On Gay 'Pride'

Later today I'm going to be asked by very dear lesbian friends to march in the Columbus Gay Pride Parade. The problem is that I don't see anything to be proud of. What I do see is a throng of people whose values are quite different from mine...

I do not identify as 'gay' any more than I identify as someone who 'likes asparagus'. Though I have recently made internal concessions to affix an 'Equal Rights' sticker to the back window of my truck, it is in support of individual freedom rather than gayness.

But let me get to the heart of the matter -- I am pissed off that a vocal minority of outrageous fags has presumed to speak for me and my sexuality, and I don't know how to counter their actions. To participate in a parade in which men dressed in leather harnesses or prom gowns would be antithetical to what I believe, yet to not do so makes me appear cowardly.

But I'll not march in the parade, no matter what anyone thinks, and I'll maintain my integrity. I l know what I stand for, I know what I believe, and I am strong enough to fight for something better than living as a stereotype.

Aight

My mind is engaged in many thoughts from love, to home, to the cat sprawled on the dining table next to me, yet I am unable to break through the 'self-protective' barriers I've erected that I may express any of them...

I truly wish I knew how, as I've much to say.