All Black Lives Matter. This is the new hashtag we are seeing, and it is really sound. When someone is judged by who or how they love, it can be frustrating. When youâre incessantly judged by the color of your skin, it is infuriating. Being LGBT is not as readily visible, unless we choose to make it that way. That does not mean the two identities can be share and can merge in people. How ever we love and whatever the color of our skin is, we are humans and we deserve happiness.
The sobering story of Matthew Shepherd would primarily be known to you if you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally. It is overlooked, I would say, and people should enlighten themselves about it; it is direly important to acquaint oneself with this story. Like with any community, hate crimes this brutal should not repeat or persist. In Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998, two men in their 20s offered Shepard a ride home and stopped and brutally tortured him. They left him tied to a barbed-wire fence and left him to die. His death left behind inspiration in its wake. It brought light to hate crimes persisting in a world where human life has become sadly ephemeral. Erasing hate crimes is a primary vision and mission of the Matthew Shepard foundation, which even featured solidarity on its blog with the movement and protests inspired by the unfortunate, unruly, and untimely death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The post is titled âI Canât Breathe.â
Although there are repeat offenses of the heinous type and level of this, celebrities like gay news anchor Anderson Cooper; gay actors Matt Bomer, Luke Evans, and Zachary Quinto; bisexual icon Nico Tortorella; actors (from 13 Reasons Why) Brandon Flynn and Miles Heizer; bisexual icons singer Halsey and actor Amber Heard; lesbian actor and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres; lesbian actor Ellen Page; and transgender personalities and actors like Chaz Bono, LaVerne Cox, and Caitlyn Jenner, are out and proud. Some LGBTQ+ celebrities that are also black are singer Janelle Monae, musician Lil Nas X, actor and singer Raven-Symone, actor Tessa Thompson, and news anchors Robin Roberts and Don Lemon, among others.
There are too many names to name in the Black community of people that have been victimized, namely by police brutality. This cannot be sugarcoated or justified by anyone who identifies with any level of humanity. To still name a few, there are Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, George Floyd, and the list goes on. Shame on anyone who would even try to stand behind what Derek Chauvin and those other officers did to George Floyd, even invoking the incident to write about it is giving me goosebumps! The sad reality and truth that we must confront and that our black brothers and sisters are forced to confront is that this injustice and alienation has been occurring in the Black community for centuries. That is nothing short of worrying and grim.
The countless legacies left behind by our appreciate and celebrated Black community are rooted in our society and cannot go unnoticed. Being Black is not an offense, and it is not a crime! The rhetoric employed by certain people in power does not help the fact that hate is perpetuated constantly in Western society. Even in my parentsâ home country and my Pakistani heritage and culture, the complicit idea that lighter skin means more beautiful needs to be discarded. These prejudices seep into every conversation and space, physically and mentally.
My favorite company and place in the world, Disney, is replacing its theme in Splash Mountain, changing it from Song of the South to Princess and the Frog. Some felt nostalgic that the ride is changing its theme after so long, but I appreciated this move by Disney, which is no stranger to criticism. Changes in the fashion industry, as I am sure, will be implemented. Diversity and inclusion in modeling and fashion representation need to be made. Brands like Urban Outfitters, who have a history of cultural appropriation, will be hopefully held more accountable for more than their prices now.
In sports, the NFL reconsidered its moves on Colin Kaepernick, who courageously kneeled and was and is relentlessly hated on for it. The NFL admitted that its rulings and actions on the Take a Knee phenomenon were wrongful, and this was overdue but commendable.
Lastly, I do not want to forget to mention that Los Angeles held a solidarity march intertwining the LGBT pursuits with the Black Lives Matter Movement. The protest was held on June 14th, 2020. I was not in attendance, but I will say I am even happier to see that our two beautiful but marginalized communities are still coming together and will continue to!
by: Umar Siddiqui
