Of course, there is an element of empowerment, or rather a positive assertion that “I exist,” with our annual Gay Pride commemoration.
Celebrating our collective LGBTQ history with a weekend of partying and marching is all well and good, but I’m reminded of an observation made recently during an online chat. “Someone” (ahem) commented that they must be proud of the size of their … um … “eggplant,” to which “someone” responded that they have their parents to thank for that.
The implication being that they were just born this way, blessed with good genetics, and that it was not necessarily anything to be proud of since they had no hand in making it (okay, maybe in fact there was a hand involved, but I digress).
The larger point is that pride (and Pride) should be assigned when one has created something. It isn’t enough to just glide through one’s existence and be proud of a life of mediocrity with no purpose or direction.