At 6/5/22 06:22 AM, tydaze wrote:
I used to feel very much the same way. Until I started looking at it this way: pride doesn't have to be a celebration of "being LGBTQIA+", but rather a celebration of not having to hide away in fear anymore, of not having to pretend to be what we're not in order to escape danger and discrimination.
That's a very honest and humble way of seeing it and I agree completely. I also prefer to see pride month more so as a celebration of the bravery and courage needed in particular people to speak truthfully about themselves in the face of alienation, mistreatment, or even oppression.
Of course being different in sexuality is just a fact of life, and not an accomplishment, and in that sense I think the term "pride" in itself may be a bit misleading. Even if you think of it in a sense of "being proud of overcoming adversity" I understand that can feel inapplicable for people who live a life where they have been honest about who they are to the world, and not had to face prejudice because of it.
And I think that's were my main gripe comes into play; the misleading elements of pride month and LGBT+ acceptance that people have created.
Ofcourse I understand that there are still people who see the true values and meaning in the celebration, but unfortunately I believe that most people now have developed a different perspective of the movement that particularly emphasizes the sexual aspects and reinforces personal gratification. A sort of reimagining of pride month's meaning which I personally can't bring myself to support anymore, especially as I suspect the normalization of congratulatory praise for sexuality has been creating a warped perception of what defines oppression and prejudice.
It hurts me deeply to see people chastised for not agreeing with the ethics of a particular sexual orientation despite still treating people of said orientation fairly and with respect, a reoccurring pattern I've unfortunately witnessed.
In the state where I live, there are still plenty of people who are hateful and discriminatory, although not as many as I remember 10 years ago, or 15 years ago. And I have had personal struggles with my own family over it. Maybe for me that plays a role in it not feeling like this something that happened in history that's irrelevant to me today. There are people here who still fly the Confederate flag. It's useful to have symbols off acceptance to display in opposition to their symbols of hatred, and that's part of why the rainbow flag is still important to me, in spite of corporations' attempts to co-opt it for profit.
I do agree that some things like giant pride parades can get to the point of feeling vainglorious. There are those who make it a big party and don't really think or care about the intended underlying meaning. I don't participate in that kind of thing and I don't usually get along with obnoxious people who make their sexuality their entire identity. Even so, I am still glad they can do it and not be in fear, I try to remind myself that's really the important thing to take from it, and put aside my own annoyance.
That's true! While I may be skeptical of LGBT+ movements like pride month and their current perceptions, I can at least say that the acceptance and tolerance of sexual diversity has increased dramatically over the years, something which I'm definitely very proud of.
I can't bring myself to support the current perception of pride month because of its departure from the true meaning, but I seriously respect your commitment to personally maintaining your understanding of the virtues and values of pride month!
I really admire your optimism.
