June is the best time to be alive for all Geminis and LGBT+, and I just so happen to be both.
To give you a little bit of history: In 1969, Stonewall riots hit Manhattan and it happened to be a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement. The last Sunday in the month of June was considered to be "Gay Pride Day." Brenda Howard is known as the "Mother of Pride," and she was the one who coordinated the first LGBT pride march. To this day, June is celebrated as the month for Pride, where the LGBT+ community lives their best lives.
So far, this June, there have been many pride parades. I had the honor of going to the Philadelphia Pride Parade on June 10th, and I am here to tell you about my experience.
I was overwhelmed with joy the whole day.
Just imagine this: You're a very poor little kid, and on your birthday every year, you get the most amazing chocolate bar you've ever had and you find a golden ticket. You travel to this big chocolate factory and after a day full of touring the facilities and many trials, you're the last one remaining. Turns out, you've just won the whole chocolate factory. You're just this poor little kid who know owns a (probably million dollar worth) company where you can eat all of the chocolate you want and now your family is suddenly rich.
That is how I felt at the pride parade, and yes, I did just describe the plot to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Everyone was dressed their best and they were their to express themselves. There were men decked out in the most flawless drag queen costumes, doing their best dance moves. Women were topless (yet still covering their nipples, because for some reason our nipples are inappropriate). I saw the most gorgeous makeup on boys and girls. The fishnets, bondage accessories, and wigs were prominent and slaying the game.
There were so many companies in the parade to show that they are our allies, and they were there to throw out cool beaded necklaces, and free company swag. There were people there to talk about the importance of safe sex among everyone, no matter the label to your relationship.
To top it off, June 10th is my birthday. The whole day I was surrounded by thousands of people enjoying themselves. If I had a dollar for the amount of people that wished me a happy birthday, I would be super rich. I even had a group of drunk girls sing to me.
I had the best birthday ever. I was surrounded by a group of people where I knew I could be myself. I wasn't scared. I wasn't being judged. I didn't need to put a label to myself. I was just being me, and so was everyone else around me.
If you are a part of the LGBT+ community, do yourself a favor, and participate in a pride parade. You will not regret it.
