JUNE 9, 1995 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

COMMUNITY GROUPS

What is lesbian and gay pride?

by Linda Malicki

Gay Pride? What exactly does that mean? I mean, here you have your Gay Pride parade, your Gay Pride festival, your Pride Guide, Pride pins, T-shirts, tattoos, flags, rings, and other Pride things. Gay Pride. How does that translate into real life? Are there Straight Pride Parades? Heterosexual Pride Guides? Should there be?

I ask myself, “Self, are you proud that you are a lesbian?” And my self has to honestly answer, "No, not really." I mean, what's to be proud of? Am I

proud that I have blue eyes? Majorly hairy legs? A genetic predisposition to put sour cream on everything I

eat? No, no, and no.

I can't take credit for any of the above, including being a lesbian.

aries of homophobia again and again. I'm proud of all those who come out to march in the Pride Parade, who participate in the struggle for our civil rights.

So, what about this Gay Pride thing? Well, it seems to me it's not so much who you are, but what you do with who you are that makes for Pride. And if straight people want to have their own Straight Pride Festivals and stuff, I think we should support them. As long as they have sour cream for the French fries.

LESBIAN GAY Community Service Center

They are all just elements that make me who I am, none of which I have any control over-especially the sour cream part. So, back to the original question. What is Gay Pride?

Well, I am proud of how I've handled being a lesbian. And I'm proud that I had the innocence to come out to my mom when I was 18 because I just knew she'd be ecstatic to hear that I was in love with a wonderful woman. I'm proud that I had the self-assurance to try and convince one of my professors to come out at a Catholic girls college in the mid-seventies. I'm proud that I have the courage to walk into any store or business with my majorly hairy legs exposed and not care that people stare or remark upon my sexual orientation. I'm proud to come out wherever and whenever I can, to stretch other folks' thinking and beliefs.

I am terribly proud of the gays, lesbians

OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Save Thursday, June 29 on your calendar. The Center's June membership meeting will highlight the Civil Rights Now exhibit at the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art. Using a variety of media (painting,

sculpture, photography, video and multimedia), this powerful exhibit explores civil rights in a broad context-when love of country and pride in one's heritage cross the line into self-righteousness and bigotry; when protection becomes victimization; when fear becomes hate. No one will leave this exhibit unmoved.

Plans are still in process, so put Thursday, June 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on your calendar and watch your mail for an invitation.

Linda Malicki is administrative manager of the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center of Cleveland.

Sparkle's

and bisexuals that came before me, who Sensual Emporium

paved the way with their blood, sweat, tears, and in some cases, lives for the acceptance I now find. All of the women and men who endured abuse, humiliation, violence, hate and imprisonment but never wavered in their belief that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals have a right to exist, a right to love and live in our society. I'm proud of the Daughters of Bilitis, the Mattachine Society, One, Inc.-all pioneers in the modern gay movement. They have made our Gay Pride parades possible.

I'm proud of all the volunteers here at the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center, who, by their voluntary participation, allow the Center to serve our community day after day in a myriad of essential ways. I'm proud of all the gay and lesbian groups out there who push at the bound-

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