Trump Can’t Dim Pride

Legal rights may be fragile, but community isn’t.

That message resounded through a post-election gathering at the New Haven Pride Center on Thursday evening, where attendees reeling from Donald Trump’s presidential victory found a salve in art, dance, drag, mindfulness, and mutual support.

The event, hosted by the Pride Center and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, drew over a hundred community members. The night primarily focused on wellness, self-expression, and decompression, through activities ranging from communal mural-making to a guided meditation to a ​“movement” workshop. 

Meanwhile, city and non-profit leaders made clear that they plan to mobilize to protect the communities most targeted by Trump and his allies.

“We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen,” said Mayor Justin Elicker. ​“I commit to you that the city of New Haven has your back. Not just for our LGBTQ+ community but for our immigrant community.”

“We’re always the ones who are going to keep ourselves safe,” said Hope Chávez, the executive director of the Arts Council and a board co-chair of the Pride Center. 

Trump’s campaign spent millions of dollars on ads across the country mocking transgender people, and after his victory, reports of bullying and demand for mental health support have already begun to rise. The Washington Post reported that LGBTQIA+ crisis hotlines have seen a spike in calls this week in the wake of the election results. 

If campaign promises come to fruition, a second Trump term could defund schools that acknowledge the existence of trans people or allow trans children the right to express their gender identities. It could restrict access to gender-affirming medical care and weaken discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people.

Many attendees carried compounding fears about other communities that could be more vulnerable under Trump — including immigrants. Earlier that day, the undocumented-led organization Connecticut Students for a Dream had held a meeting at the Pride Center. According to organizer Yenimar Cortes, about 30 teens and young adults came to that earlier meeting ​“for the community feeling of safety.” Many stayed on for the Pride event.

“We’re gonna protect our communities, which have intersected,” said Cortes.

Pride Center Director Juancarlos Soto stressed that those who are feeling despair in this moment are not alone. ​“Your community’s got you. Your community’s with you,” Soto said. ​“There are more people who love you, who want you to exist, than there are people who don’t.”

The night kicked off with a poetry performance from writer and activist Sun Queen, who made the case that in a country of eviction notices and police shootings, safety has always been a luxury reserved only for some.

“I will never pledge allegiance to a flag, but I will pledge allegiance to my people,” Sun Queen said. 

Soon, Sterling Valentine was surprised to find himself dancing. While he typically tries to limit physical exertion due to his lupus, he said that he decided to push himself in a guided ​“movement” activity on Thursday — even if he might feel the consequences of overextending later on. 

Over a dozen participants clapped, stretched, bent, and echoed chants of resistance (“When we fight, we win!”) over the course of the event.

“I honestly came because I was a bit stressed out as a disabled trans man,” Valentine said. He found the movement session to be ​“a nice show of camaraderie.”

Kettia Saint-Surin was beaming throughout the movement activity. ​“I wanted a release,” she said later. 

As a Haitian immigrant, Saint-Surin said she believes ​“we’re going to be targeted.” (“We eat cats and dogs,” she joked with an eye roll.) 

After days of anxiety, the gathering on Thursday was ​“a healing moment,” she said. ​“For a quick second, you forgot.”

In another room, Soto flipped through a slideshow about radical artists like Frida Kahlo and Elizabeth Catlett, pointing out art’s role in history as a source of resistance. ​“Art is the sharing of ideas. Of who we are,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a room by the front, Pamela Parisi sat at an all-ages table full of crayons and coloring pages, filling in a purple and green haunted house. 

“I came because I didn’t want to be alone,” she said. 

At the end of the night, attendees reconvened for a performance from local drag queen Xiomarie LaBeija, whose performance culminated in Lizzo’s self-love anthem ​“Special.”

Through dance and lip synching, LaBeija channeled the lyrics with a fierce sincerity, making eye contact with audience members throughout the room: In case nobody told you today, you’re special… I’m so glad that you’re still with us… I know that I’m not alone. 

Something about the song — and LaBeija’s earnest confidence — melted the audience’s deep breaths and nods into claps and cheers. 

The moment seemed to call back a line from Sun Queen’s poem earlier that evening: ​“We don’t need legislation to love.”

The Trans Lifeline operates a peer support phone service run by trans people for trans and questioning peers. If you need someone trans to talk to, even if you’re not in crisis or if you’re not sure you’re trans, call 877 – 565-8860.

The Trevor Project offers 24/7 crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people via text, chat, or phone. To reach a trained listener, call 1 – 866-488‑7386 or text START to 678 – 678.

The New Haven Pride Center is located at 50 Orange St. and offers drop-in hours on Monday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as on Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.