Pride
What does pride mean to you? To some, pride is that feeling of acceptance. The ability to be acknowledged as an equal, not only within the community around them, but within themselves. To others, it’s the fulfillment from within, knowing that they can go anywhere outside of their own personal bubble and not have to worry that they will be judged for being who they are.
However, for years, there has been a group of individuals that has had to hold their pride within for fear that they will be subjected to cruel, and harsh judgment from their peers leading to hardening discriminatory beliefs and acts. These individuals I speak of are the members of the LGBTQ community. A community that is no different than anyone else other than the fact that they might love a different sexual orientation than you yourself might love. More importantly, if you take notice, the members of that make up this community are often stronger-willed, funner, friendlier, and more aware than the typical person. It’s only right that this willful group of mindful individuals get their time to shine every once and awhile without any judgement or prudence.
For one weekend a year, cities throughout the United States host a weekend, sometimes a week, of events celebrating the LGBTQ community. This weekend is typically referred to as Pride Weekend, and here, thousands of people from all regions come together to celebrate their love for each other and themselves. In many cases you finally get to see these individuals show off their true colors. Dressing up in the most individualistic outfits that can only showoff one’s true form of self-expression. Wherever you are in the world, if you happen to be attending Pride Weekend, you get a chance to experience an overwhelming sense of acceptance for everyone. You find out that Pride Weekend is not only for the gay, lesbian, transgender, pansexual, bisexual individuals. Instead, it is for everyone. Pride Weekend invites all to come out to an enormous party like atmosphere that puts on the true inner sentiments of the individuals that make up LGBTQ community. For this one weekend, we get to see the true beauty in everyone, as all races, religions, and sexual orientations party as if there is no discrimination available to be created. Here, both gay and straight members of the community have nothing else to do but to unite as friends, and true members of a community, in a party-like atmosphere which features concerts, games, parades, costume parties and an abundance of acceptance within the air.
Most importantly, Pride Weekend provides an immense education to not only the community around, but the world throughout. Pride Weekend awakens people from their discriminative thinking, their discontent with contrasting lifestyles, and provides a new outlook towards accepting others for being themselves. Pride weekend is a tool, a guideline for what the world could be if we allow ourselves to embrace everyone for who they really are. It makes us realize that there is something minor within each living human being that may not be comforting to the overall public, and that one individual should not be left out because of that one feature. Instead, they should be acknowledged, understood, invited and loved. Festivals like these allow us to create an invitation to conversation with our own loved ones.
These festivals allow younger generations to be able to self-identify with their own feelings and provides them with the comfort that it is ok to be who you are, and love who you want to love.
These festivals allow younger generations to be able to self-identify with their own feelings and provides them with the comfort that it is ok to be who you are, and love who you want to love.
It’s true to say, you never know who around you might be sheltering their true inner personality and emotions. It could be a roommate, a best friend, or it could even be your child. And, to them, the ones who are holding in their true identity, hiding their true self is the loneliest things they can possibly experience. Pride Weekend is just a stepping stool for everyone to take advantage of a learning opportunity to invite the ones around them to express themselves for who they truly are; not to hold back their true character, but to live happily and to live expressively.
So, whether you are a lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, straight, black, blue, white, short, tall, thin, thick, bald or grizzly, and whether you seven-years-old or 61, anyone and everyone should take time to get out to their local communities Pride Weekend festivities. It will be without a doubt an experience that will provide you with massive amounts of fun, leave you with new friends, and provide you with a whole new outlook on life and what it means to be happy.
Pittsburgh Pride Parade
