Welcome back friends! First and foremost, Happy Pride! As the celebration ends, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year. Memories that were made; encapsulated on the camera roll, backed up on cloud storage, and if you’re like me (old school), printed. These photos strung up along the mantle or haphazardly placed around the bedroom walls. While things may have changed since the photos were taken, they still hold sentimental value.
The highs and lows of quarantine have started to sink in… Personally, there has been love, loss, depression, anxiety, and acceptance (not in that order). Societally, we are in the midst of a pandemic, a black lives matter movement, and a presidential election later in the year. With so much going on in my life, it makes for a very under-rated response when someone asks, “How are you doing?” Instead of a typical response of “good,” my replies include a variation of “okay” or “do you want the short or long version?”
So much has changed in a short span of time and it’s been a lot to grasp, much like my first Pride in San Francisco. A whooping 8 years ago and I still vaguely remembered the details. Thankfully through Facebook Photos and old boyfriend, I’ve fill in the majority of the blanks.
My boyfriend at the time, the Poet, and I decided to go to an event (since remastered) known as Pink Saturday. It was an extravaganza block party that stretched the main cross streets of the Castro District. The event was held by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which is “a charity, protest, and a street performance organization that uses drag and religious imagery to call attention to sexual intolerance and satirizes gender and morality.” The party featured several stages that offered a variety of music options. It was a fantastic time to be among a sea of people, to dance like no one was looking, and to truly value the people I was surrounded myself with.
In my infancy of understanding (or unpacking) my gay identity and what it meant to be gay, I stuck with the basics and wore bright color and bought into the retail version of Pride: rainbow attire. After several years of encounters, education, and living as an openly gay man; I learned being gay and Pride is much more than that. It encompasses the history of the ones who came before us, the ones who fought for our rights, and struggles during the AIDs epidemic.
To me, Pride embodies the livelihood of the community and its individuals. It spans the various sexual orientations and subcultures. Pride is the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. 1. To connect with others in the queer community and allies. 2. To embrace and celebrate our sexual identity without judgement. 3. To educate and advocate for others in and out of the LGBTQ+ community on issues, history, and practices. Pride is a symbol of progress. I’m grateful to live in a time where I can marry another queer person, adopt a child of my own, and now officially protected from discrimination in the workplace. All of these rights are milestones on the road to equality.
In retrospect, I am me. I take pride in my sexual orientation and my polyamorous lifestyle. While these factors are a part of who I am, I will not solely be defined by them. Pride is a time to reflect on the past, ourselves and think about the future. Though this year was certainly different, I (like many others) had found a way to commemorate Pride. A group of friends made plans to social distance at the park. It was a time to make new acquaintances, catch up with friends, and enjoy the day.
I hope you found a way to support and celebrate your LGBTQ+ community. And as always, stay safe, stay healthy, and as always, like, share, and subscribe to our blog for new insights into happiness, heartbreak, and everything else that comes with our exploration of polyamory.
-Your Friendly Poly Guy 2
