The rainbows were big and beautiful in our nation's capital this past weekend as more than 100,000 people filled the streets for the 40th annual Capital Pride Parade celebrating the LGBT community. The month of June honors the violent 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan during the Gay Liberation Movement and remembers all those who have suffered or lost their lives fighting for gay rights. Commemorating past and present hardship, the parade offered a hopeful glimpse into a world that doesn’t discriminate where communities are strong and love is free.
This was my first pride parade experience, but it will not be my last. The atmosphere was happy and contagious, but different than I had expected. In my mind the parade was more of a “gays gone wild” extravaganza, but it was much more eloquent than that. Yes, there were some speedo-wearers-hip-thrusters present, but most people walking seemed like your average Joe. The parade was family friendly and the majority of the costumes consisted of t-shirts that identified what organization that walker represented. Participants ranged from the United States Armed Forces to international groups like the Adas Israel Congregation to local charities, churches and schools. Big corporations like Facebook and Microsoft were also present. Some floats and costumes were more extravagant than others, but the crowd cheered no matter who walked by.
As of now there are 35 states that have legalized gay marriage and soon the U.S. Supreme Court will announce the outcome of a case that could make same-sex marriage legal nationwide, an exciting and momentous advance for America. Being gay is not something that has become more or less common depending on what political and social restrictions are in place. You cannot choose your sexual preference just like you cannot choose your parents or the color of your skin.
No matter the discrimination, whether it be on gays, straights, albinos, blacks, whites, Muslims, Christians, men, women–the list goes on and on–it all centers around the debilitating and invented idea that one person can dictate the life of another against their will. Equality is the foundation of everything that social rights stand for. If anything this parade reminded me that fighting for equal rights should never be compromised because equality is the hand that feeds us. It is what gives us opportunity to succeed and allows us to love freely.
