Proud v. Pride

Remember gay pride?

No, not the week of drunkenness and eye candy in July. The virtue. Instead of a virtue, though, gay pride has become an event in which people don glitter and rainbow tanks and drunkenly dance down the street to any Gaga song they please.

Chicago recently announced plans to change next summer’s parade. The city plans to start the event at 10 a.m., as opposed to noon, in an attempt to stop the heavy drinking and partying.

Some think this is a vicious attack on the fun and free environment, but I commend the city. While it’s great that so many people, homosexual and heterosexual alike, turn out to show their support for gay pride, are these people really proud?

Most of them simply come for a drunken bash, but where is the pride in everyday life? True pride comes in the support of groups like the Human Rights Campaign and the Freedom to Marry organization. These are staffed with people working together to prove that homosexuals are normal, real people.

Support for causes like this does not have to be monetary. I will admit to signing up to donate $29 a month for the Human Rights Campaign, feeling great, coming home and realizing that college kids like me are poor, thus diminishing my monthly donation. It’s hard to donate money.

However, I believe in the support of these organizations in any form possible. Often, websites of the organizations have petitions that take only one click to support. These go on to local and national legislators and do, in fact, make a difference. Pride is now seen by many as partying with a gay friend in the street or striking a pose with a drag queen outside of a club. True pride is much subtler. 

Personally, I view a simple display of the Human Rights Campaign’s iconic equals sign as more a testament to pride than some raucous sexual picture in the middle of the street.  There needs to be an extension of pride, something to show people are proud of the movement when parties and fun aren’t in the deal.

The focus should be on the majority of the year that is not filled with a festival atmosphere, rather than the small bit that is. No one wants to experience discrimination or pain of any kind, and support from loved ones is the easiest way to lessen the sting of hatred. Showing you are proud of a gay acquaintance is by far the best way to show support.

Festivals are fun, of course and partying is rampant at most city-sponsored events for the public. So, by all means, take advantage of pride festivals in all forms, but remember what the word truly represents.

Bullying with drastic consequences continues, and GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann, bigots-at-large, openly express their disgust for homosexuality.

Being proud means offering support through the daily grind of such injustices.  We need to make a shift from pride to proud.

­— sjostrow@indiana.edu