seriously gay.

This blog is usually all fun and games. All, "hey, here's another bad decision I made that led to amazing(?) times. Let's all laugh at Ashly." But let's get serious for a hot minute here. There are some things we need to address because they are that massively important. Like Boston Gay Pride weekend. (If you're straight and you read this blog, you must now bump up Pride Weekend 10 notches on the list of things that are important to you. Because it's important to me, and I'm important to you, so now Gay Pride is important to you too. Do you see how that works? Congratulations, you just became an ally.)

Those elephants are being inappropriate.

In 2008, I wrote the below, italicized, blog post on a private blog that I never shared with the public. June is Gay Pride month, so the time to share is now:

Boston [gay] pride is this weekend, and for the first time in the history of my gayness it is not supposed to rain (Sadly, in 2011, we are back to our regularly scheduled program of it raining on my parade). Now i love watching a drag queen's cover girl foundation drip off her face under the safety of my umbrella as much as the next guy. but i would still rather dive for Jagger key chains and equality stickers from the safety of dry ground (sticker's don't stick once their wet you know).
Pride weekend usually involves a lot of drinking, a lot of partying, and a lot of noise. Many outsiders, and even some gays, look at the parade and festivities and think,"how unnecessary." Some people even go so far as to compare our unnecessary parades and pride events to the lack of straight pride parades, African-American pride parades, or Italian pride parades. They ask, "if these groups don't need parades, then why do the gays?"
And so, i give you this:

The march on Washington allowed African-Americans to have a dream and to move towards it. Towards equality. Today African-Americana's have parades in cities such as Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

Picking up after the holocaust and moving forward allowed the Jewish population to move towards safety. Towards equality. Today Jewish families have parades in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis.

The marches held by the women's suffrage movement allowed women to move towards the right to vote. Towards equality. Today, women are equal.

Parades are typically thought to represent joy; to bring about emotions of happiness and awe at the floats and people in the parades. But the undertones of many parades are buried in hate and oppression. When African-Americans, Jews, Italians, Muslims, women, or gays march down the street in colorful costumes aboard floats depicting their cultures, they are being pushed by the scorn of their past, and sometimes of their present.
This weekend is for the people that have fought so hard to get us to the place we are.
This weekend is for the people who make it OK for me to hold the hand of the person I love. 
This weekend is for the people that allow me to feel like my life is right.
I am proud of you. And I am proud of the people who will push for us going forward.

I look forward to the day when we don't have to parade.
I look forward to the day when there is no pride weekend.
Because on that day, every day will be a day to be proud.
And there will be no need for a parade.
So yeah, I will wave my flag.

Something to keep in mind as we all get wasted dancing among the gays this weekend.

Bad Decision:  Hating others based on the people they love.
Better Bad Decision:  Realizing you might be wrong, and opening your mind.

Life Lesson: There is no agenda. Just the desire for understanding and acceptance.

Party on,Homos.
-LSLP, Ash.