So today an all ages drag event at the pride center in my city (Melbourne Aus) was cancelled due to threats from nazi groups like the proud boys. The community had been gearing up to counterprotest and drown them out, but at the end of the day the risk was deemed not worth it to all those queer kids and the event was cancelled.
This is fucking horrifying to me on a very personal level. This is the third such incident that I've been aware of in my city in recent months - the first was an event that I was a vendor at, a youth pride at a library, where fash protested at the doors. The second was across the road from my house, at a festival that just happened to include a drag performance, where nazis showed up and screamed from the sidelines. This third time, the event was cancelled before the threat could become tangible, and it was directed at our actual community pride center.
That community center is my home. I am there every single month as a vendor at the long-established queer markets. I am going to be there even more, soon, to join the queer community radio and broadcast station as a volunteer and podcaster. People I love are there every day. My community is there every day. The people who work there are all community members. They're people who survived the aids crisis. They're 40 year old trans women. They're 20 year old queers getting involved in activism for the first time. They are people I know, and people I don't know but consider my family anyway. I feel so much at home when I'm in this space, surrounded by my people.
All of these people, all the years of community resources that have been built for us, all of this is under incredible threat right now. Not just in my city. The rise of facism is trying to strangle us out. We can not let this happen.
- Get connected to your local queer community. This will be more relevant for big city areas, but don't discount the power of rural queer groups! Go on Facebook (yes, Facebook) and search for "[city] [trans/queer/bi/etc]" and see what pops up. For example I am in Melbourne trans fam, Melbourne bi network, melbourne aces+, Australian nonbinary community etc groups. Many of these groups will have discord servers as well. Connect. Converse. Make friends and find out what is happening around you. This is the one thing Facebook is great for. Go to events, follow local artists, stay connected. You will hear about it if something like this is going down. You will be given ways to help.
- Learn self defence. I cannot stress enough that you should try to learn at least a few self defence techniques in times like this, especially if you are visibly trans/queer.
- Do not go looking for a fight. If you're going to an event where there is risk, don't try to antagonise nazis. Stay away, travel in groups, and stay aware. Don't let them ruin your fun, but don't lose track of your surroundings. Stay safe.
These are just the things that I can think of right now. The most important thing is staying connected and knowing what's happening in the community around you. We need to protect ourselves by protecting each other, and we need to stand firm. Our family is hurting. We need to protect it.
