Photo: PSL LGBTQ Pride Contingent
For the first time in national LGBTQ Pride history, a Native (Dineh nation) transgender woman was chosen to be the Grand Marshall of the Albuquerque LGBTQ pride parade that drew over 50,000 people on Sat. June 13 this year.
Mattee Jim, an activist and leader in both the Native and transgender struggle, was chosen by the whole of the community’s leadership. The selection of Mattee as the Grand Marshal is particularly significant considering the great deal of racism and oppression that affects both the Native and transgender communities.
Mattee Jim also joined the 2nd annual Albuquerque Trans March, organized by the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico (TRCNM) and Women Organized to Resist and Defend (W.O.R.D.) the Thursday before Pride. The Trans March doubled in size from last year and showed a noticeable increase in confidence and militancy with marchers shouting and chanting the entire march before it joined the larger community vigil in a local park.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation promoted the prioritization of the community’s decision–which was picked up by the media–in the banners that read: Native and Trans people to the Front! A large contingent of Native people led the Pride march down Central Ave. in Albuquerque pushing back the violence and oppression experienced each day on these same streets, setting the stage for more actions in the coming year.
