Pride

JR over at Memoirs of a Gay Chia and the incredibly sexy Kelly Stern had this on each of their individual blogs. Kelly asked that every blogger post this picture as a symbol of Pride for this month. I think it's a great idea.

Concurrently, this morning composed this letter in my head on the way to work this morning:

Dear San Francisco aka "The City" -

You are gearing up for quite a show. In the past few days, you have put out more ranibow flags and gay pride signs that I have ever seen. There is much hype and talk about this "Pride" celebration that is about to happen, and having never been to a pride before, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I mean a parade? More circuit parties? Muscle queens and bears on bikes invading you from places like Duluth and Pensacola? Eugh. Why even bother.

Then this morning I got it. I was walking down my foggy, tree lined street towards the MUNI Station, and in front of me was a cute couple holding hands and walking down the hill together. They were both dressed smartly, in business clothes, carrying matching messenger bags, and drinking their coffee. They paused breifly to smooch under a wall of bougenvilla, and then made their way to the train.

San Francisco, you have made it hard for me to be here. My first month here you brought me in like a new lover, we spent hours playing together and froliking and assuring me that we would always be together. But then, you turned on me like a woman scorned and brought upon me your full fury. You brought upon me thirty days of pouring rain, hailstorms, and your bitter cold. You unleashed your crackheads to chase me down your streets, your homeless to urinate, deficate and vomit all around me, and nasty fat troll bitter queens to harrass me and call me things like "racist" and "cunt". You pushed me to live in your darkest neighborhoods, hiding away your rent control apartments and denying me any decent place to live. You almost broke me.

Then, after you showed me your most ugly side, on the very day that I was about to pack up and leave you forever - you cleared away your clouds, enfolded me into your bossom, and showed me why I should stay. You have brought me friends, lovers, and joy.


This morning you showed me the promise of what could come - holding hands and walking down the street with a lover, boyfriend, husband. In my native state, I couldn't do this without fear or harm. In most of the world, I couldn't do this without fear of death! You though, you embrace us gay men and women into your diversity and remind us that we need to fight the religous right and educate the masses so that gay every man and woman in this country can be this comfortable in their own hometown.


Today, I am proud to be Gay and I'm proud to call San Francisco Home.