One of the most pleasant days I’ve spent in a while was at the Chattanooga Pride Parade earlier this month. As a straight white woman, it sounds odd even to my own ear when I say the atmosphere felt uniquely unthreatening. But when every facet of our lives over the past few years has been taken over by politically motivated culture wars, it’s refreshing to be part of an event specifically cultivated to be nonjudgmental and accepting.
I often fantasize about unwinding the clock and going back to less-toxic times. Then again, for marginalized communities—whether that’s LGBTQ+ folks, or people of color, or immigrants—the toxicity was always there.
It’s just more brazen now.
Those of us who aren’t targets of ugly behavior enjoy a special privilege now. We have an obligation to deflect some of the ugly and push back against it, even if we feel uncomfortable at first.
If we want a better world, we all need to support each other. Together we’ll march right through the ugly.
Allison
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