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Photo by Harish Pathak
The annual Philadelphia PrideDay LGBT Parade and Festival happens this Sunday, June 12th from 12 – 6 pm. A map of the route is below. For more details check out the Philly Pride website.
Make sure to also check out the rainbow lights on the Ben Franklin Bridge, Saturday and Sunday!
Pride month is about fostering acceptance for LGBTQ individuals, that same way heterosexuals are accepted. It’s a chance for us to stand up and show our true colors; the rainbows’ many shades. We are blessed to be in a society where such events can occur peacefully for the most part. But there is still a lot of fear/ hate we need to change. A recent post on Feministing reminds us how some want us to stay hidden:
“…Florida Family Association has spend several thousand dollars to fly a plane over the theme park to warn visitors that The Gays are Coming. Gay Day is actually not just one day, but a week-long event in Orlando around Pride Month that includes a day at Disney World on the first Saturday in June. As that Saturday just passed, so did the huge plane and banner that flew around the theme park on Friday, warning folks looking for a “normal day” at the Magical Kingdom that they’ll find the horror of past Gay Day"s…”
I was actually in Orlando over the Memorial Weekend holiday. As I was riding along, I saw a large billboard promoting “Gay Day.” I perked up as soon as I saw the sign. I was happy to see that even local theme parks were catering to the LGBTQ community (even if just for our dollars). What I saw as a heartwarming experience, groups such as the Florida Family Association saw as a great danger. I look forward to being part of the festivities on Sunday even more after such moments. It shows me the importance of standing with other like minds and reminding that world that we’re here…we’re “queer”…so get used to it already!