It’s pride month. And that means my facebook feed is covered in rainbows and shows of support for the queer community by friends and businesses. It also means most of us are 1000% queerer than the rest of the year.
Interspersed among the selfies, stories of queer pride, and stories of bigoted reactions to the month, are discusses on what pride is. And there are mixed definitions to be sure.
Before I share what I believe pride to be, I must acknowledge that pride month started in a riot.[note]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots[/note] Tired of raids on gay bars, black, trans women were the first to stand up and fight back, igniting nights of rights and demonstrations in the streets. It happened on June 28th, and thus June has become pride month in recognition of these events. It is widely regarded as the birth of the modern pride and queer rights movements.
Because there are many ideas of what pride is, I see this image every year.
Some see pride as a protest.
Some see it as a riot.
Others see it as a celebration.
Still, others see it as a chance to have sex.
Naysayers call it the month where queer people shove their sexuality down others’ throats, or a celebration and promotion of sin- an abomination.
And while I disagree with the naysayers, obvi, I can’t quite agree with any of the positive views either.
And that’s certainly not because I disagree with pride month. Rather, its because those are representations of pride, and not what pride is.
To me, at its very core, pride is a sigh of relief. It’s the long exhale after you’ve held your breath for too long. It’s coming home from work after a long day and stripping down.
It’s the time where people can fully be themselves.
Many queer people spend most of their lives hiding pieces of themselves. They don’t get to come out until adulthood because of their family situations, for fear of rejection or abuse. And even those who are out don’t always get to be 100% out. Some aren’t out at work. Or to their parents. Or, because of the society they live in, they feel the need to tone their personalities down to “fit in”.
Pride is the chance to let it out. To express themselves however they seem fit. For some, it’s the only time of year they can do that.
And while this can manifest itself in protests when there’s oppression, and riots when things have gotten out of hand, it can also manifest in celebrations when there is freedom, and sex when there is the desire.
None of these manifestations are wrong, but none of them are the core of pride– a sigh of relief where people can simply be.
