Pride 2023: Trans rights? hell yeah!

Portland Outright Honors History of LGBTQ+ Pride with Direct Action

June 17, 2023 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND — Portland Outright – which has been mobilizing and advocating for Maine’s LGBTQ+ youth since 1988 – paraded through the streets at Portland Pride this afternoon on a float with a message: trans people and trans rights are here to stay.

Adorned in devil horns, Portland Outright youth leaders rode down Congress Street on a trailer decorated top to bottom in painted flames and banners proclaiming, “The Real Hell is the Death of Trans Rights.” Following a year of national attacks on trans youth’s ability to access healthcare, education, and community, this youth-directed float took anti-queer and trans messages and turned them into art.

The idea for a devilish float came from Portland Outright youth members as a response to the resurgence of anti-LGBTQ+ narratives, ones portraying queer people as predatory and evil. This was highlighted during the legislative session, with LGBTQ+ community members testifying on bills in the same room as conservatives in shirts reading, “I Slay Demons.” The demonization of LGBTQ+ bodies and culture is an old, false, and outdated story that drives the policing LGBTQ+ people and impacts outcomes in health, employment, and day-to-day life for LGBTQ+ community members of all ages. This float is a timely reclamation: if we’re being literally demonized, why not run with it and turn it into a joke? “Our hope for this action is to reach trans youth who are hearing these messages, navigating transphobia everyday so they know they’re not alone.” (wait sorry, is this a direct quote?)

LGBTQ+ history is full of examples of this style of public demonstration: playful, theatrical, and bratty. A direct line can be drawn from the brick thrown at Stonewall to the chants of “trans rights, hell yeah!” coming from the Outright float. Along that line is Ray Navarro’s iconic portrayal of Jesus at St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1989, during an ACT UP protest against the Roman Catholic Church. AIDS activists in 1991 who inflated a 15-foot nylon replica of a condom on the roof of North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms’ suburban Washington home with the message, ''A condom to stop unsafe politics.” From the pie dripping down Anita Bryant's face in 1977 to every moment LGBTQ+ activists have laughed in the face of hate, held their people close, and participated in the catharsis of collective action.

Portland Outright carries on the legacy of queer organizing and activism that uses visual arts and public demonstration to connect people across struggle. You can follow and support their work: portlandoutright.org.

For Press Inquiries, CONTACT:

Osgood, Director | (207) 558-2429 | osgood@portlandoutright.org