dynamics that led to this takeover do not repeat themselves next year. As a brave comrade expressed during the speeches at the beginning of the march, we must prioritize SWANA and Muslim leadership in solidarity movements, and uplift and empower our queer siblings wherever we can. Queer and trans Muslims will NOT be erased from the narrative.
We thank everyone who participated in the contingent despite the problems with the official organization of the Trans March. We must collectively resist colonialism and colonialist attitudes in our spaces. It is invigorating to see that the trans community has not ceded to complacency, adopting a spirit of global solidarity which is essential to the liberation of all. Our work is not done and we will continue to fight against complacency within our groups and spaces.
