Why Pride?

Fresh off another fantastic Pride week in Vancouver it's always good to reflect on why Pride festivities continue to be such a huge deal in the LGBTQ community.

For me, this year's Pride celebrations had an extra special meaning as my 73 year old father and his girlfriend, he a devout Catholic, joined us at the parade for the first time. This was actually his idea as I have never thought that he, or my Mom when she was alive, would have had any interest in attending. His reaction to the entire proceeding? He said he had a good time. Pure and simple.

But while Pride can be very personal, as it was for me this year, from a wider perspective it also provides us with an opportunity to be visible, an opportunity to show those that perhaps are questioning that there are others just like them, an opportunity for us to celebrate with our allies and an opportunity to show the rest of the world just how far we have come and how far we have yet to go in our quest for equality.

Will we one day live in a world where Pride celebrations are no longer necessary? I hope not. Who else is going to throw the best damn parties and most colorful parades in the world?