The term Gay Pride always struck me as nebulous.I'm a relatively young man (25) and having spent much of my adult life in Pennsylvania, Gay Pride was a quiet pride; one shared in safety among friends and (selected) relatives.
No longer.
Today, amidst the thousands who turned up at City Hall in San Francisco, I came to fully understand the nature of Gay Pride. It's resurfaced and is resurgent in an entirely new generation. All over the country, thanks to the rebirth of democracy through the internet, people took to the streets chanting, demanding change be made real and refusing to be relegated to the bottom of the heap. It was inspiring and moving.
The dramatic irony of the day came as the "organizers" of the protest, with a pathetic sound system and noble effort, attempted to address the crowd at the rally which far exceeded the reach of the speakers. It was clear they hadn't anticipated the turnout and it spoke to me of the failure of the No On 8 Campaign, a traditionally run, mainstream campaign for gay rights where we avoid confronting people with the reality of our existence and instead attempt to circumvent actually talking to people about our issues. But this time we would not be deterred. This time, at our finger tips we have social networks that've allowed us to take control of the narrative, that've allowed us to outgrow any management system that would attempt to control our anger, our pain and our pride. We would not be denied.
The rally became a spontaneous march up to the Castro, the heart of the GLBTQ Community in the world, and as we chanted, held signs high (my "Don't Mess With Dumbledore's Rights" / "W.W.A.D.? - What Would Albus Do?" sign went over particularly well...) I was overwhelmed with the justice of our cause. We will win this because we are right.
Sorry, Mormon Church. No amount of money in the world is going to stop this train...
We're on our way.
For more, visit Rants, Raves and Rethoughts
No longer.
Today, amidst the thousands who turned up at City Hall in San Francisco, I came to fully understand the nature of Gay Pride. It's resurfaced and is resurgent in an entirely new generation. All over the country, thanks to the rebirth of democracy through the internet, people took to the streets chanting, demanding change be made real and refusing to be relegated to the bottom of the heap. It was inspiring and moving.
The dramatic irony of the day came as the "organizers" of the protest, with a pathetic sound system and noble effort, attempted to address the crowd at the rally which far exceeded the reach of the speakers. It was clear they hadn't anticipated the turnout and it spoke to me of the failure of the No On 8 Campaign, a traditionally run, mainstream campaign for gay rights where we avoid confronting people with the reality of our existence and instead attempt to circumvent actually talking to people about our issues. But this time we would not be deterred. This time, at our finger tips we have social networks that've allowed us to take control of the narrative, that've allowed us to outgrow any management system that would attempt to control our anger, our pain and our pride. We would not be denied.
The rally became a spontaneous march up to the Castro, the heart of the GLBTQ Community in the world, and as we chanted, held signs high (my "Don't Mess With Dumbledore's Rights" / "W.W.A.D.? - What Would Albus Do?" sign went over particularly well...) I was overwhelmed with the justice of our cause. We will win this because we are right.
Sorry, Mormon Church. No amount of money in the world is going to stop this train...
We're on our way.
For more, visit Rants, Raves and Rethoughts
1 comment:
I am a heterosexual who has always known people who are homosexual... as beloved and close friends, mere acquaintances, or even well loved relatives... if ever the time has arrived, it surely is now... the world is changing, the momentum must keeping going forward.
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