GenQ - For the not so straight individual

Pride holds you in its hand, yet it is the proud who stay strong...

I have never really thought of myself as different from anyone else. Gay, Straight, Lion, Tiger, or Bear (oh my!) For me, sexuality is about who you fall in love with, not what you do in bed that might be different from your neighbor. As a result, I have been called anti-pride, anti-gay--even closeted; simply because I value more of myself than simply my sexuality. Every year, during the Pride festivities, I find myself at odds with myself. While no doubt it will be a spectacular event, this year will bring crowds in the thousands, but what are we really being proud of?

Personally, the word "pride" means to be proud of who I have become, and to celebrate who I may become in the future--professionally, personally, socially, politically. Yes, I am proud to be me, but I try to always remember that "me" is a multi-faceted, multi dimension being, and I try to not get too tied up in the boas, glitter and glam that undoubtedly descend on the LGBT population at Pride. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the Ebeneezer Scrooge of London's gay community--I wouldn't be writing for GenerationQ if I were. I just believe that there is more to life than running half-naked down Oxford Street. I am like everyone else:  I go out clubbing until stupid o'clock in the morning (I can usually be found at either Popstarz, Ghetto or 2TooMuch) I flirt, I kiss, sometimes I even tell, but what matters to me is that I have pride in who I am.  I know who I am and what I do. In some ways, one of my objections to the Pride attitude is that I don't have to prove to anyone else that I am here, that I am alive, and that I am proud. In my everyday interactions with people, my job, my life, I can be proud of who I am, but I don't need massive silver eyelashes to show my attitude or my appreciation for my sexuality. Pride is just as much an internal power as it is external. I tend to believe more in the personal internal than the superficial external.

This year, I intend to curl on the sofa with a few of my friends, have a few glasses of wine, and just enjoy the pride we share. For being together, for being alive, and for, yes, being G-A-Y.