Get ready for the parade!

Temperatures all across the country are rising – this is certainly true here in the District of Columbia – and that can only mean one thing. Summer is almost here! Students are taking exams and packing up their dorms, parents are anxiously awaiting the start of summer camp or a family vacation and communities all over the United States are gearing up for Pride season.
I attended my first Pride in June of 2005 as a freshly minted intern at an LGBT rights organization. It was the end of my first week in the office and I was excited and nervous. This was the first time I would be out in public representing the org and it was also my first time at Pride. Around 11am the crowd began to grow and it was an incredible sight. LGBT people of all kinds were converging on those four blocks on Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate being themselves, to revel in the camaraderie of their peers and to support the community.
Two years later I am thrilled that I get to spend a large part of my summer traveling around the country to different Pride celebrations sharing the work we do and reaching out to new people. Hearing the stories people feel comfortable sharing with us on the road is one of the most rewarding parts of working here and I am looking forward to taking a few of our summer interns with me. It is an experience that no desk job will ever provide them with.
This time of year is also an opportunity to revisit the history of the LGBT movement. Pride festivals have not always been the light hearted reverie that they have become today in many communities. The first parades were marches held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Marches held in that first decade had a decidedly political sentiment. We have made a lot of progress since those days in many ways but the message behind Pride is still the same. We are a community, we are people and we will not be ignored.
If you have never attended Pride in your community, or if you have never traveled to the closest festival to you, then I recommend that you look at the summer ahead of you and take that trip. Load up on stickers, fans, t-shirts, brochures, newsletters and a slew of free trinkets. And know that if you are looking for the chance to get involved with the community, to meet new people or simply to look at some local eye candy then Pride season is for you.

*This is an edited version of another post I wrote for another blog*