It’s a Matter of Pride

Weeks of celebrations mark Pride season at the end of June, in Ireland and all over the world. It is a colourful time of rainbow flags, random gatherings, queer culture and all things diverse on the streets of Dublin. It is also a time when people are more likely to be identified  with rainbow colours; comfort levels increase as a secure feeling of knowing there are plenty of gays about makes people feel safer. Strength in numbers you see.

But what is it that has friends and people from the LGBT community gathering together on one day of the year? It is to show one another we exist. Perhaps for the other 364 days there is no-one else we can talk with because we’re not out, For many people, they grow up not hearing about gay in a positive way. On Pride, we know we’re not on our own and better than that, we get to celebrate being ourselves.

To use the line from Dublin Pride, here’s Dr. Seuss with some fine words…

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

It can take us humans time to get comfortable in our skin. This can be interrupted with modern living. Feeling proud of who you are, what you’re ‘made of’ and understanding your place in the world can all be forgotten as we race about looking for approval. While we’re checking our ‘Likes’, all mere clicks of buttons with barely a glance, we loose a grip on reality, on being in the present. Facebook, where everyone else seems to have a far more exciting life than me, or Twitter where everyone else is so much MORE successful or Instagram or Pinterest or Flickr. All ways of looking into other people’s mirrors but also ways of loosing sight of what matters- YOU and the authentic life you live.

I can be nothing more than who I am and as yet, I have barely glimpsed who I’m going to be. Put down the phone, close the lap top and allow your potential some freedom of expression.

 

© Emma Rogan 2014