By Dorothy Brown, Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement
On July 27, a Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement (WI BOPM) delegation participated in the 3rd Annual Watertown Pride. WI BOPM helped to promote the LGBTQIA event and its members set up a vendor booth that was well received.
Watertown is about one hour east of Madison. Last year fully armed Nazi’s in regalia showed up at a public park where the Pride event was taking place. These same Nazi’s subsequently marched and rallied, attempting to recruit in Madison in December 2023 and projected Nazi symbols onto dorms at UW Whitewater in January 2024. WI BOPM and allies, in response to the fascist menace, sponsored an anti-Nazi rally and march Feb. 10, 2024 in Madison.
After the Pride event last year in Watertown, some city officials – under pressure from right-wing individuals and organizations such as Moms For Liberty – created financial, permit and other barriers to make it more challenging to have the Pride event at a public park. In response, courageous LGBTQIA activists and allies are still fighting back against these outrageous attacks on freedom of assembly and other state and constitutional rights. Thus this year a welcoming UCC church offered to host the 3rd Annual Pride Event which was very successful.
An atmosphere of community built on love and solidarity prevailed at this year’s Watertown Pride event. WI BOPM organizers that participated report that many visited the organization’s booth which displayed strong support for Palestine and other people’s causes with signs declaring “Fight War and Racism, Not Drag Queen Story Hours” and “Stop the Hate: Bigotry Hurts All Poor and Working People.” Many conversations took place throughout the event space, numerous booths displayed Pride material, food vendors joined and a drag show took place. Many took Palestinian flags offered by WI BOPM and at least one youth participant wore a Palestinian t-shirt.
Free literature was also given out including a WI BOPM Pride flyer with a quote from the late Transgender Warrior and UAW member Leslie Feinberg:
“Like racism and all forms of prejudice, bigotry against transgendered people is a deadly carcinogen. We are pitted against each other in order to keep us from seeing each other as allies. Genuine bonds of solidarity can be forged between people who respect each other’s differences and are willing to fight their enemy together. We are the class that does the work of the world, and can revolutionize it. We can win true liberation.” [Quote from: Transgender Liberation: A Movement Whose Time Has Come]
Throughout Wisconsin this summer, many people’s events have and are taking place such as Juneteenth and Pride events despite many challenges including fascist-like opposition. Right wing organizations such as Moms for Liberty and others funded by the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation have been attacking public school boards and public libraries over book materials and also continuing their racist and anti-union attacks on educator unions and other working class organizations.
Despite this, mass protests by many organizations against the RNC took place in Milwaukee in July. Protests against police and vigilante terror continue including protests for those murdered, such as D’Vontaye Mitchell and Samuel Sharpe, Jr. in Milwaukee. Support events continue for Sonya Massey in Milwaukee who was shot in the face and killed by a police officer inside her own home on July 6 in Springfield, Illinois.
WI BOPM members and supporters are involved in many of these struggles helping to promote and build protests and other work. In addition to supporting courageous people’s fighters throughout the state that are fighting back against anti-union racist bigots, WI BOPM members and allies are bringing an anti-capitalist, internationalist and independent people’s program through literature, signs, banners and other means to all the people’s struggles.
For more information, check out: @wibopm and https://wibailoutpeople.org/
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