What Pride Means to Me: Tea Perales

June 23rd, 2022 - 9:00pm

Person posing outdoorsTeresa Reiko Perales, M.Ed.
Pronouns: they/she
Equity and Activities Coordinator

Q. What does Pride mean to you?

A. Pride means communities of care, justice, and joy. Pride means dismantling white supremacy. Pride means Black lives matter. Pride means bringing Brittney Griner home. Pride means free Palestine. Pride is striving to live freely in a society that has taught us to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free.

Q. What is your call to action around LGBTQ+ solidarity?

A. To remember that the first pride was a riot to fight back against police brutality attacking the LGBTQ+ community, started by Black and Brown transgender and queer folks: Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Storme Delarverie, and more. My call to action is to honor this history by understanding the connections of police brutality and unaffordable housing and healthcare, to racism and anti trans legistlation, to ICE detention centers and inaccessible abortion access, and to contribute to creating communities of healing and justice, year-round.