by Angela Lindeman
After a tremendous and terrifying start to this June 2021 for myself, personally, by being physically attacked by my partner for being who and what I am, I feel this is the PERFECT time for me to write this.
More often than not, Pride Month arrives as the sun returns to us and begins to lengthen and warm our days and nights. As usual, every shopping venue, both physical and virtual, begin sprinkling rainbows all over every bit of merchandise that they possibly can. They have to get in on those Pride sales after all. It’s as if it’s the cool, hip thing to do. Whether to look like and ally or to appear “woke”, everyone jumps on the bandwagon. I must admit that years ago, I sort of fell into this category. I was supportive, but I didn’t know the history and didn’t know how to be involved. I bought the rainbow merch and thought it was fun. I thought Pride was all about the merchandise, parades and just being proud of who you are…proud of how you live and love. I would later find out, along my journey, as I came to be grips with being a genderfluid, polyamorous, pansexual/romantic individual, that Pride would come to mean SO MUCH MORE.
My journey came with education and lived experiences in my own life as well as listening to the stories of others. I stood witness to people as they began/shared their coming out experience. If you aren’t aware of coming out, that means coming to terms with and sharing with even ONE PERSON that you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is a scary, vulnerable and liberating choice each of us in the community must make in our own time. The history of Pride tells us that once upon a time, that revelation WASN’T SAFE. At one point in our history, and still often TODAY, people died for living their lives as their most authentic selves. Coming out wasn’t even an option if you wanted to live, so you found your kin…your family by choice that was like you and accepted you as you were. I KNOW that our American culture has made a lot of strides and headway in LGBTQ rights and recognition, and for that, I am so proud and grateful. Unfortunately, there is STILL so far to go. We need people to be aware that Pride includes ALL races, cultures, religions, occupations, economic statuses! It includes all sexualities, all gender identities and persons choosing to identify with neither of those. Pride is young and old…. the able bodied and differently abled. Pride looks like EVERYONE you see in your daily life. Pride includes fun merchandise, drag shows and parades, but please REMEMBER….
Pride began with a black, trans woman willing to throw a brick to start the fight to SAVE US! THE HISTORY MATTERS!