Another Memorial Day has come and gone, which means that we have unofficially entered the Summer season and are officially in the throes of Pride. Many of us attended barbeques with friends and family and traded “Happy Memorial Day!” greetings back and forth. To be clear, we deserve to seek and find every happiness, especially here, especially now. But Memorial Day is about more than backyard cookouts. As President Joe Biden noted at a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, “We’re not far off from the time when the last living voices of those who fought and bled on D-Day will no longer be with us. So, we have a special obligation. We cannot let what happened here be lost in the silence of the years to come. We must remember it, must honor it, and live it.”
That is the same mantle of Pride. It is a time for LGBTQ+ folks and our allies to celebrate and have fun—yes. But we must never forget how we got here. The first Pride was a Riot, and though we’ve made significant gains towards equality, we are still fighting for our rights today amidst a fierce socio-political backlash. But remembering and acknowledging these struggles of the past and present is exactly how we can empower ourselves to prevail in the future. It’s tempting to try to fight fire with fire, to give the haters a taste of their own venom. But one of our greatest weapons in this movement is Pride.
Pride inspires us to find and celebrate queer joy in the face of hate. It inspires us to learn how we can take action together—because when we fight together, we win.
This year, Leonard Litz was proud once again to team up with our friends at Circle Care Center to convene the third annual Leonard Litz / Circle Care Pride Coalition. The Coalition provides an opportunity for Pride organizers of all sizes to meet and network with one another, and to learn more about what others are doing to celebrate Pride in their local communities. It is a space for open, sincere, and supportive dialogue, acknowledging that we all need these moments to feel re-energized in our shared movement.
But Pride doesn’t begin and end in June. The Coalition includes an email group so that we can be in ready conversation with each other. There is no substitute for being able to connect with like-minded folks to share best practices and cautionary tales, to be resources for one another, and sometimes just for some much needed moral support in the challenging socio-political climate we find ourselves in.
And don’t forget to check out our Community Pride Calendar! This is one way we can all support and amplify each other’s celebrations. We know we won’t be able to attend every event, but the more, the merrier!
Many of us have spent too much of our lives learning how to love ourselves in the face of constant messaging to the contrary. It’s the greatest thrill to be surrounded by an outpouring of love, unity, celebration, and, of course, Pride.
Interested in becoming a member of our Pride Coalition? Please send an email to info@leonardlitz.org.