Get your Pride on

By Nancy Ford

Happy Pride Month, friends! It’s that time again when the LGBTQ+ community and those fine folks who support us remember not only our past struggles, but also our ongoing fight for full equality. The battle has been hard, and it continues, but there have been many victories. Let’s celebrate!

Many in our community believed that ten years ago our fight for equality was over when the Supreme Court of the United States determined that marriage between two consenting adults, regardless of sex or gender, was declared okey dokey. Our side had won. Any other fight for equality, we believed, would fall under that marriage equality ruling, and that would be that. Game over. We could finally put our battle-weary, aching feet up on our coffee tables and relax.

Turns out, nope.

We have since learned that our coffee tables have rudely been yanked from under our throbbing tootsies and tossed into a MAGA-fueled bonfire.

Currently, according the ACLU, more than 500 bills were put under consideration throughout the United States that directly attack LGBTQ+ rights. In the last Texas legislature alone, 160 bills arose, restricting freedom for LGBTQ folks — especially the Ts.

“LGBTQIA+ Texans have faced increasing restrictions on private decisions, private actions, and private spaces. Defending the freedom to love, think, feel, and act according to our own conscience is a fight that is bigger than the queer community and requires people from all walks of life to step up. During the last legislative session Equality Texas stopped 96 percent of the 160 bills that would have restricted freedoms for LGBTQ+ Texans,” says Equality Texas, our state’s lobby group that fights to protect queer rights.

Specifically, those anti-queer bills range from deciding who gets to use which bathroom, restricting the books we choose to read, prohibiting teachers from recognizing trans students by their chosen names, something ambiguously called “gender identity fraud” and, despicably, whom we choose to love.

And, of course, perhaps most urgent of all is protecting children from the horrors of drag. Got to protect those kiddies.

Imagine exposing children to men who slather make-up on their faces, smear on eyeliner, and dress in sequins! Not in ‘Murica, darlin’ — unless you’re Donald Trump, J.D. Vance or Kid Rock.

The never-ending Conservative quest to protect kids from drag is especially problematic when we think about Houston’s annual Pride parade. I have questions.

Will police check IDs at every crosswalk in Downtown Houston leading to the parade route to ensure the spectators are at least 18 years old? That’s going to cost the city a lot of money.

How in the h-e-double hockey sticks are you supposed to have a Pride Parade without drag? Seriously, what are our queens and kings supposed to do — try to balance on their floats while rolling through downtown and dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”? I guess they better start gluing sequins to their burkas.

Will our HATCH youth have to march down the street blindfolded?

Will there be an extra-large group of counter-protesters who MapQuest their way to downtown — probably for the first time — to piously wave their “God Hates Fags” posters? Or will they just make their presence known by menacingly wearing their red Make America Great Again hats? Either way, remember what our wise elders taught us long ago: Ignore their taunts. Don’t engage with them. Don’t point out their spelling errors. Just smile and walk away. Maybe flash them a fabulous smile. Baffle them with love. You know, turn the other cheek, like Jesus would do — especially if you’re wearing chaps. In general, don’t poke those sad bears. Trust me, there will be other, far friendlier bears along the parade route that will welcome your poke.

Above all, remember the reason for the season. Pride is a celebration. Stonewall, baby! Obergefell! It’s a time to celebrate how we’ve overcome the oppression of the past, our unity in facing the oppression of the present, and the hope we cling to as we face our future.

While you’re grabbing for those beads, don’t forget that Pride honors our achievements and strength of our community. As we celebrate, let’s please take a moment to thank the folks who have worked and sacrificed to make our lives better and safer. And thank the leaders of Pride Houston — past and present — for their hard work to throw this big party. This parade doesn’t just materialize out of thin air, you know.

Again, Happy Pride, everyone! Have fun in whatever way you choose to celebrate this month. Be proud! Be brave! Be safe! Be gay!

Be you.

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