A Ballad of Pride

Listen to the audio paper (in Ukrainian)

What does it mean to be proud and free and to keep fighting against dehumanization and attacks on racialized and poor populations, to keep resisting the groups that want to decide whom and where to live, denying the presence of the marginalized groups in public space? What does it mean to talk not only about sexuality, when people’s lives depend on many resources (such as health care, housing, education, transportation, etc.), while access to these resources is being increasingly limited? Is it enough to “include” a certain group in the demonstration without addressing the issue of redistribution of the resources in the society? How will we think of pride if the Pride’s agenda takes a strong stance against the anti-Roma pogroms in Ukraine and against pathologization of trans and intersex people? How then will we imagine solidarity and coalitions that are based on mutual support? After all, this is a "tradition" of Prides. (The full text is available in Ukrainian.)