In January, LGBT nonprofit the Delta Foundation announced this year’s LGBT Pride Parade in Pittsburgh on June 11 would be renamed the EQT Equality March.
Almost immediately after the announcement, the new name drew backlash from some in the LGBT community who are concerned about corporate involvement in LGBT activities. And now, a counter LGBT group has announced they’re hosting a separate march that day.
“Pride has historically been about resisting. It’s about bringing visibility to a marginalized community,” says Ciora Thomas, leader of SisTers PGH, a LGBT organization helping to organize the counter march. “That’s the history of Pride. We trying to carry on that legacy.”
Those involved in the counter march are concerned with the impact EQT’s fracking industry has on the environment. Fracking, they say, has been linked to a number of health problems, and Thomas says that’s not the kind of company she and others want involved in the LGBT community.
Additionally, Thomas says EQT has a history of giving campaign donation to anti-LGBT legislators. Among EQT’s campaign contributions last year, the corporation gave $10,000 to Pennsylvania Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Hollidaysburg). In 2013, in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage Shuster sent out a release saying he was “disappointed” in the decision.
“I am committed to making sure the long-standing tradition of marriage being solely between a man and a woman is upheld. Today, a handful of activist judges attempted to destroy traditional marriage and legislate from the bench. I will continue to work toward legislation that will uphold what I believe to be one of our most important and long-standing traditions,” said Shuster.
In 2016 EQT gave $7,500 to Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair), who in January misgendered Chelsea Manning, a trans woman who had been pardoned by President Barack Obama.
EQT Foundation President Charlene Petrelli sent the following statement to Pittsburgh City Paper in response to a request for comment on the criticism being leveled at EQT.
“EQT Foundation — the philanthropic arm of EQT Corporation — is honored and excited to join with the Delta Foundation as the naming underwriter of what is now known as the EQT Equality March. This is the second year that EQT, and the EQT Foundation, are participating in Pride. Last year, nearly 100 EQT employees, along with their friends and families, marched in the parade. Everyone who participated — from those who’d never been to the Equality March, to others who attend each year — felt a connection and [camaraderie] with those around them. In fact, after last year’s Equality March, a number of EQT employees came together to create a new employee resource group at the Company, called EQT Pride. The group’s mission is to foster an environment for inclusiveness and respect for LGBT employees, as well as play a role in recruiting, developing and retaining LGBT employees. EQT values the importance of celebrating all members of the community, and is looking forward to having a noticeable presence at this year’s Pittsburgh Pride festivities.”
This year marks the Delta Foundation’s 10th year hosting Pittsburgh Pride. The organization was created in 1996 “for the purposes of uniting and fostering good fellowship and social interaction among LGBT residents in the metropolitan Pittsburgh area,” according to Delta’s website.
But this isn’t the first time Delta has been criticized for its handling of the Pittsburgh Pride Parade. Critics have said the organization and its events aren’t inclusive of the entire LGBT community and people of color. Delta did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
“We’re not the first group to march against [Delta],” says Thomas. “They’re supposed to represent the LGBT community as a whole.The [Delta] Foundation needs to be the foundation of the community they say they represent.”
The counter march, Peoples Pride 2k17, is scheduled for June 11 at 1p.m., directly after the EQT Equality March.
This article appears in May 17-23, 2017.
As acceptance in the general community grows, it appears that a certain faction of the LGBT community wants to become more insular. While on one hand it is thought that organizations such as the Delta foundation want LGBT to be accepted as equals with the rest of the community, it appears that a small faction wants the opposite. Why foster the “us against them” mentality?
Hearts and minds ARE changing. A mainstream corporate sponsorship is a good indicator of that. Instead of celebrating these successes, some want to fight and resist it? Seriously?
The momentum of the general populace is in favor of acceptance and equality for the LGBT community. What Ciora Thomas is doing is potentially hurtful to this momentum. One has to question what motivates her, other than self-aggrandizement?
What motivates me is being a black transgender woman who grew in Pittsburgh watching my community n exploited. What motivates me is my younger sisTers and brothers who are homeless, poor, sick and unaware. What motivates me is the years of sacrifice and bigotry I’ve had to endure from intities claiming to want to better my life. However 10 years Delta has been around and our black and brown lives are still in deepest ghettos hungry looking for permanent solutions to our oppression as an lgbtq community of color.
So when you ask about what motivates me, it’s probably best you do your homework on the work done by black and brown people of Pittsburgh. Instead of attempting to slander a trabswomen of color! My ancestors, my community created pride it was built on the very fabrics we have to still deal with today.
So let’s start motivating eachother to not continue to look over and sacrifice communities for the sake of a zip line
Zip line? I don’t understand what a zip line has to do with the EQT Equality March. From what I read, that is something that will be out at another event. And I can’t wait to ride it!
What motivates me is being a black transwomen who grew up in Pittsburgh. What motivates me is the black and brown lgbtq children and adults in Pittsburgh! What motivates me is I was once a consumer of services that did not permanently help my peers or myself but instead made promises of change that never happened. What motivates me is my homeless transwomen/men and nonbionary community.
What motivates me is out of the 10 years The Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh has been around the only people it has made lives better for is it’s board members and the privileged. What motivates me is Roots Pride Pittsburgh when they also took a stance And as you can see the trans community of color see and feel something the priviliged cannot. So instead of acknowledging our oppression you attack it as people attempt to do. Silencing our voices accusing us of being wrong to speak out because you feel where attempting to expand our stature as a people?
What motivates me is protecting our children of Pittsburgh from frack water, exploitation, white supremacy, and the emancipation of our independence and growth.
What motivates me is my history as a transwoman of color, as my mothers Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson marched resisting corporations and foundations that did not have our best interest as a community that was being over looked but profited from.
When I think about the black and brown transwoman who sacrificed being in the for front of pride I can’t help but but wonder would they be happy with people not of color exploiting our history and oppression for profit and a zip line. I think the hell not!
So when you question what motivates me I need you to understand completely instead of attempting to demoralize me with accusations of “aggrandizement”.
I’ve been doing this work for years as a black transwomen who came from poverty and still experiencing it as fight for Intersectionality. Theirs no way I can even be in a position to be self aggrandizing because I belong to a community that is the most overlooked and oppressed.
If the retaliation of oppression comes of as aggrandizement then you have an issue and that’s something you must figure out within yourself. However those who are oppressed without the privilige of having to not worry have a job to do along side our allies.
And nothing will stop that.
Sorry to disappoint, i have no “issues”. Mu points are still valid and you have done zero to rebut them.
Homelessness, poverty, sickness, these are all real problems that have nothing to do with being LGBT! This is an ongoing SOCIAL problem that transcends Sexual orientation or anything else for that matter. I do not slander, i ask a valid question. Instead of throwing out meaningless platitudes, how about looking within. I see a lot of misdirected anger in you. Sure, things are not as you wish, but they ARE getting better, and if you do not see that you are blinded by your own rage. Stop being so damn racist! You keep going back to “black, brown, color”. Most (not all, i understand that) can see past that, why can’t you? REAL progress is being made, and people like you rooted in the sins of the past are trying to drag that progress down, because your racist beliefs trump the reality that is right in front of you. Of course, much more needs to be be done, but the momentum is in your favor, stop trying to sabotage it by being a militant racist!
Oh, and do not make assumptions about me, because in all likelihood, they will be completely wrong.
Yes you have issues, one of those being rebutting everything I said to you in order to create your on momentum within a space that is speaking about things that are CURRENTLY going on. Its easy to sit outside of the space of those CURRENTLY oppressed and say “things are changing” or “my black friends said its getting better”. Its even easier to dismiss those things when they do not affect you directly. With that being said what your insinuating is “Black girl forget about the past and move on” ignore what’s going on CURRENTLY and settle. NO!!
Racism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, class-ism, xenophobia, capitalism, exploitation are still very much at large. Your damn right WERE angry.
Militant Racist? smh Lordy the resisters of resistance will say anything for there own self gratification while wanting me to hush lol That doesn’t work. As you sit behind faceless profile with interest up under a fantastic story of resistance of not only people who are oppressed, exploited and angry with rights to be but ignoring the very fabric of pride. Ignoring the Facts in the story before commenting, telling me you are not here for our best interest. Your here to be defensive and ignore and make a “personally angry black woman” out of me, when this is not about me personally this is about the future of our lgbtqia+ community with an intersectional mission and approach.
Again i would suggest you checking in on the black and brown work being done within Pittsburgh how as a member of the community do you challenge someone else’s experience. Especially a group of people ancestrally responsible for pride? Your being extremely violent right now. My assumptions about you are void for I have more important things to do than sit on line and be a African American Transwoman being called a racist lol How does that even work? Nvm please don’t answer, its clearly something you don’t understand so id advise asking your peers. smh
I’ll see you on June 11th 1pm don’t forget and i wish you a fantastic evening may god comfort you in this moment ignorance.. I’ve found in time when we allow ourselves as a people to appreciate and value others experiences instead of writing them off we get some where. However with your name calling and bigotry we will not get anywhere at least personally. *Sashays away*
It’s very telling that this anonymous person’s name is Centrist. In the middle on issues and not coming down firmly with any opinion outside “don’t rock the boat.” Which, in this case, equates to “accept oppression.” Ciora, as a black transwoman, is not charged with educating you or any other underinformed individual on how race is clearly still a signifier of experiencing oppression, bigotry, and related struggles, and even more so when one is a trans or queer person of color. You can very easily find the evidence of this yourself. We are not post-race. We are not post-sexual orientation. We are not post-gender. You can try to wrap your silencing tactics in the attractive wrapping paper of “coming together” and accepting subpar improvements as progress, but for people on the ground that isn’t enough. For individuals struggling in these communities, it’s not enough. We’re here fighting for ourselves because it’s clear people like you haven’t taken the time to learn the landscape and what needs to be done to truly move forward. I suggest you do that before attacking a transwoman of color doing real work to support her trans brothers and sisters and nonbinary family.
This is another jockey for 15 minutes of fame from angry uneducated people looking for hand outs.
The Sisters organization is supposed to be building a homeless shelter. I wonder if EQT offered to pay for it, they would take the cash?
If they take the offer from EQT, theyre hypocrites. If they dont take the offer to build a shelter, theyre stupid.
These small organizations keep making the same mistakes over and over…. attack the big rich organizations and businesses and then wonder why you have no money in your budget to build your own infrastructure? Where is Roots Pride three years later? Still broke because no one wants to fund the negativity. Does Roots Pride have events scheduled for Pride 2017?
Sisters organization has a Facebook page only. On that page it looks as if they just applied to be a nonprofit and don’t even have an EIN yet… and already they’re destroying their future by attacking and bullying businesses and organizations with money that may have potentially helped them. STUPID.
Love or hate Delta, they put on an entertaining event every year consistently. That’s much more than I can say for any of these hating groups.
If you want to celebrate your Pride through negativity and bull horns, mad about fracking wastewater, go for it. I’m happy to celebrate mine with my husband holding hands on Liberty avenue with a hundred thousand like minded people.
City paper, please stop covering this nonsense. It’s pathetic.
When are we going to stop victimizing ourselves and come together as a whole community to make progress and change hearts and minds.
Unify ! Resolve and Don’t Resist !
Create solutions and not Controversy
Dalen couldn’t wait for his voice to be heard lol like you work under delta UNDER of course you’re here to resist. Like you attempted to more than a month ago attacking me. Your not a community leader or activist. Your an employee of one of the board members of Delta, Dr. Stacy lane. So oddly enough she just made her way through my Facebook page liking up a storm pretty sure that’s how you where directed here.
Trust me resisters of resistance I’ve heard it all and we’ve tried resolving time and time again. We have heard it all and it will continue to hold no grounds for those of us awake and not kissing up to power for some type acceptance from those not in our best interest. Attacking me will do nothing but fuel us! We have every right to resist and bring order and that we will. Thank you to those knowledgeable to the threats.
Besides You parade around starting fights with people and transwomen of color as a black gay man. Stop it! Your credibility and commitment to our community only resides only while you sit at a desk at Dr. Lanes office covering up mess within our community of color while conjuring up mess within our community of color.
Your commitment is questionable as is your intentions here. And as I’m aware even within my own community of color there are those who ignore, sell out and join in on hatred when the tables start to shift.
When we challenge power this is the result and I’m ready for the battle to ensure my community is represented correctly and fairly.
BLACK WOMAN DISCLAIMER: The intentions and wording from black women are not violent! Black women are not violent! Black women lead and liberate while also holding our own community accountable when needed. Do not take a black woman’s words as a threat of harm. Understand her words are from experience and the more we dismiss experiences the more we remain divided.
I completely believing in being together as a intersectional group of people, however we cannot do that if the ones who govern over our lives do not have our best interest. Now i truly don’t want to go back and forth online, feel free to email me for an interview or in person press release at ciora.thomas@sisterspgh.org as I’m more of a movement of action in person instead of an online dialogue and this will only drain my greatness trying to discuss oppression’s to folk who experience different kinds of oppression than the trans/nonbionary population. Community we love you dearly and its time for a real change within our community a change that will include us all without exploitation. Ill never sell my community out for a check but instead fight for what is right broke as hell and proud. Id rather appreciate our gains by working hard for it and not settling.
Again thank you Rebecca for this amazing enlightening story of accountability!! We will see everyone for our Peoples Pride 2k17. God bless you all and in the future for thee opposed if you want the respect of a TWOC respect her experience and dedication to our trans community, we are apart of this community as well. <3
Ciora, you can disrespect me all you want. The truth is, i believe in love over hate. I believe in working with others over slapping others. I believe in forgiveness. I am a gay, i am black, and i am proud. Calling myself “centrist” just means i will not be pigeonholed into any of your predetermined political holes. I am what i am, i believe what i believe, and i do not believe in hate. Hate does not change hearts, it only hardens them. If it makes you feel better confronting and hating, by all means have at it. I prefer to go the route of love. Peace out.
The greatest threat to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community today is Mike Pence & Donald Trump. Can we please focus on the biggest threat? This is exactly what those clowns want us to do…divide us and conquer.
I don’t know who this Ciora person is but as a proud black gender-fluid/pansexual person you do NOT speak for me.
@enoughisenough thank you!!!
Can we just pretend that Pride isn’t political any more since we have gay marriage now? My life is comfortable and I don’t like thinking about the intersections of oppression of race, class, queerness, etc. Corporations are benevolent overlords and should never be questioned.
“I don’t know who this Ciora person is,” says “EnoughisEnough” … well, at least Ciora is willing to stand behind her own comments and sign her name.
“Love or hate Delta, they put on an entertaining event every year consistently” says hatersgoneH8. By all means, that’s the most important thing — Delta Foundation throwing a big party for cisgender white people to enjoy themselves.
I don’t know Ciora Thomas from a bar of soap, but the comments on this thread are like upper-class liberal privilege come to life, and frankly it sure seems to me like it’s EXACTLY why she’s speaking up.
Intersectionality is hard, huh? SMDH, as the kids say.
A mainstream corporate sponsorship is not a good indicator of hearts and minds changing, nor is it a good indicator of whether queer peoples’ actual life experiences are what they should be. It’s extremely common nowadays for corporations to give lip service, and implement a mix of policies which may including things that benefit queer people in some ways, but also policies which sound good, but are largely very superficial, and whose genuine benefits tend to go more to queer people who are white, cisgender, and higher up in the corporate hierarchy, than to queer people who are black, trans, non-binary, and workers. And it’s also very common for the same corporations to, at the same time, also be supporting anti-queer agendas, as in the case of EQT’s support for Republicans in Pennsylvania with a history of opposition to LGBT+ friendly legislation, and fracking (which hurts everybody). These kinds of corporations put a lot of effort and money into promoting their own queer-friendly image, but don’t do a good job of actually supporting queer people. I urge people to look skeptically at corporations. Don’t be fooled or distracted by the bread. It may look tasty, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a *** sandwich.
I also think it’s misguided to value organizations and people based on how much money they have, or how much money they spend. Queer people, especially queer people of color, and trans/non-binary people need people who are truly on their side, who truly have their back, much more than they need people with lots of money who don’t give a **** about them. Which is why Ciora and organizations like sisTers are so important ‘and worthy of support. Ciora’s not holding progress back; she’s getting it right. She’s the one actually standing up for the most vulnerable, as she so eloquently described, and these accusations about her motives are outrageous. What, for example, do you think is more useful to transgender people struggling with unemployment and homelessness? Raising money for a homeless shelter for trans people? Or giving money to Bud Shuster? It’s not how much money that matters, so much as where it’s going. How is this even a question?? Transgender and non-binary people need people like Ciora and organizations like SisTers, and they absolutely need for them not be corrupted by money from EQT, who would surely in the long run divert them away from supporting the most vulnerable. I think it’s absurd to assume that the people with the most money, the most people, and the most positivity are necessarily in the right or doing the most good. It’s often the poorly funded, the unappreciated, and the negative (honestly critical) people who do the most work to make things more just.
And as for homelessness, poverty, and health having nothing to do with being LGBT, are you kidding me? LGBT people make up about 4% of the general population in this country, but LGBT youth make up 20-40% of people without homes, 10% transgender people have been evicted from their homes for their gender identity (vs. 0% for cisgender people), 1/5 transgender people have been discriminated against when seeking a home, transgender have higher poverty rates, higher risk for depression and suicide, are less likely to have health care access, more likely to be incarcerated and more likely be victims of police violence and other violence than the general population. And all of these are even more likely for transgender people of color. Consider the following facts:
“Black transgender people had an extremely high unemployment rate at 26 percent, two times the rate of the overall transgender sample and four times the rate of the general population.
A startling 41 percent of Black respondents said they had experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, more than five times the rate of the general U.S. population.
Black transgender people lived in extreme poverty with 34 percent reporting a household income of less than $10,000 per year. This is more than twice the rate for transgender people of all races (15 percent), four times the general Black population rate (9 percent), and eight times the general U.S. population rate (4 percent).
Black transgender people were affected by HIV in devastating numbers. More than one-fifth of respondents were living with HIV (20.23 percent), compared to a rate of 2.64 percent for transgender respondents of all races, 2.4 percent for the general Black population, and 0.60 percent of the general U.S. population.”
(from Injustice at Every Turn: A Look at Black Respondents in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, by the National Black Justice Coalition and the National Center for Transgender Equality)
In many places in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country, it’s completely legal to discriminate against transgender people in hiring, firing and housing. Not to mention that in addition to being more likely to being homeless, transgender people face discrimination when it comes to homeless shelters themselves. Homelessness, poverty, and health have *everything* to do with being LGBT, and have *everything* to do with being LGBT and black. But it may not seem that way to some queer people who are white, cisgender, and affluent— that’s why it’s so important to listen to people like Ciora who speak honestly about what it’s like to live outside of those bubbles.
And no, it’s not racist for a black person to honestly point out that black people are not treated equally. It’s racist for black people to be treated unequally. Being honest about the very current racism in our county helps to solve it. Squashing honesty from black people about that is what holds things back. Ciora is not fostering an us or them mentality, nor is she creating a controversy. She’s being honest about inequality that’s already there. And it’s not hate to point out problems. It’s love to stand up for the people harmed by those problems. I respect Ciora for her toughness, her beauty, and her love.
TLDR: Listen up to what Ciora’s saying.
Clora Thomas, you ROCK girl! You best exemplify what Pride is about, especially for Pittsburgh. No one is free, when others are oppressed.
Gaining marriage equality isnt Pride, its part of the struggle. A Party where you can celebrate for the sake of celebration isnt Pride, its an illusion. Corporate sponsorship isnt Pride, its part of the oppression.