Every year, "Pride" is celebrated in hundreds of cities across the country and the world. Pride, over the years, has opened its doors to include the general public. Pride is all about everyone being proud of who they are, whether they are Latino, gay, Black, lesbian, Christian, Jewish, etc. June is officially still known as Gay and Lesbian Pride month to this day. Pride is a celebration of parades, dances, social and volunteer events organized by local charities and volunteer organizations. During this celebration, the skies are covered with gay-pride flags and banners, the symbol of gay solidarity and freedom.
The first gay-pride parade was in 1969, known as the March on Stonewall. It started as a protest against discrimination and violence against gays in New York City. To this day, the event is an annual ritual that is growing annually with its bright rainbow colors, including thousands of spectators in most cities. Every sector of the gay community is represented, from the leather community and dykes on bikes to drag queens and male strippers. Pride is a symbol of solidarity and, regardless of the attire, all participants join the festivities to remind the world that gays deserve the same rights as others and need to have the opportunity to express their diverse personalities which reflect on the gay communities as a whole all over the world. They should be free to live their own lifestyle, void of judgment and hate.
Many people may wonder what the origin of the rainbow flag is. It is a symbol of gay pride, not gay liberation, which uses a pink triangle on various colored fields. In 1978, Gilbert Baker of San Francisco designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colors of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. Slowly, the flag took hold, offering a colorful and optimistic alternative to the already existing pink triangle. The flag is recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers and flown in Pride marches worldwide. In 1989, the rainbow flag received nationwide attention after John Stout successfully sued his landlords in West Hollywood, when they prohibited him from displaying the flag on his apartment balcony. To this day, Baker is still in San Francisco making his flags.
The multicultural symbolism of the rainbow is nothing new and plays a part in many myths and stories related to gender and sexuality issues in Greek, Native American, African and other cultures. Red symbolizes light; orange, healing; yellow, the sun; green, calmness; blue, art; and lilac, the spirit. The rainbow colors symbolize plurality and love of life. The open display of the flag in different forms such as buttons, bumper stickers and on clothes, shows what the gay community has gained in self-confidence. They need not hide themselves anymore, but show their gayness in public and are proud of who they are.
Gays have been persecuted for centuries, and the abuse still happens on a daily basis all over the world, although hate crimes against gays have decreased considerably in the past several years. I could write an encyclopedia on the subject.
As George W. Bush pushes for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, Canada reassesses its existing policy declaring them legal. While I doubt if, at this point, there are any serious thoughts in our own Congress about giving a long, hard look at the institution called marriage vis-a-vis the evolution of cultural norms and same-sex unions (given the stranglehold of the Catholic Church on our legal system), it is perhaps time to take a more rational view toward the relevance of marriage today.
The Family Code defines marriage as "a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life." It is a definition that Bush would be very comfortable with because it excludes same-sex marriages. But if you take a closer look at Title I of the Family Code, it is quite obvious that our law on marriage follows orthodox Christian precepts. In essence, marriage is legitimate sex with incentives and protection for children born as a result of the union. It is a legitimate and controlled outlet for the natural instinct for sex in consonance with the dogma that unless it was a spiritual expression of love, sex is something dirty and shameful. The problem with the Family Code is that it refuses to acknowledge any divergence from the man-woman dichotomy and in effect punishes anyone who refuses to be neatly labeled as either. Whatever happened to Section 2 of Article II of the Constitution, which provides that "The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights"?
Portland's Pride celebration was held the weekend of June 17 and 18. There was a celebration of fun, food and entertainment in Waterfront Park. Multiple gay-owned business and organizations participated, as well as gay-friendly food vendors and businesses. Pride Northwest was proud to have Retired Col. Grethe Cammermeyer as its grand marshal this year. She is a Bronze Star winner, Vietnam veteran and a past V. A. Nurse of the Year. She made history in 1991, when she challenged the U.S. military because of being discharged because she was a lesbian. Her story was made into a movie, "Serving in Silence," which was one of the first television movies centered on a gay character. She was a nurse in the military in Norway, and joined the U.S. Army out of love for our country, the same country that turned her away once it was discovered that she was a lesbian.
"Pride is a time to rejoice, celebrate, and be proud of who we are," said Darcelle XV, who runs a popular cabaret, with a Las Vegas-style drag show, in Old Town.
"Pride is a time to celebrate progress and recommend ourselves for total equality," said City Commissioner Sam Adams.
I hope that all of our readers share our views and celebrate who we all are — and be proud of who you are.