Pride gets dangerous when it stops being rooted in dignity and starts acting untouchable.
Weird thing to say during Pride Month, I know. haha
Also the last photo in the original post was a small gift for the gays still practicing delayed gratification. You’re welcome. ;)
Pride matters to me. Obviously.
I spent years paying attention to the room before deciding how much of myself I was gonna put into it. Sometimes I still do.
So yeah, I’m proud that I’m a lot less willing to shrink myself now.
I also know I didn’t get here alone.
There are a lot of people in my life who loved me through some pretty messy versions of myself. Some of them are queer and a bunch aren’t. They were just... there. And that mattered more than I probably knew at the time.
That’s the part of Pride I keep thinking about lately.
I get a little weirded out when pride turns into needing to be the most important or most correct person in the room. Being proud of who I am doesn’t mean I suddenly became incapable of being an asshole. haha
I want to be really fucking glad I’m here. I am.
And I want to remember who stood next to me while I got here.
Anyway... happy Pride. Love y’all. And thanks to the people who kept standing there even when I was a bit of a shitshow. <3