Just home from spending the entire day at Pittsburgh PrideFest, and I wanted to post a thank-you to all of my readers who made a point to come up to me today. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to receive such positive affirmation that the work that goes into my blog is all worth it! I half expected, since I have been a bit controversial recently, to receive some negative feedback, and that would have been fine. I appreciate all feedback. But, no, I heard over and over again, how much people appreciate my blog.

Maybe my longtime readers would offer an assessment, but I hope that over time, my writing has improved and the blog grown. I try, sometimes more successfully than others, to raise a different perspective and ask questions others aren’t asking, and writing over the past few months has shown me over and over again, how that is both working, as well as how much more I can do to be clear with what I’m saying and through provocative posts prompt meaningful thinking and exchange. And, when I fall a bit short of that goal, try harder the next time.

For a week or so now, I’ve been saying that Pride means different things to different people, and I hope you find and explore what all Pride can be for you. If you are here in Pittsburgh, I hope you made the most of the Pride Events that filled the last 2 weeks, and hope you take that energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to be yourself forward into every week of the coming year. If you have yet to have Pride, where ever you live, I hope it will be all that you want from it.

Of all the things Pride is, for me the fact that Pride provides me with a space, time and place to be who I am, and share that with others. It is a way for me to share my voice. I hope it will always be that for you as well.

This blog is now about a year and a half old, and when I started it, I never would have expected it would have the wide-ranging readership that it has. I hope that I continue to write and share with you, in such a way that it prompts deep thinking and a desire to get involved. I hope that when you agree with me that you take action and get involved. And, when you don’t agree with me that you post comments and express why you disagree: make a dialogue happen so that everyone leaves the discourse better informed.

And if you see me out and about, I really appreciate the words of encouragement. It is great to know that I write this and people actually read it, think about it, and I hope take action because of it.

Happy Pride!