proud?

it was a gloomy day in San Francisco today, so I decided to visit our neighbors in San Jose. they are celebrating Pride this weekend. granted today was probably the less fabulous day to be there, but the crowd and vendors were pretty darn sparse. as I watched the drag queen emcee her way through some of the local talent scheduled for the day it struck me that this is a community that really needs a Pride celebration.

SF's Pride is fabulous and all - as I'm sure is NY's - but we don't really need it so much. so much speaking to the choir I believe. there is always talk during the month of June as to whether or not Pride really serves a purpose - or maybe even serves the wrong purpose. I would argue that in SF it has very little meaning these days. don't get me wrong - I'll be waiting in line for roasted corn on the cob like everyone else - but seriously? what's the point?

it's the smaller communities that have smaller gay populations that are much better served by a Pride event. anyone can be gay in San Francisco and for the most part be left alone, embraced or ignored. however, it takes a lot of gutts to be out as a gay person in many other areas of the country. these are the people who should be proud! these are the trailblazers! these are the people who will truly move this cause forward!

this year Pride for me will be about all of them