Summer is here. Pride is here. We're all still here, we're all still queer, and they're starting to get used to us. The L Word and Queer As Folk are still on the air. Queer Eye is still alive and kicking. Will and Grace still crack us up, Ellen still dances each day, and comics like Ant are on The Tonight Show. Despite the fact that the wedding rings some of us wear are less than legally binding, the topic of Gay Marriage is hotter than ever. There is no denying the permanent mark we're making in nearly every part of America. How fabulous is that?
This week, instead of my usual fare of music news and reviews, I thought I'd talk a little bit about Pride. I don't usually get to spout off about things like this but it's apropos of the season, so please stick with me. It'll be fun. I promise.
I've always thought of Pride as the Gay Thanksgiving. It's a time when we should be thankful for the GLBT lovers, artists, teachers, and freedom-fighters that came before us. Without them, we couldn't be here doing what we do.
But giving thanks isn't enough. Events like the Pride Parade didn't start out as a flesh-fest of thongs and shirtless men and women. It was a protest. It was a march of like-minded people, an act of civil disobedience. It was definitely NOT about choosing the most fabulous outfit.
Most of us, including me, tend to forget the past. The stories of our elders and history-makers can't be found in most school books. Only in the last few years have universities started offering Gay Studies classes, and most of them only in very liberal areas.
Kids are not taught Gay history in primary school, which means when some of them bloom into GLBT youth, they have a difficult time learning who they are and what they might be feeling. That has to change, and it's up to us to act.
I think Pride should be a time when we all research, remember, and reminisce about Gay History. Share your story of coming out with as many people as you can. Read a book about Stonewall. Sift through the internet for information about gay people in history. Talk to a gay person who is 10 years older than you. Share the differences of your experiences and celebrate the similarities.
Along the way, remember that you are beautiful. You are strong. You come from the same mold that created millions of brilliantly talented and special people throughout history.
When you're celebrating Pride, realize that it isn't just about the glitter and sparkle. Think about the people who made this possible for you. And paramount to everything else, remember that we're not all the way there yet. All of us, GLBT or otherwise, need to find the way to walk in harmony together.
Proudly with you in 4/4,
Peter Mavrik
peter@windycitymediagroup.com