My boy: What's the pride parade for?
Me: Well, it's a celebration for gay people, I guess.
My boy: Why is it called "pride" parade?
Me: Rather than be ashamed of being gay, people want to show that they have nothing to hide and that they're all the way on the other end of the scale and proud of who they are.
My boy: Are you proud of being gay?
Me: Well, no. I decided a long time ago that there's nothing to be ashamed of in who I'm attracted to. It's not something I consciously do, so I can't take the blame or the credit for it. And I think that applies in the other direction too. Being gay isn't something to be proud of, for me, it just is.
8 comments:
My children don't know I'm gay. My wife doesn't know I'm gay. My parents don't know I'm gay. My best friends don't know I'm gay. Although it seems difficult to be able to talk to your children about being gay, I wish I could be that open with them, with my wife, with my family.
Yeah, they really should change it to the Healthy Self-Image Parade.
I bet it was easier when the imaginary boy was young enough you could answer his questions with, "Because I said so," and, "Condensation."
Who wants to generate a paragraph of explanatory text on the spot?
Yay! That's exactly the viewpoint I've been wanting to post for weeks but haven't. And so much more concise than mine was going to be.
I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be a Mormon. Both of those things have little to do with me since they were part of my birth. Should I not be proud because those things just are? To deny pride seems to be a sign of something...I'm not sure what?
That last comment was mine...when I started to type my name...my comment was posted by accident.
I can think of plenty of reasons to be proud of America and plenty not to be proud of America. It makes sense to take pride or not in being associated with America, as that is also a choice (as is continued association with the church). If someone is proud of being born in America, I imagine it's an extension of these other ideas. To be proud of something one has no real impact on is irrational. Rhetorically, I'll be proud to be an American today, but if there's really something to be proud of, it's participating in my freedoms, exercising my free speech, voting, following American laws, etc.
On the other hand, part of me is annoyed even by the idea of pride in America as it tends to get kind of exclusionary and superiority minded (just like gay pride).
on a completely unrelated note...we're having a moho party at my house tonight that you're invited to :P
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