Now that the festivities are over, it's time to reflect a bit. I consider myself immensely fortunate to be in a city and a country that espouses equality for all. It's not everywhere in the world that you find all tiers of government, law enforcement, public services, education and healthcare organizations come out and march in solidarity with the queer community. I never saw anything like this during my 8 years in DC.The parade began with a sombre reminder that there are parts of the world today where people are persecuted, tortured or killed for who they are. Today we enjoy the fruits of many years of activism by brave individuals who swam against the tide and earned us a legitimate place in society. What took years to achieve could be undone in a matter of months. We must never take these rights of granted. Every new generation needs to remember that.
What does it mean to have a "Pride" parade in this day and age? A pride parade is a continuous reminder to the world that we exist. That the majority heterosexual population cannot afford to ignore us and erode away our rights. That we've been around for a long long time, and that we'll continue to be around forever. Today, at least in major Western cities, no one's afraid to strut around and be themselves in the gay ghettos. However, it takes a certain courage to uphold the same ideals when suddenly you're not in the majority anymore. It takes courage to show your face to the world. That's what Pride is all about.
11 comments:
u know, i'm DYING to visit a Pride event!!!!! i mean, it just seems like so much fun, and yes ure right, there are those sobering thoughts as well!
congrats on de new condo, by the way!
by the way, is that also u, holding the flag, face blacked out partially?
Me holding a flag? No no. That would be a full 15 minutes of fame.
hehe aren't you happy to be north of the border? I was at a gay friends civil union a few weekks back in CT. I did blog about it if you want to read.
That's right, Pride is one of the ways to reclaim the rights of gay people!
I was at SF gay Pride last Sunday, and it was a total blast. I mean, the crowd and those in the parade were so diverse and full of energy. I've never felt more at home. The best thing is, there were some heterosexuals stood up for our rights by marching down the street of one million crowds.
Maybe I should blog bout it :)
jay: I sure am - no regrets about my decision to move north.
sphinx: Exactly! And it's even more apalling that a country like the US of A does it too.
mikey: I know what you mean. I walked in the DC parade last year and it felt great to see families and kids come out in support and cheer us on. Please blog about it :)
Not sure if you got to my post abt the civil union but it is here.
Thanks Jay. I went looking for it but couldn't find it earlier.
I'm so thrilled that there is a Pride event that draws so much participation. Hopefully on the southern side of your border people will begin to realize just how important that Equality is - and that when we say Equality, we need to mean equality - FOR ALL.
wow! i'm really impressed!
i don't really have much to add, but i really like this post.
Fantastic!
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