It's Way Too Early to Give Up
Keep raising hell. We're going to make it through this latest shitshow, too.
It’s 9:45 pm on another cold Seattle Tuesday when I see it.
I’m taking my dogs out for a last pee before bed, but across the street in the intersection, something catches my eye.
A bicycle flies by under the last few streetlights and then disappears into the dark near the lake with …
A GIANT transgender pride flag flying behind it.
And that flag — that act of defiance in this current political climate — made me smile, there at the end of what had been a sad, lonely, and hard day in America.
It was exactly what my tired soul needed.
A perfect reminder that we will always fight back — every one of us with love in our hearts for all people, not just some folks who look or act like we want them to act or who worship the way that we do (if we even worship at all).
All Americans. That’s who we fight for. We have to. It’s what this country is made of. The huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
Like South African activist Steven Biko once said:
“I'm going to be me as I am – and you can beat me or jail me or even kill me – but I'm not going to be what you want me to be.”
P.S. While looking for a photo of that flag, I found this description on Wikimedia. It’s worth a quick read:
“The Transgender Pride flag was designed by Monica Helms, [who said]:
‘The light blue is the traditional color for baby boys, pink is for girls, and the white in the middle is for those who are transitioning, those who feel they have a neutral gender or no gender, and those who are intersexed.
The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it will always be correct. This symbolizes us trying to find correctness in our own lives.’"
Huddled masses yearning to breathe free, y’all.
Bonus links:
“Power Also Comes From the Bottom Up (Don’t Forget That You Have It)” by Your Local Epidemiologist
Jim Acosta’s spicy farewell is worth a quick watch (and he’s on Substack now if you want to read his stuff):