The 12 Days of Pride Month
June is a tough month for many of us here. Between rainbow-dyed lattes sold at Starbucks, politically (but not grammatically or factually) correct emails from human resources, and roads blocked by another parade, we need to somehow get through the month of “celebrations” with dignity, sanity, and sobriety. I don't know your strategy, but I turn to nature, mindless youtube videos, and humor. Here is my ode to Pride Month. And please, share your non-violent coping strategies.
On the 12th day of Pride month,
the a-holes gave to me
Twelve "perfect allies",
Eleven dudes in dresses,
Ten girls with beards,
Nine meowing furries,
Eight nasty groomers,
Seven rainbow colors,
Six-pack Budweiser,
Five neopronouns,
Four rainbow lanyards,
Three Pride parades,
Two progress stickers,
And a pride flag in a pear tree.
I now find myself triggered by the rainbow paraphernalia
Seeing any kind of rectangular or flag-type rainbow fills me with disgust now. A bit sad maybe, but it was never meant to be a Forever Home for gays.
My husband and I have not faced a single moment of discrimination in the many years before adopting our son, and not a single moment of discrimination in the 3 years since we adopted him. How can that be? According to Rainbow Turds, don't gay people still somehow need protection? Our politics lean conservative, and we raise our son with zero political bullshit. We don't even describe ourselves as gay, unless it's somehow called for. Anyone who meets us can tell we're two men after all. In other words, we have Nothing To Prove. It's a relief to lean into this mindset. And I'm sure it's a relief to others around us, knowing they have no need to positively 'affirm' us. To me, this is the promised land for gay people. Watching the 'gay identity' sort of evaporate in our shared life has been an immense relief.