Happy Pride Month! Let's celebrate all LGBTQIA+ 3
Pride celebrations may be disrupted this year, but they’re as important as ever!
The month of June is known across the world as Pride Month. It’s a time to celebrate the great strides that have been made in the advancement of LGBTQIA+ rights and acceptance but also to reflect on the rights that have yet to be won in many countries across the world and for the acceptance that every human deserves. You’ll see vigils across the world commemorating those we’ve lost along the way and of course, you’ll see festivals in many major cities. Not all of these happen in the month of June, many happening at any time between May and September – in fact Gran Canaria, for example, even hosts a Winter Pride. But Pride Month is June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which were the birth of the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement.
Pride events are parties like no other. There’s often a tremendous outpouring of love and a real sense of… well, pride. They’re a place where everybody in attendance can be accepted for who they are, a real blueprint for what the world could be. There’s often a march or parade, which stemmed from the protest origins of the Pride Movement, but many nowadays have a much more carnival- esque feel in keeping with the celebration that equality is much closer than it’s ever been. Some battles have been won, though there’s still work to do. You’ll hear of people spending the whole year getting their themes, outfits and floats ready for Pride and you’ll also see some brands emblazon their products with a rainbow. It’s bigger than ever before.
There have always been voices, probably louder since the advent of social media (they’ve always been there, we can just see them now) who question the need for Pride or why there’s no ‘Straight Pride’ – these comments, especially on social media, always end up in rather passionate debates from a variety of viewpoints, the most logical and most common response being “be thankful you’ve never needed one” – Let’s take a look at that, as it’s a common response for a reason. The brutal truth is that straight people have never been denied rights, or much worse, imprisoned or persecuted based on their sexuality or gender identity. They’ve never had to fight to be allowed to marry or to have employment protections or medical cover or any number of rights that most people just have by default. It’s sad that some would feel the need to diminish a celebration of equality and acceptance and a movement to bring change for those who still don’t have the rights that have been won. It’s a crazy argument that there should be a ‘Straight Pride’, as the very nature of pride actually includes those who are preaching that they don’t have a ‘special day’ or ‘celebration’.
Let this just sink in a moment: In celebrating equality, we’re celebrating you too!
The bottom line is, it’s the freedom to love that some people, some governments and some religions seek to curtail. How can freedom to love, or even exist, possibly threaten them? I guess we’ll never know. Granting someone equal rights doesn’t diminish yours. Then we have the voices of “well, you’ve got rights now, you don’t need to have a party about it” or the even more amusingly disturbing “what you do in your bedroom shouldn’t be forced in people’s faces” – These ones used to make me angry, but now, I just laugh at them. The lack of emotional development it must take to not be able to separate the ‘identity’ side from the ‘sexual’ side is saddening, as that is not what the issue is at all. Pride festivals seem to be equated to orgies in the minds of the people who make these statements, which must mean they’re thinking about same-sex action more than we are! It might come as a shock to some, but we’re actually completely capable of meeting en-masse without it descending into some sort of sex-fest. Shame, that’d probably be a
really fun party too, but what it’s really about is love and freedom. There’s another shock for the naysayers: Love and sex… NOT THE SAME THING. Freedom… something that can only exist if we ALL have it.
For those who say we have the rights so don’t need the party anymore, let’s just say you’re missing the point completely. It’s a celebration of how far we have come, but also that the human race is capable of great acts of compassion and kindness and that we can always be better. Now give me a good reason why that shouldn’t be celebrated. I dare you. The more important response to this argument is that the Pride Movement is more about increasing visibility and representation for those around the world who don’t have the freedoms we have and that even in countries where there are more accepting attitudes and legal protections, discrimination towards the LGBTQIA+ community still exists and the fight for equality will not be won until that ceases and everyone can live without the fear of being a target of hate-crimes. Yes, they still happen and, in some places, have even been on the rise in recent years.
The irony of all these questions I see throughout every Pride Season is that by the very asking of those questions, they’re just proving why Pride is still so necessary. As long as “some animals are more equal than others” there will never be true equality and it sometimes seems that for every step forwards the human race makes toward a more equal and enabled world, it appears that we sometimes take two steps back.
The other thing to consider is the artistic and cultural aspect of Pride. Many may not see the LGBTQIA+ community as a ‘culture’, but the community has a rich and thriving art and culture scene. It always has. That stereotype for instance about how many gays are in the arts? Yeah, there’s a reason for that. We’ve been part of the world’s wider arts and culture scene since its inception! Then, of course, there’s no denying that some of the world’s most powerful pieces of art, be they paintings, music, sculpture, anything, have been borne of struggle and/or conflict. The same is true of our culture. Pride celebrations often feature exhibitions, workshops and all sorts of fantastic creative outlets. That should be a reason to come along in itself.
Then, of course, there’s food and drink too. Yeah, those LGBTQIA+ folk ingest sustenance too, just like you! And, just like everyone else, we like nice things and also use them as a cornerstone of social gatherings. If none of the other reasons appeal to you – and if they don’t, you need to really ask why – this reason alone would be enough for me. Food, booze, music, FREEDOM – Sounds like a pretty good party!
So, for those who have their doubts about Pride or don’t see why we need one, either be thankful that you don’t actually need one or perhaps just take it as an invitation to a really great party that you couldn’t be bothered turning up to (which would be a shame as you’re one of the guests of honour). Pride is for everybody. Pride is about freedom, love and is a celebration of diversity, which is what makes the human race so wonderful. Plus there’s probably food and booze. Do you really want to miss out?
Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Vidalicious x
