Pride Time

Today is Indianapolis's LGBT Pride festival... INDY PRIDE! (LGBT = Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender).

I attended my first Pride festival in Milwaukee in June, 1995. I even walked in the Pride Parade with ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power). Every year I volunteered in food booths, clean up, and front gate as ticket taker.

It was so cool to do the front gate job. I usually worked the Sunday evening shift, as that was the most difficult to get volunteers for. I remember one time a guy walked up to me.

"Is this the gay festival?" He wanted to be sure he was in the right place. It was his first time at the Pridefest. I recall he asked if it was only gay people, but I explained that many straight people also come to show their support. He smiled about that. Then he bought a ticket and went in.

For so many, a pride festival is the first opportunity for men and women to find validation that it is okay to be gay or lesbian or bi or transgender. That's one reason to have a pride festival... to validate that it is okay, more than okay, to be LGBT.