Pride and Prejudice

Well Pride Boston 2009 has come to a close. I think every year in Boston the Pride Celebrations get a little longer. Soon it shall encompass the entire month of June in one whimsical pink feather boa. Sadly I have no pics from the weekends events to post since I just finished figuring out how to charge my new camera battery. Not that there would have been many this year. My participation this year in events was somewhat lackadaisical. Having been traveling most of the week before, then moving my worldly possessions and finally attending a party until about 3:30 AM Saturday I was exhausted. I woke Saturday AM at 10:30 and knew I should get going if I was going to meet up with people and go to the parade. I jumped onto the B line as it was coming by, knowing full well its reputation for being the tortoise of all the green lines. I was elated when the conductor decried the train to be express. At this point really it was a good decision as I found myself surrounded by some teenage lesbians who also were destined for the parade.

Now I don't have an issue with Lesbians; it just seems that they always don't like me for some reason. Now that is not always the case but 9 times out of 10 I will get a discouraging look for my efforts to be social so I let them be merely observing the conversation they were having. Slow and steady did not win this race or get us there any faster as our forward momentum quickly came to a grinding halt. The conductor got on the PA system with his best Mushmouth voice announcing that there was a "Plaster Crane on Cerberus" or at least that's what it sounded like; what he meant was a "Disabled Train in Front of Us". JOY! and if your reading this and you know me you know what I did next. Immediately began calculating at what stop I should get off versus the risk of catching up with the parade. My calculations though were interrupted by the sudden stirrings of the lesbians. They were harping on the T until one of them called out in her best here me roar voice that "we are lesbians we can do anything". I chuckled warmly at this. About 5 minutes later we got to see exactly what her mettle looks like as the lights went out and the train jerked. Suddenly Wonder Woman became a scared little 5 year old clutching on to her lovers tattered leggings for safety as she nuzzled her pierced face in their warm embrace. "We can do anything" indeed.

Now I don't mean to pick on my "sister" here but lets face it. She's a classic example of what I see today on the streets where ever I go. Maybe its because I wear my heart on my sleeve that I don't find this need to put on some false persona. Essentially what you see is what you get. There are others out there like me but they are few and far between. See how my "sister" reacted was not bad or comedic it was instinct in response to unfamiliar stimuli. Her fight or flight response was triggered. We learned that despite her bravado she's more on the flight side of the equation. There's nothing wrong with that; so what's the need to overcompensate?

Eventually the train started moving again. I decided the risk versus return on catching up with the parade would be best if I got off at Park St. Which is where I ascended the stairs and took off for the state house. As I was getting closer to the street I could establish where the parade was by simply listening to the melodious roar of the self designated "Dykes on Bikes". Sure enough I climbed the steps in order to see the parade right on time. I watched as each groups marched, some with floats some without. There were churches with banners, social groups raising awareness for things such as domestic violence, and some sponsors and candidates who bordered on pandering to us. As if by blaring 70's - 80's club music it will get me to vote for you or buy your product. I appreciate the support, attendance and participation in the days festivities but please come up with some better material. Your attempts at camaraderie seem cheap at best.

Scattered between the above were your expected club floats, and ethnic groups. To witch I realized that we are all at this parade, hell we are all at this event but we are a separate nation. Lesbians, Transgendered, Poly, Leather, Bear, Twink hell we have more subsections than we do colors on our flag. While we may be here together on this day what the hell else are we doing during the rest of the year to bridge this gap. This is why the fight for equality is slow and steady. Like the rest of the animals we herd. We form our little groups and hierarchies to feel safe and maintain order. What does it accomplish though other than our mere survival. Left up to our own devices we've created our own little segregated nation no different from the one we want to be treated equally in. So much so that our nations are now stereotypes of what they once espoused. Fetishes taken to the extreme and now branded as the calling cards of our society.

I'm not preaching for conformity, I don't want a single person to become something they are not. I want people to be who they are not what their society tells them they should be. Even my own community which I should belong to was created as an alternative to the main stream gay culture at the time were men could be themselves and not have to conform to the main stream movement. It recognized men for what they are and we are in fact people of all different shapes and sizes. This community is called the Bear community. Even from its benign beginnings the community today has changed. It limits in its acceptance those who it considers in its population. Its message of inclusion replaced by stereotypes to exclude by. No longer can someone who just wants to associate with this group simply do so without looking the part. This attitude is prevalent throughout the society as whole not just the Bears, not just the Twinks.

We grouped together for protection for our survival, now though I fear that survival method has stunted our growth. Its time to start casting off those symbols of subculture and embrace who we really are. We are all unique individuals with a gift we can give to ourselves and our communities. Do not stifle it in the conformity of the comfortable. Challenge yourself every day to be the best person you can be. That my friends is what you should be Proud of; its not what you are but what you have become.