Number 170

 🌈 PRIDE Month

It's the first of June, 2021. That means it's the start of Pride Month. It's the one month each year where LGBTQIA+ folks (along with our wonderful, can't do it without you allies), celebrate our wonderfully varied, crazy, wack-a-doddle, authentically queer lives. For the record, we don't all know each other. As our world sloooooooowly emerges from our Covid enforced hibernation, this year is special. For the most part, Pride celebrations were canceled last year in response to the global pandemic. In that way, the queer community was one of the leaders in making the difficult, but prudent decision to put public safety ahead of individualized agendas. It was a hell of a sacrifice, because we love to throw big parties. 

It's the 52nd year for Pride. The first 'celebration' was actually a civil disturbance/riot (to-ma-to/to-mah-to), outside of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City in 1969. The Stonewall was a known gathering spot for homosexuals. As such, given the times, they were subject to regular harassment by the NYPD. However, by 1969, the queer community in the city had run out of patience. A violent confrontation with law enforcement followed. That there were many trans BIPOC individuals on the front lines is a particular point of pride (no pun intended), for me. Since then, this event has been thought of as the beginning of the still ongoing 'Gay Rights' movement.

As befits our legacy, there continue to be controversies in the queer community related to PRIDE events. Realistically, that will probably never change. C'est la vie. Currently there are three topics that cause the most angst: kink at PRIDE, law enforcement participation at PRIDE, and PRIDE being co-opted by the corporate world. I don't feel well enough informed about those three issues to offer an opinion. I have heard compelling pros and cons regarding all three. 

Perhaps it's not a surprise that there are people in the queer community that are disdainful of PRIDE events. Even the greatest works of art have detractors - and PRIDE events are definitely not great works of art. In fact, with all the different rainbows, they usually look like the aftermath of an explosion at the Lisa Frank folder factory. 

Personally, I love PRIDE events. To me, they feel like really big family reunions without all the interpersonal issues. I like gathering with my community when the focus is one of celebration rather than protest. It's true that I'm still relatively new to the whole thing, so maybe my ardor will cool off in a few years, but for now, I'm gonna put on my best rainbow clothing and wave my trans flag high!