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Today is Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered Freedom Day -- sometimes shortened to the more manageable title of "Pride Day" -- and the Irish Republican Socialist Party take this opportunity to express our solidarity with the working women and men who continue to fight for the liberation of sexual minorities. We in the IRSP recognise that the discrimination and oppression confronted by non-heterosexuals are but a manifestation of capitalism's tendency to divide the community, so that those with a common interest in changing society remain divided. Like racism, sexism, and religious sectarianism, heterosexism reduces the democratic content of society and attempts to scapegoat one group for the shortcomings of the capitalist system itself.
This day was selected to commemorate the struggle lesbians and gays because of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. There and then, a handful of drag queens reached the limit of their tolerance for the abuse meted out to them by the city's police force and took action. Traditionally among society's most powerless, these individuals faced down armed police and sent them into panicked retreat. Their actions brought the broader lesbian and gay community into an explosion that put the world on notice that no longer would the denial of civil rights to members of sexual minorities be accepted. The IRSP is proud to have as one of its US supporters a veteran of the Stonewall riots and one of three people who went on immediately afterwards to found the Gay Liberation Front, the most militant voice ever, at that time, to speak out on behalf of homosexuals. We recognise that the GLF demonstrated that the roots of this struggle lie in revolutionary consciousness and we salute this American IRSP supporter for his courage and pioneering efforts in that fight. James Connolly told us that it was senseless to speak of national liberation, if the society to be won would be one in which the majority of its citizens -- the working class -- would remain oppressed by capitalism. He stressed the need to gain the liberation of working class women from their dual oppression by capitalism and sexism. We in the IRSP recognise that members of sexual minorities form a section of the working class community. Our struggle has as its objective the liberation of our class -- not a portion of our class, but of the entire working class. And, we recognise that this cannot be achieved while any section of our class remains under the heel of oppression. The right to identify ones own sexuality without fear of reprisal is a basic democratic right. Working class people have no interests in preserving and promoting capitalist models of proper male or female behavior. The working class has no interest in maintaining a heterosexual monopoly on the expression of sexuality. The struggle for socialism is a fight for an equitable distribution of the benefits of life. This is as true about the ability to express ones love and desire for another without fear, as it is about seeking a fair share of society's wealth. As revolutionary socialists, we in the IRSP support all struggles seeking greater freedom to attain those things which give life meaning and value. As revolutionary socialists, we in the IRSP oppose all forms of exploitation, inequality, and injustice. We support the struggle of sexual minorities to gain equality with other members of society and we reject all forms of discrimination against them. Stonewall is a part of our heritage, just as much as any fight waged for national liberation, women's liberation, civil rights, better working conditions, or fair compensation of labour are parts of our heritage. We are out for the freedom of the working class; straight, lesbian, gay, bi, or transgendered. We stand in solidarity with all members of the working class and especially with those fighting to end all forms of social oppression. STATEMENTS ENDS |