Pride, the month, the holiday...what does it mean to you?

nycfem · 06-22-2012, 02:54 PM

I take Pride so much more for granted than I did as a teenager in Ohio. My circle in NYC is so LGBTQ (including my only sibling) that I don't feel the same awareness of Pride month. I looked at the list of groups marching this year in the Pride Parade, and I was most touched to see all the high schools listed. I was the only one out in my high school, and the worker at the LGB hotline in Ohio told me that there was only a group for gay boys because girls don't usually come out that young. It was very isolating, and I did anything to be seen. I had quite the collection of t-shirts I wore and bumper stickers I put on my car: "On a Queer Day You can see forever," "The Goddess is Alive and Magic is Afoot!" and "ACT UP." While the police seemed to frequently stop my car, once I had a woman leave a note to me taped to my car saying how much she and her partner liked seeing my bumper stickers. All of us queers were craving Pride!

Here in NYC I rarely go to the Pride events, wanting to avoid the crowds. This weekend my step-son (BB's son) Jacob and his boyfriend Kevin are coming for the weekend. It'll be nice to be around that youthful gay energy! And tonight BB talked me into going to our LGBTQ synagogue, and I'm looking forward to hearing Kate Bornstein speak (author of books such as Gender Outlaw and HELLO, CRUEL WORLD: 101 ALTERNATIVES TO SUICIDE FOR TEENS, FREAKS, AND OTHER OUTLAWS ). Meanwhile, my mom and I spent all day in stitches (laughing), calling each other and sharing ideas of rhyming made up slogans to encourage condom use (too embarrassing to post here), since she has been assigned to hand out dental dams and condoms at the PFLAG table of the Pride Parade in Ohio.

Remember: It gets better!

Happy Pride to everyone!

View Poll Results: Do you wish people a Happy Pride and if you do is it like:
wishing them a Happy New Year?	53	61.63%
greeting Norm at Cheers?	15	17.44%
a way to increase your visibility?	12	13.95%
a way to increase their visibility?	9	10.47%
a political statement?	14	16.28%
a threat? (like you better have a happy pride or I'll send drag queens to your house)	13	15.12%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 86. You may not vote on this poll

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06-22-2012, 02:54 PM	#2
nycfem Moderator How Do You Identify?: femme sub Preferred Pronoun?: Baby Grrl Relationship Status: Attached Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 6,793 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 52,987 Thanked 21,489 Times in 5,101 Posts Rep Power: 21474855	I take Pride so much more for granted than I did as a teenager in Ohio. My circle in NYC is so LGBTQ (including my only sibling) that I don't feel the same awareness of Pride month. I looked at the list of groups marching this year in the Pride Parade, and I was most touched to see all the high schools listed. I was the only one out in my high school, and the worker at the LGB hotline in Ohio told me that there was only a group for gay boys because girls don't usually come out that young. It was very isolating, and I did anything to be seen. I had quite the collection of t-shirts I wore and bumper stickers I put on my car: "On a Queer Day You can see forever," "The Goddess is Alive and Magic is Afoot!" and "ACT UP." While the police seemed to frequently stop my car, once I had a woman leave a note to me taped to my car saying how much she and her partner liked seeing my bumper stickers. All of us queers were craving Pride! Here in NYC I rarely go to the Pride events, wanting to avoid the crowds. This weekend my step-son (BB's son) Jacob and his boyfriend Kevin are coming for the weekend. It'll be nice to be around that youthful gay energy! And tonight BB talked me into going to our LGBTQ synagogue, and I'm looking forward to hearing Kate Bornstein speak (author of books such as Gender Outlaw and HELLO, CRUEL WORLD: 101 ALTERNATIVES TO SUICIDE FOR TEENS, FREAKS, AND OTHER OUTLAWS ). Meanwhile, my mom and I spent all day in stitches (laughing), calling each other and sharing ideas of rhyming made up slogans to encourage condom use (too embarrassing to post here), since she has been assigned to hand out dental dams and condoms at the PFLAG table of the Pride Parade in Ohio. Remember: It gets better! Happy Pride to everyone!