Originally Posted by PepsiFree
This has been mentioned previously (by me and others) but it's not so much what happens now that makes the difference, but what happens next. And that's not just on how elected officials respond, it's what we as individuals do next.
My experience doesn't give me a ton of confidence, but I do hope the 1500 in Calgary (including those here who have said they went) and many others across the world are already committed to seeing this through, and that they don't feel like they've accomplished anything yet or done their part. Protesting, marching, joining parades, and all that stuff is easy as allies, but the next part is the hard part and that's where a lot of people bail. Make sacrifices, financially support organisations that need help, lobby politicians, do the work. If you're thinking "maybe when I have more money" or "maybe when I have more time" then that's speaking from privilege, and it just doesn't help things that can't wait.
I know I've seen (here, elsewhere) a lot of outrage from some folks when Pride organisers don't welcome cops, or certain political parties, etc to march. This is the reason, because easy "activism" is nothing, saying "I support you" is nice, but it's just nice, and nice doesn't really help, especially when the daily actions don't match.
We need more people who do the work, and fewer people who just talk about how they recognise the importance of the work.
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