Activism in the LGBTQIA+ community
Activism is very important in the LGBTQIA+ community. If it wasn’t for the vocal activists over the years, the community would not have any of the rights they have been granted and wouldn’t be moving forward. There’s more than one way to be an activist, though, and on Queer as Folk, we witness how it manifests in the queer community.
When a homophobic police chief named Jim Stockwell is running for mayor in Pittsburgh, the gang campaign against him, and he loses (and gets arrested for covering up the murder of a gay escort). When a new law, Proposition 14, is introduced in the show’s last season that threatens to outlaw same-sex marriage, adoption, and other family civil rights, everyone really takes charge. Debbie, Justin, his mother, his best friend Daphne, Emmett, Ted, Michael, Ben, Lindsay, and Melanie fight against the proposition and use their resources to canvas the city, solicit political contributions, and hold fundraisers (which are met with a lot of opposition). This is one way to be an activist in an oppressed community, but there’s also the drastic route.
Sometimes, you have to fight hate with something stronger than words, or at least some believe that. Don’t forget, Stonewall was a riot against the police, and that led to the modern gay rights movement as we know it. That’s why the writers on Queer as Folk also included the “Pink Posse”, a group of homosexuals who fight for their rights.
Justin meets Cody on season 4, and he convinces him to join their gang. Even though Brian warns Justin about getting involved with the Pink Posse, Justin does it anyway, and the Posse starts to get violent. The guys walk around the gay village in pink t-shirts and chase down homophobes who try to pull any stunts, like when two guys in a car scream homophobic slurs at a couple and the Posse teach them a lesson (see the video above).
Activism manifests in different ways, some situations warrant more than just political discourse, and Queer as Folk made sure to shine a light on that, even if only briefly.