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When the Flags are Gone and the Window Closes

After the Parade

By Lyn PorterPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 3 min read
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Just an empty park - is this how we feel when pride is over? Could there be more?

Where were you in June? Did you feel any different than you do in July? June is the month of pride. What does that mean? Pride in what? Pride for whom? Does it dissapears in July?

People have fought for me to be able to be myself. Blood and tears have been shed for me to walk down the street holding hands with my partner. People before me paved the way for gay rights, including marriage. These were not easy battles. The pioneers that led the way were brave, but why? Did they know that their battles and bloodshed would help me in 2022? Are these the people we celebrate?

Marsha P. Johnson, Sylivia Rivera, Harvey Milk, Edith Windsor, Laverne Cox, and many more paved the way for the road we travel now. During June are these the people we celebrate and recognize? Would we have pride had it not been for these brave activists?

Once again I ask, what is pride? I see flags, parades, and symbols that make me hopeful in humanity. During June these icons of LGBTQ+ are spotted everywhere. When the parades happen do people remember the names that got us to this place of pride? Are people talking about those who went before us or do they believe that as they march that this month is all about recognizing them?

Pride to me is meaning on a time continunum. It is how we got from point A to point B and how we will travel further to point C. We cannot go forward without looking back. We can not celebrate where we are today without remembering how we got here and those who made June Pride possible.

During June it is possible for a short span of time to feel safe and even more visible. We are here, we are queer... You get the idea. Those chants and cheers are safe now, at least during the month of June. We gather with friends and we celebrate each other and our togetherness. We are truly here. We are seen without judgement, we are heard without predjudice or fear. We are a community of our own and yet a part of the greater community. This feels comfortable, this feels right. But what happens in July.

Where do the flags go? Where are the icons that connect us? Why did they get packed up and put away? Are we gone? No, we are still here. Are we as visible? We don't gather as easily within our own communities. Are the symbols that represent us once again replaced with fear and ingnorance? Why is okay that one month out of twelve we can live without fear and predudice and then once again that safety net goes away? Is it because we believe also that we can only make our statements and become visible in June? After the parade has ended we become less visible, as if we return to the closet and safety of our small comunity and not the greater world.

The parade has ended but we have not. If we hide we are selling ourselves short. Our pioneers did not oppose hate and tyrany only in June. They were visible and heard even amongst great personal danger. They did not hide behind the flag and once that flag was gone so were they like shadows in the darkness. The parade is over but we are still here. We need to be seen, heard, and respected. Until this is commonplace we are not safe. We must remember and celebrate even after the parade and all of the symbols are packed away. We are greater than just one month. We must make ourselves visible and proud all year, every year.

Pride Month
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About the Creator

Lyn Porter

I am a Physical Education teacher of 30+ years. I am also an EMT. These two jobs keep me busy. My hobbies include writing and painting rocks. I also enjoy getting out on the golf course as much as possible during the warmer months.

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