Hey Folks, I am wondering what your participation level is with PRIDE celebrations. When I first, began to really take my sexual orientation seriously - to another level, I started by attending a gay pride celebration here in my city - Syracuse< NY Of course, the pandemic has shut everything down, and this year, even though COVID is still a thing, the PRIDE gatherings are also a really big thing. I drove up to Watertown last night for their kickoff - what a great time. I grew up in Watertown, which is a small city - home of Fort Drum now, and about 30 miles from Canada. When I was a kid, I didn't think this was possible - but now, last night and today, there is a big weekend long party going on - Next weekend is the PRIDE festival in Syracuse. And I am hearing that a lot of small towns and villages are having similar things like this to celebrate LGBTQs in their areas. It is no longer an NYC or Los Angeles or San Fran event - but seems to be everywhere during the month of June
In Canada, Pride month is July, because of the weather. There is a big festival and parade in Halifax, of course, for the first time since covid began. I am not planning to go to it. I avoid the city whenever possible. However, there is a one-day Pride event, with parade, at a small town a couple of hours down the road from here. I am planning to go to it.
These last few months have been a really huge evolutionary step in the gay part of my sexuality and coming out to myself process. So I haven't yet participated in pride events. I'm in the closet still for the most part (I have only come out to a number of people so far) so I wouldn't do anything in my own small community of Niagara, but I only live 90 minutes from Toronto, which has a huge pride community and celebrations. I have finally fully embraced the gay part of my bisexuality, feeling freely open to any and all desires towards my own sex--physical, sexual, and romantic. I feel so happy and free. So I think next year I will go to Toronto and share my deep pride and joy. I actually can't wait to be completely open with all the gay men (and woman) around me at such events, finally feeling in a self actualized place internally that feels authentic. It's of course not fully there yet, since I'm not out to my family and most of my regular friends. But it's still public there to some extent, and I think will help me evolve even more. It will be another step, higher, from the place I have finally gotten to, being completely open to the homosexuality of being fully intimate with the complete man I am in bed with. Perhaps before next year I will have met a guy whom I'll enter into a serious relationship with. How wonderful would that be?!
I never had any desire to march (or take part in) any sort of Pride Event; mainly because I am aVERY quiet, low-key type fellow, and was never comfortable at "being in the public eye", so to speak. Too, in all honesty, I am not at all comfortable with those who march who, for whatever the reason, insist of perpetuating every demeaning gay stereotype in the book. Of course, everyone has the right to be themselves; myself, I'm just too quiet and too "low key" to even consider ever being part of a Pride march. However, for those guys who truly exhibit PRIDE, and do so in a decent manner, I can honestly say I am happy for them, and, also, have a chance to show that "they are just like anyone else". So long as you behave yourself, kick back, have fun, enjoy the moment, and maybe even make some new friends. Enjoy being YOURSELF!
