Monday, June 29, 2009

Happy Pride

So, yes, I realize it's been Pride month all of June, but it technically commemorates yesterday, the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, where some angry queens got mad at hell at some cops for busting up their good times (and their faces) and weren't gonna take it anymore. Every gay has a "coming out" story, or coming to terms with "it" story. And coming out is a liberating, if frightening, process. We owe that to Stonewall, which sparked the gay "liberation" movement. I never quite understand how people can say gays aren't fighting for civil rights and that our fight doesn't belong in the pantheon of civil rights struggles, from abolition to suffrage to the civil rights movement of Dr. King & Co. What are we fighting for, rallying for, and yes, sometimes even dying for, if not to be treated as equal members of a free society, to be accepted for our nationalities, our religious creeds or lack thereof, the colors of our skin, and yes, the direction of our orientation. Human sexuality is just that, innately human, and unquestionably deserving of equality and justice under the law as a human right.

For those who know me, you are well aware it takes but a few moments within meeting me to at least guess that I'm gay. And while I struggle with striking the right balance on expressing it, I haven't struggled with that fact itself in many years, a blessing I am thankful for, for being secure in my sexuality gives me strength ... and energy to be insecure about other things. I thank God for a family that loves and accepts me, knowing my gayness is who I am, as immutable as my melanin-rich piel, even if some of them are still in a bit of denial.

So, counting my blessings, I choose to celebrate Pride this way. I pray that those still in the closet will find the inner strength and courage to come out, to your parents, to your family, to your friends, to your co-workers, and to live your life openly each and every day. This way, we will reach out to the society around us, make them aware of our presence, earn their tolerance, if not their acceptance, and thus, make it easier for the young men and women, trapped in pockets of deep repression and ignorance, to live their own lives with human dignity.

Oh yeah, and watch this episode of Kings, the best show NBC has ever stupidly canceled.

Con amor desde Argentina!

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