June is pride month. I don't like the idea that we have to assign months where people can be proud of who they are. That should be every month. We started assigning months and holidays to marginalized groups around thirty years ago in an effort to recognize what the larger society had put them through in the past in hopes that remembering it would keep it from happening again. It's not actually keeping it from happening again. It's not. I'm not very good at fighting this. I've tried, but obviously, it's not enough.
La Cage aux Folles was a 1973 French film about two gay men who pretend to be straight for the sake of their son. In 1983, Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman got the rights to turn it into a Broadway musical comedy. Harvey Fierstein was the first American playwright to come out and live as an openly gay man. You'd think that stage people would have led the way, but it didn't happen that way. Fierstein wrote, directed, and starred in the first gay-themed play, first off and then on Broadway, Torch Song Trilogy.
Maybe one day, we'll get to the point where we don't have to have a pride month for this or a pride month for that. I bought a pride sanctuary pin. It's simply a rainbow with the words "SAFE WITH ME" on it. I wear it because I've known people who didn't feel safe being what they were. A couple of them read my stuff. I've gotten nasty looks for wearing it. That's ok. I'd rather somebody hate me for accepting someone else than take it out on them. If you're going to hate somebody for what they are, then hate me too. Might as well. Meanwhile, I'll go to drag shows and protests and all of these things because maybe me saying "I accept you" can help make up for the people who don't.
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