Julie McLaughlin
Pride; then and now
For the past couple of months major cities around the world have been host to parades featuring women in nothing but leather men in well nothing and everyone else in between — all in celebration of Gay Pride.
Quite literally ‘pride’ is more than a word; it is a feeling like none other. It is not simply a parade of nearly nude queers dancing to the latest remake of a Heart classic; it is a celebration and demonstration of individuality and belonging.
On September 4 thousands of people will flock to Stephen Avenue right in our own backyard to experience Calgary Pride firsthand. I am fortunate enough to be right in the thick of it as this is my fourth consecutive year as a member of the Pride Calgary board. I am also a sucker for queer history and have studied the hell out of it. What is blatantly obvious through all of my observations is that regardless of the decade the message of pride is the same. We all just want to be ourselves.
• A Brief History of Pride
Pride celebrations did not just happen. Pride was a result of a multitude of factors leading up to a mass queer rebellion in 1969 known as the Stonewall Riots in New York City.
Being gay in the ’60s was not easy. Neither was being black female a communist (or presumed to be one) or anything else other than that middle-aged white guy with horn-rimmed glasses in a classy polyester suit. The overwhelming everyday person was angry. They were protesting wherever they could they were growing their hair smoking weed and hanging out in San Francisco. The baby boomers were growing an awareness of where the world was and they were determined to change it. This was not lost on the gay population.
On June 28 1969 the queer population of New York had reached its boiling point. They were sick of being arrested for being gay being fired from their jobs because they were gay being beaten and raped by the NYPD because they were men dressed in women’s clothing and being told that they suffered perverted mental defects. They just wanted to be themselves.
That night the regular crowd gathered at the Stonewall Inn a hole-in-the-wall dive of a bar in Greenwich Village. The beer was watered down and overpriced (somehow this situation has not improved today) the floor was sticky (again improved?) and the cops were on their way. Again.
As soon as the police arrived the patrons decided to kick them out. There were only a few police in comparison to the dozens of drag queens butches lesbians and gays. The police lost their grip on the situation and the New York gay population arrived in droves to witness and participate in this historical event.
The standoff lasted two days. The legacy continued.
New York Gay Activist Craig Rodwell created the Christopher Street Liberation Day on June 28 1970 to celebrate and continue the excitement the riots created a year earlier. It covered 51 blocks and ended in Central Park. Thousands showed up and a tradition was born. Similar marches took place simultaneously throughout the ’70s in major cities across the U.S. and Europe.
• Pride Today
Pride celebrations made me realize that I was OK. Through these events I realized that I am gay and I’m able to live as myself . There are no secrets in my life. I am complete. I belong.
For others in Calgary’s gay community the experience of pride is just as fulfilling. For Brianne Langille founder of the Calgary Dyke March pride means celebrating the amazing progress we have made
“Pride also means standing up and fighting for true equality in our time” she says. “Pride means showing the parts of the world that don’t have the rights we do that it is possible to achieve those rights. Pride shows my kids that they can be proud of who they are whoever that turns out to be.”
For the programming director of the Fairy Tales Film Festival pride is sacred.
“People say it’s like ‘gay Christmas’ but I don’t feel that comparison goes far enough” Jessica Dollard says. “I feel that Canadians regardless of sexual orientation who believe that all humans should enjoy the same basic rights must go to pride parades.”
Dollard further explains pride celebrations exist to commemorate the Stonewall Riots by reminding us of those who worked so hard to get us where we are.
“Homophobia is still rampant in our country — and in this city particularly — and although Canada is progressive in terms of same-sex marriage legislation we do still need to raise awareness that worldwide there is much work to be done” Dollard says.
It was only 21 years ago at the first Pride Calgary Parade that many participants had to wear paper bags over their heads to conceal their identity for fear of repercussions. Now in 2011 Mayor Naheed Nenshi is making history by becoming the first Calgary mayor to serve as grand marshall of the parade. That’s progress.
“The main message of pride is about standing up for our right to be ourselves in a society that still privileges heterosexuality and makes queers at risk” Calgary Outlink board member Son Edworthy says. “Queers still get teased judged and treated as less than. Queers still get bashed.”
And for me? Pride is an experience. It affirms who I am. I am a lesbian but I am also a writer a girlfriend a daughter a sister and a friend. I am myself and pride lets me celebrate that.
