Happy Pride-iversary!!!!

Well! It's here, my favorite time of year... GAY PRIDE! It's a special time for me. The year I came out my birthday fell on Pride - perfect. I honestly feel it was meant to be. And I've been living loud and PROUD (and my friends will again, I'm definitely LOUD & PROUD) ever since...

Now another special reason to love Pride is because a year ago today, that Boo and I declared our boyfriendhood (and another bud of mine did the same thing to his 2 years ago today!) It was so sweet. We had earlier gone to his 1st Pride parade, which was a sweet gesture in and of itself, I could tell he was a little nervous... After all, it's one thing to go to the big garish parade, it is another to go with big garish ME. We had a lovely parade with my best DurbanBUD and had parted ways to head to Halo with Watusi... After a lovely time there we headed home via 14th Street (I'm usually too scared to cut through Logan Circle late at night - too dark and too many mugging stories).

I kid you not, but it was a hot and humid day and the night was no different. As we walked home past the bums, drunks and assorted city weirdoes a light rain started to fall (no joke it really happened). We were just walking and talking when I felt something brush up against me. A hand!!! Suddenly I looked down at my left hand and there was that Boo's hand in mine. I tell you I've never held hands with a boy in public really, especially on 14th street - it may be the new gay frontier but some of the unsavory elements like to say things about my kind from time to time.

But here I was, holding hands and walking with the boy who had completely stolen all my attention for the previous month. As we walked, we both stumbled for the words to say "Umm can we be boyfriends?" It was very sweet. It is one of those memories that just warms me on a cold day and quiets my nerves when I'm getting anxious.

So Pride is now EXTRA special for me. It is a day to celebrate! To celebrate the love we feel for ourselves and for me to celebrate the love I feel for a special fuzzy Boo. Now if that ain't a reason for a big fun parade I don't know what is.

A word for all the Pride-haters though. Please look into your hearts, love yourself and be proud. Please see the Parades and garish displays as something positive that you can celebrate, even if you're not a dyke-on-a-bike, trans 2-stepper or musclebear. Seriously even if it makes you a little nervous, be thoughtful and reflect on why people think it is important to be proud in a society that malaligns us for sport (see any US newspaper this week for evidence).

And you if you still need help, read Joe.My.God's wonderful essay on Pride and you can read my thoughts from last year as well... If not, oh well, I tried! I love you all the same!