by Michelle E. Brown

Originally published on Cherrygrrl.com, June 8, 2011.

Michelle E. Brown is a community organizer, an authentic speaker, a dynamic leader, and a true voice for the African-American LGBT community.

Want to scare a town or community, challenged with facing their own homophobia with a proposed human rights ordinance or granting a permit for a Pride Parade/Festival? Just roll the film!!

It’s always introduced by some god-fearing city father, who may/may not start with the warning, “You might want to take the children out of the room about now.” The lights dim and there it is: “The Big Gay Parade.” I personally believe it was shot one summer in P-town and just gets recycled from year to year.

It zooms in on the most flamboyant members of our community riding on floats, on the back of convertibles and otherwise strutting their stuff (in leather or chains of course). The clip usually only lasts a couple of minutes but if you’ve had no or little conscious exposure to the gay community – what an eye opening two minutes it is.

With bible firmly clasped in one hand, the speaker points at the still shot with a condemning finger at the gay couple kissing then turning to the audience says: “Is that what you want your children to be exposed to? Is that what you want in our town?’’ Flash the photos of Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot’s wife in the foreground transformed to a pillar of salt for simply looking at this wickedness. Fade to black.

Of course it’s just a snapshot of LGBT Pride. It doesn’t show the solidarity of our organizations to care for one another; our resolve to gain recognition and equal rights for our families; the commitment of same sex couples to celebrate their unions with or without society’s approval; or the full range of diversity within our community. It doesn’t show the queer young people being themselves despite the threat of attack and bullying. What it does do is take a celebratory moment in our community and try to paint it as shady and nefarious. It’s as inaccurate a picture of the LGBT community as it would be to show a clip from the Shriner’s Parade showing only fez wearing motorcyclists and twenty clowns piling in/out of a car.

Pride celebrations are nothing new. For many communities, whose assimilation into American society was difficult at best, pride parades and celebrations have been an inexorable rite of passage in the pursuit of the American dream of full equality for all.

Initially a way of preserving their unique culture while celebrating their Americanization, these celebrations eventually became an integral part of American culture.

Just think about it. Early in the history of Irish Americans, they faced discrimination, work places regularly displayed signs saying “No Irish Need Apply.” They were beaten, lived in terrible conditions and were routinely denied access to all the rights and protections afforded other Americans. Yet they persevered and today it’s almost seen as un-American to not participate in the wearing of the green on St. Patrick ’s Day.

The same is true for many other immigrant communities –Italian, Asian, Latino, Arabic.  Even African Americans, who often (and still) had to compete with immigrants for the same crumbs and experienced many of the same and greater discrimination, have seen their customs and traditions co-opted by the greater society.

The primary difference is that unlike other groups whose differences may be a language, social norms, skin color or ethnicity, we, the LGBT community, are continually defined by our sexuality – who and how we love. We don’t have to assimilate by learning the language, losing an accent, dressing/acting within the norms or passing a citizenship test to take our rightful place in society. What we are being asked to do for “tolerance,” if not acceptance and guaranteed equalities, is to stop being ourselves, is to give up being ourselves, and that will never happen.

Like these other communities, we are much more than that Kodak moment to highlight our differences. Recent progress in our struggle for equality gives hope that our day too will come, when wearing something rainbow colored in June will be as natural as wearing green on March 17^th.

Wikipedia, the people’s encyclopedia (LOL!!!!), defines LGBT pride or gay pride as the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity.  A concept… really????

Pride is so much more than a concept. It is that heartfelt feeling of patriotism, of being American, of being part of that dream of democracy that calls to individuals around the world seeking justice and equality.

There is an initiative that believes that you will have a word which summarizes how you came to faith. The result is a two word story. We have faith that we too will achieve the American dream of full equality under the law, of respect for who we are based on the content of our character not our sexual orientation or gender expression.

Our story is still evolving, still being written, still ourselves. Our 2WordStory – Pride? PRIDE!