established 1986 var. xx, No.6 JULY 29:35 editorial ecently, we have heard more than one Verrnonter ask whether we eally need Pride anymore. Maybe, as a recent article in the local weekly sug- gested, it is enough just to “live gay.” It is predictable but misguided for those of "us who have the privilege of being out and proud about our queer identity to call for the end of Pride celebrations. Of course we don’t need a parade to be gay, but we should certainly want one. Pride is about community building, it’s one of the things we’ve traditionally done well together and the end of Pride will signal defeat, not victory. In 2005, Pride festivals, parades, and celebrations will stretch from early -June to rnid-September throughout the US. and world. Pride is 35 years old, (it doesn’t look a day over 18), yet despite its age and international presence, Pride here at home in Vermont is fading. Did you know that the PR.I.D.E (People of the Rainbow Integrating Diversity Everywhere) festival in Vermont is one of the oldest festivals in New England? Started over 20 years ago, what began as a small parade in Burlington became a large waterfront festival with satellite events around state. ' ‘ Unfortunately today the all-vol- unteer P.R.I.D.E committee struggles with the same challenges facing all queer organ- izations in Vermont: lack of funds, volun- teers and/or board members, and the result- ing lack of institutional memory and ener- gy to keep pride at the level that Vermonters have come to expect each summer. Maybe it is not a’ bad thing that Pride will be smaller, more grass roots this year. However, it would be disastrous if we were to lose the P.R.I.D.E Celebration all together. Remember the first time you went to a Pride event? All those rainbow flags, the cruising, the queens, the celebrat- ing! Remember feeling validated and not alone (feeling proud)? There are many closeted, questioning, and newly out in our ’ community, not only youth, who still need what Pride provides. It is because of Pride inrthe first place that some of us are able to “just live gay”. Before we declare Pride over we need to remember what it means to our community. ‘ Pride, especially in Vermont, has always been a community event. It draws those of us who wish to celebrate, share a political message, sing, dance, and revel in our existence. At Pride we are young and old, many sexualities and genders, races, and political ideologies. We bring our fam- Still Proud \ ilies, the ones we were born in to or the ones we’ve made. It is one big, proud fam- ily event. (And we mean family in every, snap/snap, way.) Like most families, we need these carefully planned & attended events once a year to remember the past, recog- nize the present, and dream about the future - together. We need Pride because we have yet to come together as one larger move- ment that is inclusive of diverse sexual ori- entations and gender identities. We need Pride because we still need allies of all sexual orientation and genders to join us. Prophesying the end of Pride sells short our entire movement — we didn’t fight this hard just to fit in, we are fighting this hard still to rise above and beyond “just” anything. We are here, queer, and fabulous. And that’s “just” the truth.V Pride is about community building, it's one of the things we’ve traditionally done well together and the end of Pride will signal defeat, not‘victory. As a rural state with a scarcity of . social opportunities for lgbt people, we cannot afford to tum-up our noses at Pride. We need our Pride day to take to the streets, all of us from the nelly queens to the dykes on bikes, and not fear retribu- tion. Our youth need to be able see and meet real, live happy gay people (don’t believe the hype — the Fab Five are not our role model super heroes). We need Pride to celebrate our real progress — the political, social, and personal gains, not just the number of queers on TV. We need Pride so that our heterosexual allies have a dedicated day to stand with us and celebrate our communi- ty. We need Pride because most peo- ple (young and old) don’t know what the Stonewall rebellion was. We need Pride because our larger culture still demands our silence. We need Pride because AIDS is not over and it’s still killing our communi- ty with abandon. We need Pride because a day without Faeries. .. We need Pride because if you don’t make enough money, if you aren’t white enough, and if you’re gender non- conforming, then you aren’t the “right kind” of gay. We need Pride because our queer organizations struggle for volunteers and for money. 1' Kate J erman & Lluvia Mulvaney-Stanak Kate Jerman & Lluvia Mulvaney Stanakv are the Co-Directors of Outright Vermont. They couldn't decide whose individual essay was better, so they wrote this togeth- er. They hope to see you in the P.R1.D.E parade on Saturday, July 9th. NOTE: Special thanks to Stuart Granoff for our Pride issue cover art, “Faces from Out in the Mountains.” All of the people pictured he found in our pages since we’ve been running his cartoon “Greenlanders.”