Why My First Pride Parade Won't Be My Last
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Politics

Why My First Pride Parade Won't Be My Last

Nothing brings people together like Love and Resistance.

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Why My First Pride Parade Won't Be My Last
Bradford Douglas

On Saturday, June 17, 2017, I attended my first Pride Parade and Festival in the beautiful city of Columbus, Ohio. After struggling to figure out where we were going and where to park, my friends and I finally got out of the car and then had no idea which way the parade was. At which point I, being 6’7”, started scanning the vicinity for any sign of #thegays. I immediately spot several rainbow flags and we started walking toward them. We eventually arrived at the parade which was only beginning despite our having been 30 minutes late. This was a new experience for me and all I could do was stare around in fascination.


I fumbled for my camera and made sure the lens was on and started taking photos of everything. So many rainbows, so many people, so many signs of support and encouragement. The one word I can use to describe the entire experiences is: love. Everywhere I turned everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves. People marched with signs saying things like “love is love”, “love knows no gender”, and “I love my lesbian/gay/bi/trans/non-binary child!”. The environment just felt so warm and welcoming.

I was also shocked by the amount of diversity. In the media, although LGBT+ depiction has been on the rise, the couples have been predominantly white. This isn’t necessarily wrong, but such standard depictions made me expect the Pride Parade to be a metaphorical blizzard. I could not have been more incorrect. Left and right I saw African Americans, Asians, Latinos and Latinas, Middle Eastern people, and more! Everyone just intermingled and bonded over the fact that we were all LGBT+ or allies. It was uplifting and heartwarming. I felt right at home with my friends and the rest of the community present.

As the parade marchers continued, I observed political candidates, local businesses, national brands, and numerous other organizations all show their support. Gubernatorial candidates marched behind Target and Walmart marched in front of local businesses they’re almost certainly stealing clientele from. Everyone placed differences aside in order to show love to a group that, until this past year, seemed to be progressing in its struggle for equality. Although the president specifically may not seem to care about LGBT+ rights, his administration has been openly hostile in a myriad of ways. As have many Pride parades this year, this one felt like a “Resist” March as well as a celebration of LGBT+ pride. People waived signs as serious as “Stop Killing Us” to ones that were hilariously vulgar like “Not Gay as in Happy but Queer as in F*** You” and “Tuck Frump”. Some didn’t even bother switching the first letters and just said what they meant, which I also admired. Caricatures of prominent Republican figures like the president, Mike Pence, and Sean Spicer were brandished with comical fake quotes such is, in Spicer’s case, “I like it (in the) Rough”, a reference to when he allegedly hid from reporters in bushes but also wordplay that references aggressive sexual activity.

There was also a surprising amount of religious support. As someone who’s had an inconsistent relationship with faith, partially because of LGBT+ issues, I expected more Westboro Baptist reminiscent people rather than the ones I was greeted by. Instead, I was greeted by people with rainbow signs proclaiming that “God Loves You!” and given wristbands that assured me of this same promise. Church after church after church drove and marched by with their own slight variations of the same accepting message. It was a breath of fresh air from the “Christian” conversion therapy advocate we have for a vice president and his proponents. I was raised in a Christian household and grew up in a church of authentically loving people. They stand behind their interpretation of the Biblical definition of marriage but they neither judge nor condemn; they just love as they’ve been commanded to (and quite well I might add). Whether or not their religion is accurate, I know what the “Love of Christ” is supposed to look like and I witnessed one of its greatest displays at Columbus Pride 2017.

The subsequent festival also proved to be a good time. My friends and I, all decked out in our Pride gear, wandered around the various tents admiring what everyone had to offer. Personally, I ended up with an official Columbus Pride t-shirt, a “Make America Gay Again” button, a rainbow flag that I’m still not sure where to put, and a “He, Him, His” Button from Planned Parenthood that highlights my preferred pronouns. The latter I admittedly just bought because all my friends did- also PP needs as much support as they can get at this point, but I digress. After that, we just sat under the trees and enjoyed the performances that were going on. We ate our pizza, drank our lemonade, and just relaxed surrounded by people like us.

I’ve often heard straight people wonder, why do you need a parade? Why can’t you just be gay without all the hullabaloo? You don’t see me advertising my heterosexuality everywhere? And all I have to say is this: when you’re a member of a marginalized group, you learn to be proud of a trait that many find repugnant. You develop a desire to celebrate what a multitude would eradicate if they only had the power. You find yourself wanting to surround yourself with like-minded people and declare to the world: this is who I am and I’m not sorry! Honestly, I’d take universal societal acceptance over a parade any day of the week. But as long as this is still a controversial issue, as long as there are still places where my safety is threatened, as long as I’m pressured to apologize for who I love, I will continue to find at least one day to celebrate every year. Because for the other 364, there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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