Florida can show the world that love conquers all during Pride Month in June | Opinion

I came to Florida to take on the executive director position of Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library starting on June 1, 2022 — the first day of Pride Month, when the LGBTQIA+ community around the world celebrates the start of a liberation movement that began on the streets of New York City at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969.

Sitting in Fort Lauderdale in 2022, you could feel separated from the worst of the hate-mongering going on in Florida and elsewhere in the United States. You could tell yourself: Not here.

Then the “Parental Bill of Rights” law went into effect and “Don’t Say Gay” was born. Miami-Dade’s School Board went from a majority in favor of designating October as LGBTQ+ History Month to a majority opposed. The school board in Broward County was replaced by the governor, bookshelves in Florida schools and classrooms were increasingly bare, rainbows became clouds and teachers, administrators and parents were silenced by fear.

As a repository of historical and cultural artifacts and documents, it fell on us to put this into context. The LGBTQIA+ community is resilient. We might, at first, reject and ignore attacks believing they will pass. Some will be fearful and retreat. But when the pushing starts, we push back.

We have learned from the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the labor movement and our own fights — against AIDS, for marriage equality and the right to defend our country in the military. We know how to organize. We know how to mobilize. We know how to fight back.

Gays, lesbians, trans, bi, queer, intersexed and others in our community are everywhere, including in the families, churches, offices and neighborhoods of those who fear us the most. We are members of every ethnicity, religion and economic class. We always have been. We are still in Uganda and Nigeria, Iran and Tennessee, places that have made it clear we are not wanted. We will not be moved, and we shall overcome.

When far right activists find that we are their children, they change. When your favorite aunt or uncle comes out of the closet, there is change. I can think of a number of leading national politicians whose sons and daughters came out and the LGBTQIA+ issue was taken off the table. There is power in love.

This Pride Month we look to turn allies into friends and friends into family. We look at the rainbow flag and remind our fellow citizens that they, too, are part of the rainbow.

The LGBTQIA+ movement is not about liberating some people from oppression; it is about lifting oppression so all people can live as who they are. It is not about converting people or canceling anyone. It is about opening hearts and minds. We should not need a common enemy to work towards the common good. Using religion or tradition as an excuse to attack others for being different is always a dangerous path to take as it exposes you to the same hatred.

Human beings prosper more when we are not at war with each other. Human history is the accumulation of everyone’s stories. It is a plush tapestry where every thread is equally important. When one is removed, it becomes selected history and that is a disservice to all of us.

As we approach the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an international celebration that will take place in South Florida, let us live up to that enlightened document that helps define human dignity, reminding us that by respecting the dignity of others we gain respect for ourselves.

On Dec. 10, Florida will have an opportunity to show the world that love and respect can indeed conquer all. It starts with Pride 2023, when we take to the streets in cities and towns across the United States and around the world, celebrating the wonders of being a human being.

After one year at Stonewall National Museum, I am convinced that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is a tunnel filled with remnants of past mistakes and tragedies, but the light is visible. How courageous will we be to clear the path and cheer for the survival of humanity? I extend my hand. Will you?

Robert Kesten is executive director of Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library in Fort Lauderdale.