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Fourth Wave

Let’s start something

The First Pride Was a 'Riot'

Sent as aNewsletter
6 min readJun 17, 2024

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Photo from on the evolution of Pride, beginning in 1969 in New York City when patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back against a police raid

Greetings my fellow writers, readers, critical thinkers, and newcomers to Fourth Wave, this is

from Kansas with a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting the stories we’ve published since May 30. But first, let me catch you up on all-things Kansas and a little bit about what has been happening here. I write to you from the little local café-bar I wrote about in our last newsletter because it is the best space I have currently since packing up and moving to Wichita exactly seven months ago. Any bit of furniture that did not fit in a four-by-eight trailer hooked up to the back of our Toyota Corolla was sold or donated, meaning we are starting fresh in a whole new state. It also means my partner and I have had a bit of a rough start, and our involvement in local community events are limited to free-entry.

First and foremost: happy pride month to our LGBTQIA+ community! My partner and I, both queer, have been excitedly awaiting the news of what Wichita Pride has to offer. But just this week we read about an official warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding precautions against targeted attacks at Wichita Pride this year in particular.

After volunteering at Sacramento Pride last year, I was eager to send my volunteering application for Wichita Pride to continue my dedication with community organizing; but with the official warning of potential danger, it leaves our local queer community in anxiety and hyper-vigilance. And then I remembered, the first pride was a riot. And it was not just one ¹riot: there were multiple uprisings happening in the late 1960’s prior to the most notable uprising— the . But the most critical part about how Stonewall (and all the other uprisings) rose into a movement against the ²hyper-policing and criminalization of queer people — especially trans BIPOC folx — is the resilient alliance of the queer community and their allies. The point of the uprisings was to respond to the hate and policing, to unite in solidarity against the main oppressors. So with that noted, I’m sending my application in!

Now you may be wondering what has been happening recently on Fourth Wave, and we are excited to announce a new addition to our growing staff of volunteer editors. Joining us is a long-time Medium writer

, whom you can learn more about in this recently published story.

Also recently published is a Fourth Wave stylesheet describing how we format stories for this publication.

For this newsletter — which includes links to every story published on Fourth Wave since the last newsletter published on May 30 — I would like to highlight the wide range of topics and contributors. One of my favorites is this one by

, who dives into a herstory about witches-turned-organ traffickers. Specifically, she cites a 15th century text accusing witches of making penises disappear and then hoarding them as pets! While so many of the stories below were nominated for a boost this month, only some received approval by curators for wider distribution; you can recognize those by the asterisk.

I hope you all get a chance to look over this rich list and find a few stories that you want to read and enjoy. And don’t forget to clap, highlight, or comment to support your fellow feminist and womanist writers. As the tagline says, Let’s start something!

Remember, dear allies and intersectional feminists, the first pride was a riot. So don’t be afraid to put on your gear!

With all humanity and in solidarity,

Dre Cáceres
Newsletter Editor
Fourth Wave

¹It is important to note that Stonewall Riots were defined as uprisings or rebellions by the activists, and as riots by police

²I use hyper-policing and hyper-criminalization (defined by author ) to describe retribution for everyday activities, styles, or behaviors done by marginalized individuals but is viewed as deviant by society

Stories about books, movies, and other media:

When “Good Girls” Have No Choice But to Turn Bad

And finally, since today is Father’s Day, this special Dad’s category

* Fungus, Fathers, & Forgotten Science of Female Artists

For more stories with a view to equality and justice for ALL, follow Fourth Wave. Have you got a story or poem that focuses on women or other disempowered groups? Submit to the Wave!

Dre Cáceres
Dre Cáceres

Written by Dre Cáceres

(she/they) SF Bay Area raised, Midwestern-turned. Fervent for queer intersectionality, cafecito, and poetry.

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