Pride

I had an amazing experience this weekend-I was able to take part in my local pride parade. For those who do not know, the term pride refers to a celebration in the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered community, often abbreviated LGBT.

I remember years ago hearing a co-worker mention that she would be attending the pride parade. I was instantly shocked that she had said that. I could not fathom why she would be attending. I asked her, “You? You are not gay; why would you be going to the gay pride parade?” Her response to me was that she was participating through her church. Her church was open and affirming, and welcomed the gay community. Hearing her explanation made complete sense.

As the date of this year’s pride event approached, I learned that my library system would be having a contingency of walkers in the parade. I thought that would be the perfect way to attend the event. I contacted the appropriate people and signed up to participate.

In the days leading up to the event, I told my friends and family that I was attending the event. Many people I told were excited that I was going and that I was going to get to participate. However, many others had a problem with my attending the event. I got many questions from some friends, which I remember hearing from my own mouth: 
“You? You are not gay; why are you marching in the gay pride parade?” 
My answer was straightforward and simple:

“I am going to the pride parade because I believe in equal rights for all, and I believe in marriage equality. I have always wanted to go, and what better way to go than to walk with a library contingency in the pride parade?”

I did not know what to expect from the parade. I had heard that the parade and festival afterwards, was a fun event. I was greatly looking forward to it.

The morning of the event I met up with the fellow walkers from the library. There were about a dozen of us walking in the parade. There were four of us there who had never attended a pride parade before. I asked a fellow walker, who had done the event before, as to what to expect. She said that the pride parade is very fun to participate in; she said that the crowd watching the parade loves the library, and that they would be screaming for us.

I walked past some of the other floats and cars that would be in the parade. I saw floats and cars from companies, churches, corporations, community groups, and more. It seemed that every group and organization in the city would be participating in the event.

Before I knew it, the parade had begun. We assembled near our parade car and took our positions on the street. Within a moment we were off. I was ahead of the parade car, carrying a sign that promoted the library; there was a gentleman on the other side of the street with a matching sign. Behind us was our parade car. Behind the car were fellow walkers who were going to hand out candy to the people along the parade route.

As we began walking, we were a city block away from the actual starting point of the parade. We walked in the middle of the street; parade goers surrounded us on both sides. When we got to the starting point of the parade, the crowd let out a deafening scream. It was at once a wall of sound as well as a profound surge of energy that hit us from both sides. The noise took me by surprise. I looked around, thinking, “Who are they screaming for?” As we walked the screaming continued. I quickly remembered what my fellow walker had said. She was right. The crowd was screaming for us.

The crowd loved the library. Parade attendees on both sides of the streets screamed and cheered for us. I saw some people recording the parade on their cameras. I saw many people taking our photos as we walked in the parade. Some people even took photos of themselves in the foreground and us in the background. The crowd cheered for us as if we were A list celebrities on the red carpet at the premiere of the latest Hollywood movie. 

As we walked along the parade route, when the shouts from the crowd occasionally died down, we shouted out fun phrases. I shouted a sort of play on words from the library: “Come check us out!” I occasionally heard people comment on my phrase, and some even shouted back: “We love the library!”

As I continued to walk down the parade path, I began to realize that the pride parade was more than a celebration of the LGBT culture and community. The pride parade is for the entire community. The parade is a platform for a statement of personal beliefs, and is a celebration of diversity and inclusion meant for everyone.

I also learned that the pride parade is also a celebration on a personal and private level-a celebration of the self. Pride is for everyone. Whether you are a member of the LGBT community or not, heterosexual, homosexual, mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, American, Lithuanian, white, black, Latino, Asian, thin, fat, pride is about celebrating yourself. Pride is about celebrating everything that makes you you. Pride is a reminder that were made who you were, as you were, for a purpose. Pride is an opportunity to celebrate all that you are. God does not make mistakes.

When the pride parade was over I found that my body was tired but that my spirit was invigorated. I was proud to participate in the event, to represent my library, to walk and publicly declare and stand for my beliefs. I did not fully understand the event before I participated in it. And, to be truthful, I could not have understood it until I did it. It was an amazing experience. I cannot wait to do it again.

If you are in my city next year, on the weekend of the pride parade, you will find me marching in the parade. Filled with pride.

Me marching in the pride parade-June 14, 2014