What Have You Done Today, To Make You Feel Proud?

Pride (pr d) n.
1: A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.
2: Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association.

Gay Pride was started with the Stonewall Riots in NYC, June 1969. After several abusive raids on local Gay Bars, NYC Finest (Any by that, I mean those fierce drag queens) fought back against the police brutality and bribery and scandal. They fought back and never stopped fighting.

Over the past 37 years, the Gay / Lesbian (et al) community has been continuing the fight against oppression and discrimination. We have been fighting for acceptance and tolerance and have been made several huge leaps in those years.

No longer locked up in jail for "indecent" acts. No longer sent to asylums for mental dysfunction. No longer kicked out of restaurants, stores and jobs, or at least having the law on our side if we are. We can now get married. We can now adopt children together. We can now walk down most streets without fear of getting our asses kicked (or killed) on a regular basis.

Pride Week in Toronto has just wrapped up for another 51 weeks. My week has been filled celebrating the TRUE meaning of Pride. I celebrate the achievements we have all made, on a national or global level (such as lobbying for Human Rights), and the achievements we have all personally made in our own lives (such as coming out, being confident of ourselves, living through suicidal thoughts, pushing forward and fighting for what’s duly yours). Every year before Pride, I imagine all the fun I will have dancing, drinking with friends, swimming, going to this event or that… but as the official day approaches, I always get over come with a huge sense of joy and love for my brethren.

As I was helping The Boyfriend host brunch for our ‘family’ yesterday, I found myself cutting up fruit salad and I almost started crying just thinking how happy I am that, in my life, I could have a boyfriend to host brunch with. How happy I am that Cell Phone Boy’s mother was going to be joining us. How happy I am that I lived in a time where I could be myself and love whomever my heart chooses.

I almost cried when we were standing on a roof top, having wine cocktails I looked down onto Church and Wellesley Streets (The unofficial home base of Toronto Pride) and saw, literally hundreds of thousands of people; young and old; human, feline and canine; skinny and not; queer and straight and everything in-between; white, black, and brown all covered in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. Hundreds of thousands of people who know that EVERY HUMAN should be proud of who they are, no matter what the church or the government or conservatives or anyone else thinks of us.

I almost cried when I lay down to bed with The Boyfriend. Spending the entire day looking at him, thinking how much I loved him. Stealing kisses on the dance floor. Holding hands. I’m in love with the most wonderful man on the planet, and I am able to tell the world how wonderful he is, without fear, without hatred, without an ounce of concern.

It’s a pretty good time to be here.

To The Stonewall Girls: Thanks for kicking some ass. Thanks for opening doors that were held shut for so long. Thanks you for making it possible for us to live fearlessly. Many of you have been killed fighting for what you believe in. Many of you were abused and jailed countless times for trying to live your lives. Thanks for your strength and confidence and for giving me Pride. This week is for you! I celebrate for you!

To all my old friends: Cell Phone Boy, The Great Scot, Her Royal Pinkness, Puma, Cousin Janet, The Philantropist, Halfaneese, Lorne, Dray-gun, Val & Gail etc: Thanks for celebrating a great weekend with me. Thanks for being such great friends by accepting me and yourself. Wish you all a life filled with pride and acceptance.

To all my new friends: Stephanie, Brad, Josh, Peter, Tiff, Laura, Lorne, Wayne, Craig, etc: It was great to meet you. Here’s hoping we run into each other at some point in the future.

To The Boyfriend: You are the most wonderful man in the world. Thanks for loving me. Thanks for letting me love you.

Enjoy life.
Happy Summer.

Live Fearlessly!