Equality
MySpace Pride Month Contest
Story Five: MORGAN WILLIS23 years old, Lesbian, Female
Location: Michigan Myspace: www.myspace.com/morganmannw
It
is about the flag-waving, hand-holding, body painting, fagulous,
fabulous,
sweet, fruity, colorful, joyous shouts of being out and alive.
It’s about the
sounds. The bullhorns and cat-calls; the marching chants and strong
voices that
demand flashlights be shone on our inalienable rights—they
already exist—but
are being suppressed and ignored. It is about the pumping music, the
boom-boom
bass of techno and remixed rhythms; the crazified throb of a crowd so
passionate
about moving and laughing and breathing and loving. It is about luring
out the
old timers, the post-gays, the queens, the newcomers, the silent, the
kings,
the curious, the allies, the flaming, the queer, the sheltered, the
womyn and
bois –all of our wonderful family to come on out
AND
GET
DOWN.
Because
today, these days, this month—you won’t get my
heavy sobs. You won’t get my
mornings and nights and afternoons wondering why it seems so hard for
this
country, this world to expand its narrow mind.
You will only get my shouts of praise for my young
colleague who came
out to his military family. My wide grin for my newly dubbed
‘homeboy’ who made
the transition. My heart-racing passion for the love of my life, for
whom I
have made deep sacrifices—and she for me. My encouragement to
the little girl
in the department store casting longing looks at the boy’s
clothing section. The,
‘oh-my-gravy, that-is-so-cute’ look I give to the
young couple on the bus. The
feeling of inner peace walking by a store with a simple flag in its
door. I am rooting
for us all. I am dreaming of the
Stonewallers who rioted and spoke and fought and lost blood but gained
pride.
This month is not about prying open doors. I’m
walking through them.
If you don’t like me
I
don’t care.
Pride
is about self-praise. It is about internalizing beauty and accepting
self. It
is about opening the gates of our community to all who come bearing
love and
rainbow-colored support. It is about reminding us, as we dance dance
dance and
pray and remember and hope and believe and laugh and smile and cry that
our
lives are not in vain. Our hearts are not crooked. Our minds are not
askew.
This is beauty. This is commemorating fighting back and facilitating
the fight
forward. This is pride. This is us.
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