Pride forum held in Boston

Stonewall Warriors, Women’s Fightback Network and the youth group Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) held a forum here June 20 on “Pride is Solidarity and Struggle—Come Out against Racism, Sexism, Foreclosures and War.” Oriented toward youth, the forum featured LeiLani Dowell of FIST and Shaka McPherson from the Boston Youth Organizing Project. The audience participated in a lively discussion following the talks.

WW photo: Liz Green

Dowell urged unity and solidarity to confront injustices like the acquittal of the cops who murdered Sean Bell and the jailing of the Jersey 4, four lesbians prosecuted for defending themselves against an anti-LGBT attack. She also discussed the candidacy of Barack Obama and the economic crisis. She pointed out the importance of being vigilant to defend Obama against racist attacks on his candidacy, while at the same time recognizing that change will come from the peoples’ struggle and mobilizing in the streets and not from any candidate of the big-business parties.

McPherson had played a leading role in organizing an AIDS-awareness youth forum in Dorchester on June 14, the day of Boston Pride. The youth organizer spoke on reaching out beyond the particular area of struggle you are directly involved in and connecting with others as one overall struggle against injustice.

Another FIST organizer, Miya Campbell, who is also in the Women’s Fightback Network, read an Audre Lorde poem and discussed how the economic crisis and rising costs of food and gas were affecting all working people and youth. She told how the WFN is planning street actions to protest the price hikes and utility shutoffs. She also raised issues confronting youth and brought up the police attack on revolutionary hip-hop artist Rebel Diaz in the Bronx, N.Y., calling on all to be in solidarity with the struggle of youth against police brutality.

Frank Neisser of Stonewall Warriors filled in the history of what the Stonewall Rebellion was all about and how it was led by trans people of color in pitched battle with the New York City police. Neisser discussed the initiatives that socialist countries, from the early Bolsheviks to today’s Cuba, have taken to combat lesbian/gay/bi/trans oppression and hailed Cuba’s action in making gender reassignment surgery available free and on demand. Gerry Scoppettuolo of Stonewall Warriors chaired the meeting.