President’s Column June/July 2012
Here we are, summer time has hit and people are going about their days in the warming sunshine and budding flowers and trees. Well ok, since we are down south, most everything has already bloomed. I know I am a fan of allergy meds during this time of the year.
But not only is it the season for flowers and trees, it is also Pride Season. I have seen dozens of Pride Events listed since the beginning of the month. It is funny, that no matter how many Pride events I have been throughout my years I never knew there was a Pride season. Amazing what you learn in a position like this.
So as I am sure you all have heard and read through various social media events and through the post our VP made on the front page of the newsletter we are no longer involved with Inception Pride Weekend. We do wish them well.
But we really could not in good conscious sit by and not offer our community some kind of celebration (this is not saying whether or not IPW is able to continue with their plans).
The United Fayetteville Pride is a collection of small organizations coming together this year to bring our community some kind of Pride celebration. You will be able to find all of the events and who is hosting them on our Alliance website soon. (thealliancenc.net)
Let's talk about pride. What is pride exactly? If we are to look at the dictionary explanation we would find it defined as "the feeling of deep satisfaction of one's accomplishments or of another's" (ok that is a summary of it and only one definition, but the one I am looking for)
Pride is exactly what we are looking at here and what we are celebrating. We are proud to be out, to be honest with ourselves, our families and the world. We are proud to be doctors, firefighters, soldiers, and even gas station attendants. We are proud we make the world go around. We are proud to raise our families, or to just simply be the favorite Aunt or Uncle.
We are proud to have made it through the (those who experienced this) family strife, the bullying in school, the discrimination through our life and still make it in one piece.
We are proud to stroll down the streets of where we live, or of places we would like to live, or even places we like to go and celebrate at, in our wildest outfits and strut our rainbow feathers.
We are here, we are queer, we are lesbian, we are gay, we are bisexual, we are transgender, we are questioning, we are intersex and yes some of us are even straight. Either way we are all proud who come out to celebrate this opportunity to show off who we are.
Do we do this to rub it in other's faces? Do we do it to rile the righteous religious sects to come and taunt us? Do we do it because we love the rainbow colors?
What ever reasons some of us do this for, there is one common deep down reason that resides in everyone who comes out and celebrates Pride in one way or another.
It is the reason that The Alliance has taken such an active role in bringing something to Fayetteville this year, even if it is small.
It is to show those who are hiding in the closet, those who are hiding under the blankets, behind bruises, anger, terror and oppression that we are here. You have brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles here for you.
You have a family waiting here to help you get through all of the crap society throws our way.
Just reach out and be proud of who you are and the colors you support in the rainbow of life.
But not only is it the season for flowers and trees, it is also Pride Season. I have seen dozens of Pride Events listed since the beginning of the month. It is funny, that no matter how many Pride events I have been throughout my years I never knew there was a Pride season. Amazing what you learn in a position like this.
So as I am sure you all have heard and read through various social media events and through the post our VP made on the front page of the newsletter we are no longer involved with Inception Pride Weekend. We do wish them well.
But we really could not in good conscious sit by and not offer our community some kind of celebration (this is not saying whether or not IPW is able to continue with their plans).
The United Fayetteville Pride is a collection of small organizations coming together this year to bring our community some kind of Pride celebration. You will be able to find all of the events and who is hosting them on our Alliance website soon. (thealliancenc.net)
Let's talk about pride. What is pride exactly? If we are to look at the dictionary explanation we would find it defined as "the feeling of deep satisfaction of one's accomplishments or of another's" (ok that is a summary of it and only one definition, but the one I am looking for)
Pride is exactly what we are looking at here and what we are celebrating. We are proud to be out, to be honest with ourselves, our families and the world. We are proud to be doctors, firefighters, soldiers, and even gas station attendants. We are proud we make the world go around. We are proud to raise our families, or to just simply be the favorite Aunt or Uncle.
We are proud to have made it through the (those who experienced this) family strife, the bullying in school, the discrimination through our life and still make it in one piece.
We are proud to stroll down the streets of where we live, or of places we would like to live, or even places we like to go and celebrate at, in our wildest outfits and strut our rainbow feathers.
We are here, we are queer, we are lesbian, we are gay, we are bisexual, we are transgender, we are questioning, we are intersex and yes some of us are even straight. Either way we are all proud who come out to celebrate this opportunity to show off who we are.
Do we do this to rub it in other's faces? Do we do it to rile the righteous religious sects to come and taunt us? Do we do it because we love the rainbow colors?
What ever reasons some of us do this for, there is one common deep down reason that resides in everyone who comes out and celebrates Pride in one way or another.
It is the reason that The Alliance has taken such an active role in bringing something to Fayetteville this year, even if it is small.
It is to show those who are hiding in the closet, those who are hiding under the blankets, behind bruises, anger, terror and oppression that we are here. You have brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles here for you.
You have a family waiting here to help you get through all of the crap society throws our way.
Just reach out and be proud of who you are and the colors you support in the rainbow of life.
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