An RBW Pride Message

It’s pride month…whoopee.

So whilst all the big corps are jumping on that juicy rainbow bandwagon, and busy ticking those marketing and PR boxes with some good old-fashioned pink washing let’s cut this bullshit and keep this short-ish shall we?

I came out as queer  last year and needed some time off. 

I kinda needed to come out to my self first in a way. Despite having been out and proud as gay when younger (they’re not the same thing…) I’d considered myself heterosexual for a long old time after that. Something was always missing though and I could never put my finger on it, it’s the best, most free-ing label I’ve ever given myself.  

Whoopdedoo and well done me. Proud. There, you can have the rest of that story another time maybe.

BUT, you know what? Pride month is fucking draining. 

Why? Because all of sudden we’re expected to speak out left, right and centre, do even more emotional labour on the behalf of others and put ourselves, at times, on the front line. And right now, you know what? That’s SCARY.

It’s scary because trans and homophobia (amongst all the rest of them…) is very much on the rise and there’s a lot of hate out there.  The issues I want to talk about, the members of my community that I want to defend most, have been the go-to punching bag for culture war aficionados, broadsheets and red-tops, pretty much any form of media, and the status quo in general for a long time.  Rather than waffling on about me what I want to do is take this opportunity to state loud and clear that RYANBUILDSWHEELS STANDS FIRMLY WITH THE TRANS COMMUNITY.

It’s insane that I’m scared to say that.

The threat of backlash and argumentative types is real.  

But if I’m scared (and I’m a fairly privileged white CIS guy who can ‘pass’ as straight if I want to) then I can only imagine what it must be like for all my trans friends, loved ones, customers and comrades. It’s obviously terrifying and that makes me fucking sick.

The media and ‘gender critical’ people want you to think that there’s a trans ‘issue’. But let’s not beat around any fucking bushes here; the issue that these people have is that trans people exist and they wish that they didn’t.  

Trans Rights are Human Rights; it’s that simple.  

Spineless sports governing bodies and other institutions will dress it down and cowtow to mass appeal for a variety of reasons, but it’s really just the same old tired dog-whistle to bigots far and wide to say ‘hey, don’t worry buddy, we’ve got your back, we just can’t say it publicly right now’. And then, when the harms been done, they get to walk away with their hands sickeningly clean. And they can get on with their happy lives as though trans people never existed. Because that’s what they want. 

Yuck.

You know what I AM proud of though? 

I’m proud of all the amazing trans folk and fellow queers and allies in my life and beyond. I’m proud of the sheer bloody minded-ness and resilience of our community.  I’m proud of the joy and the love and the families that we create together and I’m proud of everything that each and every single one of you do day in, day out, despite all the bullshit, despite all the hate, despite all the constantly not being seen, or silenced, ‘othered’, or violently attacked in myriad ways, and WE’RE STILL HERE and WE’RE NOT GOING AWAY and I’m PROUD of every queer or  gender non-conforming person that comes through my doors or otherwise.  

I’m proud, and I love you, and I stand with you in solidarity. 

So with that out of the way you know where I stand; real. fucking. clear.  

Now let’s get the fuck on with our lives because EVERY DAY IS PRIDE where I’m at. 

And you know what? I’ve got some GOD DAMNED wheels to build for people of all stripes and types. 

But if you’re a bigot, well, you can go somewhere else 😉