What does " PRIDE" mean to you

Miss Wade found herself asking this very question this week. I was recently offended over not being on my jobs float for parade. I was worked up to a frenzy. I stopped and asked myself what does pride mean? Is that really something to be worked up about? When did pride become about being in a parade or partying. We forget those who paved the way for us, some even dying so that we may even have a parade. The first LGBT bar I ever went to in Clarksville tn, the bartender was murdered in the bars bathroom for being transgendered. The police took it as one last queer to deal with, that she brought it upon herself. What of people like Harvey Milk, who died believing not in special rights but equal rights. All week long I have heard people talking about how drunk or how high they plan to get. I wonder how many people you could ask this week if they knew people such as Harvey Milk are. How many would even know what Stonewall was? How many turned out to city council as they voted to once again take our rights away? Stop and even ask ya self who made it possible for me now to be openly gay. Better yet, who is fighting for our rights now? We cant know our future if we don't know our past. I'm happy to see the strides we are all taking. How wonderful it is to be openly gay. There was a time not so long ago being gay could very easily get you killed. This week as we embrace as brothers and sisters, take time to think about how we got to where we are. We aren't where we are going to end up being but, we are better than we were before. Pride for this ole girl means happy to be the person I was meant to be and loving the people who are on this great journey with me. I thank all who came before me, and all of you who may come after me to fight the good fight of equality for all, thank you for standing your ground. A heartfelt thanks to all who are fighting today. Happy Gay Pride everyone. MISS WADE