Today was an amazing experience. It was my first Pride. I have wanted to go for years but there was always something stopping me. This year I attended with my husband and son. My husband who is an ally and kind, reasonable human, marched with me. As did our 8-year-old who attended because he loves parades, rainbows, and opportunities to stand against injustice. I was inspired by the raw and unapologetic courage of people living and existing as their authentic selves. As a not so openly queer (non-strait, gender-nonconforming) person I have been reluctant to be open about my identity. It is easier to live in the comfortable obscurity of my hetero marriage than to risk personal confrontation with intolerance. But Pride is such a deliberately supportive, encouraging, and authenticating environment that it felt like a safe place to exist.
As an anthropologist I understand very deeply that concepts like gender and sexuality are constructed based on social concepts that reflect values and traditions of specific cultural traditions and experiences. Traditions and values are not universal, cultural and social experiences vary significantly throughout the world and even within countries and communities due to personal and other factors. Perhaps most importantly, culture and society can and do change, evolving to meet the needs that change over time and awareness that grows. Queer people have always existed what HAS changed is how a larger segment of society has grown to recognize that human experience is far more diverse than previously realized.
Anthropologically speaking, Pride is hugely pro-social; promoting values of tolerance, cooperation, collaboration and community that lead to a society that is safer, more educated and less perturbed by perceived differences, and which values inclusion and desires equity.
Personally speaking, Pride is fun. It is a celebration of life and a rejection of hate, and intolerance. Pride is an opportunity to exist as the human you are and to share that experience with other humans doing the same.