I’ve been around Pride for a number of years now, but this one especially seems important to me. I’m thrilled to be here, this week, in this time, and social/political climate, with the opportunity to once again express celebration for the community of which I am a part, and the sense of pride I feel in being who I am. Pride is this awkward mix of activism, celebration, party, identity building, and insanity, and I can’t imagine it being anything other than the great mashup of all the things that it is. A lot gets written about Pride, both within and outside the QLBTQ community. Some of it positive, and unfortunately some quite negative, but for me the real utility of Pride can only be understood by participating in it. If you stand back and look at it, like a painting or as if you were watching a sports game, you really miss so much, and may never really grasp the value of Pride.
The first Pride event I remember vividly, was 1982, the year I graduated from college. but it wasn’t my first “pride” involvement by any means. In 1976 or ‘77 a coalition of gay rights groups from around Ohio, formed the Ohio Gay Rights Coalition (OGRC). Made up mainly of Gay Alliance groups at some of the various Ohio schools, it was the first place I learned about queer community dynamics. Over time, the name of the group changed to reflect a growing sensitivity to mirror everyone’s involvement, and soon it was the Ohio Gay and Lesbian Rights Coalition. Change continued, till the name was a alphabet strong where no one should have felt left out.
Two major events still have visceral memories for me. The first planned march, was a demonstration around the state house to demand equal protection in employment. Maybe more, but that is what I remember from 1976 or ‘77. The plan was to walk around the Oho State Capital with signs. We were to wear masks since any of us could be fired for being gay. I didn’t go. I was afraid. I wasn’t ready to put myself out there like that. The other “event” was actually a yearly thing. The OGLRC sponsored a booth at the Ohio State Fair! Yes indeed! If you aren’t from Ohio or haven’t been to the State Fair, the significance of this may be lost to you. But here in the vendor/exhibition area, there was always a booth where people could get information about being gay, coming out, or finding organizations in your area of the state. As 4-H’ers and other came from every corner of Ohio, for some, this was the first time, thee notion of “Gay and Lesbian” was ever introduced to them. I fondly remember working the booth. You never knew what type of question or comment you would receive.
In 1982, Stonewall Union had been formed as a gay political activist group, headquartered in Columbus, building upon what the OGLRC had begun. Maybe the Pride March in 1982 wasn’t the first actual Pride march, but I don’t remember one earlier. But it was big, festive and exciting. I wish my memory worked better.
What is Pride-2009 style for me? Personally, I’m looking forward to getting the most out of Pride this week. I want to try and get to an evening event, every night this week with my mix of events including information, entertainment, activism and plain old socializing fun.
On Wednesday, thomascwaters.com is proud to be a co-sponsor of an public forum/training called GLBTQ Rights: How you can change government for your rights. One mindset I am bringing to Pride this year is that if we want equal rights we each need to play our part at bringing that into being. It isn’t enough to vote for a pro-gay rights candidate. At every level, from local politics up to the national arena, each and every one of us can make a difference by engaging with our elected officials one on one. I’m all for high tech and digital communication, but at the same time, some old tech tools, like a phone call, a personal snail mail letter (not an email) and a face to face meeting can have more impact than anything high tech. Sounds counter intuitive- as if high tech ought to get us more, but doesn’t work out that way.
Even though I’ll be facilitating the Wednesday event, everything I’m doing this year is for me, so that I leave Pride Week energized, happy and ready to head back into all the things that I do. I’m not involved in Pride so that some politician out there sees that I deserve rights, or so that the LGBT community is visible to some vague idea of the “straight” community. I want it to charge my inner batteries, bring me joy and comraderie and new friendships.
This “battery recharge” is especially important this year I think. Since issues affecting GLBTQ people are so in the foreground, the level of negative backlash is also huge and can be very draining. While for most GLBTQ’s, the idea that we deserve equal rights is a no brainer, there is still much struggle ahead, and everyone needs the energy it will take to keep the battles going towards successful ends.
I can list some things that Pride 2009 are not, at least in my opinion.
It is not a time to take stock and scrutinize the GLBTQ communities. In a recent blog thread, a fellow blogger wrote about what she feels is a level of class elitism among GLBT organizations. From my perspective, this evaluation is counter productive at the moment when it is just a discourse without action. No organization I know isn’t interested in having people join their ranks. so, for anyone wishing to spend time and energy bashing GLBT groups, I’d say, stop the negativity and get involved. If you feel the organization has problems, change them from the inside. I am not suggesting that anyone just pretending everything is wonderful, because it isn’t. All organizations can do a better job meeting the needs of the communities they serve. So make that change come into being a part of the organization rather than criticize it from on the outside.
Pride is not a time to play being the victim. GLBTQ’s get victimized by society all the time. But Pride is a time to find some level of self-empowerment with which to fight those forces which try to victimize people. If we are going to win the struggles and assure that GLBTQ’s have full equal rights, it will come by reframing the issues in such a way that the larger moderate majority see where equality is missing. Characterizing ourselves as victims won’t accomplish that reframing.
Pride is not a time to look for others to be our heroes. Pride is a time to find the inner hero in all of us, so that we can access that inner hero during the rest of the year. If Pride is something that exists only in one week of June, we will never achieve equality. Rather, if we find the inner hero, and carry that into everyday or every week, we will make our future a bight one of real freedom and liberty for all.
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?
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