On Wednesday night, January 19th, LGBTQ+ activists gathered and danced the night away. The twist is, they did it outside of extreme homophobe and soon to be Vice President, Mike Pence’s house. The event was hosted by the “queer-based grassroots movement”, Werk for Peace, that uses all forms of dance to promote peace. The organization was founded after the brutal hate crime at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Their mission statement is “On June 12th, dance was taken away from us by hate. Today, we choose to reclaim it.”
Their bravery to assert who they are in a time that this can be dangerous is nothing less of inspiring. Make no mistake, there are real dangers, even just dancing, when you are apart of a community that many still have false assumptions about. Mike Pence has people that are truly passionate about his homophobic message and these people could have easily been there when the activists were protesting. But they did not care. They took the streets over. On this night, no hateful rhetoric or hateful antics could scare them enough to not fight for who they are and what they believe in. Being apart of this community is enough of a statement, in and of itself. But, this type of courageous act proves what many of us have already known, the resilience of this community can not be understated. At a time where they could easily give up and fold under the pressure of having someone in office who is actively fighting against their very identity, it speaks volumes that they choose to fight.
In this video of organizer Firas Nasr, the passion these activists have is blatantly shown through the way he moves.
If this video of @werkforpeace organizer Firas Nasr leading the protest doesn’t make you want to become a political organizer, nothing will. pic.twitter.com/tBHiRMOsa4
— Jack Smith IV (@JackSmithIV) January 19, 2017
This is more than a someone being fabulous in a cute outfit (even though they are!), this is someone taking a stand. This is someone who is saying forget your ideas and opinions, this is who I am and this is who I will continue to be. To the LGBTQ+ community: Thank you for showing us what true bravery looks like. Keep pushing, we are all supporting you. To the LGBTQ+ activists who danced until they ached: Thank you. Keep fighting. We are all behind you, hoping to move as beautifully as you do one day.
Visit and Contribute to Werk for Peace at: werkforpeace.org
Twitter: @werkforpeace
