|
|
|
|
NC Pride Fest
|
|
By: NJNets49er
|
|
|
|
Talk about this article
|
|
Read feedback (0)
|
|
|
I was a little surprised when I began attending Appalachian State
University this fall and immediately after meeting the awesome people
in B-GLAAD, was invited to go to the North Carolina Pride Festival with
them all. I'll admit that I was more than just a tad skeptical about
attending a pride festival. One, my mother could for some unexplained
reason decide that it would be great to surprise me by showing up at my
dorm, and wouldn't she be ever so shocked if I wasn't there? (I do
write this with much sarcasm) Or two, I would be surrounding by "super"
homosexuals who felt the need to proclaim to the whole world that they
were gay and proud of it. Basically, I felt that I would be around
thousands of people who were gay first and human second. I guess that's
just a stereotype that was burned into my brain about any massive GLBT
get-togethers.
All I can say is that if I hadn't gone to Pride Fest this past year I
would probably hate myself. I mean, it was incredible. I just never
knew how awesome it would be to see lesbians and gay guys just holding
hands or kissing like the perfectly normal thing that it is, at least
not in public. Wow, it was just a pretty amazing thing and strangely
freeing. I didn't have to march in any parades or shout out at the top
of my lungs how I was proud of my sexuality, it wasn't even like that.
In fact, it was probably one of the most laid-back experiences that
I've ever had. I even brought some things while I was there but my
favorite would be the "DITC" shirt I bought which stands for "Dykes in
the City". I just tell my mom it stands for ditzy when I go home. It's
almost like I'm being proud of being gay in my own way.
The festival also offered me a chance to bond with my new friends in
B-GLAAD, an experience I never would have gotten, and who knows if any
of us would actually be as close as we are if we hadn't all visited
together. If anything I think that everyone, gay or straight, should
attend a pride festival if for nothing else but to be able to attain a
better understanding of the gay community as a whole. I never really
knew how close-knit the gay community is, perhaps because I was always
viewing it from the outside, even thought it's a community that I am
very much a part of, but now, I feel more included and that alone
offers a sense of peace when dealing with the fact that I'm gay. I
didn't just have a great time at the festival, I had a great time with
the people I attended the festival with, and we all have plans to
return next year. I think that it may just become our new tradition.
|
|
|
|
gsc
|
|
|
|
|
|
