What Does Pride Mean?

By: Arika Corvain

For those of you who didn't know, the city of Long Beach held it's annual LGBTQ Pride last weekend. I've attended them in the past, but this was the first time I've had the chance to march in the parade as part of the MYTE youth group from the Long Beach Center. Our theme this year was "Superheroes" to honor those in the community who have fought for the rights we now enjoy and the community members who continue to fight so we can get the rights still denied to us.

In that vein I dressed up as "Supergirl" for the parade on Sunday and the festival after. Down most of the parade route I received a very warm reception. There were even some people who ran out to pull me to the side just to take pictures with me, and others who took pictures from where they stood watching the parade as we marched down Ocean. The only group that wasn't so happy to see anyone was the annual group of protesters that are always in the same place every year.

For those of you who've never been to the parade, the protesters are always located right at the start of the route on the Redondo side of the Art Museum on Ocean. Over the years their numbers have shrunk as less and less of them show up. But the things they were shouting as we had to walk past them were no less hateful than what they've shouted in past years. There were a few members of the Long Beach PD near them to prevent things from getting out of hand, and I do thank them for being there to keep the peace.

I didn't want to act violently to any of those protesting though. I just wanted to run over and hug all of them. I think they need more love in their hearts. Their signs and what they yelled at us as we walked past seemed to insist that what we were doing was against God. While I respect their right to protest and to believe their religion how they see fit, I wonder about them. The way I see it, if they were truly concerned for the state of my soul then shouldn't they be in church praying for me? What kind of passion could drive someone to show up at all the LGBTQ events just to spread a negative message of hatred?

And they wonder why the LGBTQ community doesn’t welcome them with open arms?

Some of them were holding onto that old belief that living a LGBTQ lifestyle is a choice. I'm openly bisexual, and let me tell everyone that it's not a choice. Honestly, why would anyone choose to live as a second-class citizen in this country? The only choice there was before me a few years ago was the choice to accept myself and eventually come to love myself for who I am, everything that I am. Or to keep living the lie, not only lying to myself, but everyone else in my life, and living in the constant fear of being discovered in the lie.

Is it any wonder why I choose honesty and self-love over the lie?