What do we have to be proud of?

by Troy Stevenson
Freedom OK Columnist

June is Pride month, and for most this means giant parties, parades, festivals, and rainbows for the entire world to see. But as pride becomes more mainstream and integrated into popular culture we have to be careful that the true meaning of Pride is not lost. So I ask you, what do we have to be proud of?

On June 28, 1969 – a small tavern in Greenwich Village exploded into a riot that would change the course of history - forever. Abuse, shame, and police raids were the norm at the time - they were expected. However, in a moment that can only be described as “the last straw,” a young lesbian – whose name has been forgotten by history – refused to take it anymore.

As she struggled, a police officer struck her on the head with a baton, and in an unprecedented act of defiance, the crowd jumped to her defense, and erupted into chants of “Gay Power.” In an instant, the power dynamic shifted, and a disparate collection of oppressed gays, lesbians, trans folk, drag queens, and queers became one in spirit and in voice. In the early hours of that June morning, Pride was born.

A year later, on June 28, 1970, the first pride parades were held in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The following year the phenomenon spread to Dallas, Milwaukee, London, West Berlin, and Stockholm. And in the years that followed, June became Pride month in every major city in the world – and today there are Pride festivals in even some of the smallest communities. But it all started with one defiant lesbian who was tired of being forced into a closet of shame.

Now that is a great history lesson, but is it all we have to be proud of? Not by a long shot. When Stonewall happened 46 years ago, our community was in a very different place. Being LGBT was still considered a mental disorder. Because of archaic prejudices, being gay was a crime in many states. There had never been an openly LGBT elected official to any office in the US. We were barred from marriage, the military, many professions, and in many ways from mainstream society as a whole. At the time many felt there was little to be proud of.

Over the decades we have made monumental progress, but not without tremendous sacrifice from countless and often forgotten advocates and activists. The 39th Street enclave in Oklahoma City is the home to a huge Pride festival, but few know the legend that created OKC’s “gayborhood.” Much like the Stonewall Inn before it, one of OKC’s early safe spaces, a bar called Angles, was the subject of police harassment, which resulted in a lawsuit in the 1980’s. In a series of events long enough for their own column space here, there was a legal battle that resulted in one of the nation’s largest LGBT districts. This is a proud history that has been all but forgotten by revelers of today.

So I ask again, what do we have to be proud of? The simple answer is a massive level of progress in a relatively short period of time. However, the real answer is one that a group of revolutionaries discovered in 1969. Pride is not about what we have done, it is about who we are. Pride is about living our truth, and never hiding in a closet of shame. Pride is about coming together as a community to say we will never hide again! 

The Gayly – June 19, 2015 @ 10:30am.