The Age of Aquarius

Of all the holidays I love the most, I think the ones I started celebrating as an adult are my favorite. The two that come to mind for me are Passover and Pride. The cool thing about Pride (other than the booze and eye candy, of course) is that unlike going home for the holidays, I've been able to celebrate it wherever I happen to be, and they each represent a different time in my life. I went to my first Pride when I was a baby dyke at Smith College in Northampton, MA. I went to NYC Pride the summer that my girlfriend and I lived there, the summer that we fell in love. I marched with PFLAG at Fresno Pride along with her parents, soon after they had come to accept her sexuality, nearly 10 years after she first came out to them. I went to L.A. Pride the summer after we broke up, and I made out with a guy just for the sheer queerness of it all (I'm more of a guy than he'll ever be, so it was very "gay"). I've also gone to events in San Francisco, D.C., Kansas City, and Albany. They're all different, from the 80% male presence in West Hollywood to the 80% female presence in Northampton. Some years it's a lot of fun, other years I couldn't care less; but I always go, if nothing else than to collect the free condoms (yes, I do have a use for them, and no, it's not for *him*).

I started going 12 years ago, and like everyone else, I've seen a lot of changes in that short amount of time - landmark legal successes, huge social changes, and a shift in the demographic of people that are coming to Pride. This year I saw several groups of high school students that were there with their school's Gay/Straight Alliance. I also spoke with three different straight mothers, all of whom had independently come with their teenage gay son or daughter. Meeting the moms of the gay teens was definitely the highlight for me this year. I thought it was the sweetest, most supportive thing a parent could do for their child.

After thinking about it, I realized that these moms were probably from the hippy generation, the generation of people who started the sexual revolution that queer people are continuing today. Pride has free AIDS tests and Hepatitis vaccines, dildos, lube, condoms, handcuffs - you name it, you can find it. Not only does Pride encourage safe-sex, but also healthy sexual expression in general - be who you are, express yourself, accept yourself. Love your neighbor, don't go to war, get politically involved, and don't vote Republican (OK, so there are gay republicans, and yes, they sometimes have a booth at Pride. But I haven't seen them since George Bush got elected...coincidence??). I have to say that it seems as if the queer community is the legacy of the hippy movement. Sexual freedom and politics merge in a way that continues to transform society. Where the personal continues to be political, where the unspoken is spoken, and where deeply ingrained taboos are challenged and overturned.

I know it won't stop with us, which is definitely a good thing. There are other groups that we are paving the way for, and if I'm lucky I'll be able to see them take the stage during my lifetime. There is one thing that the religious right is right about - we are changing the fabric of society; we have been for a long time. But if you look back over the course of human history, how can one believe that the way things have been is beneficial to humanity? We've killed ourselves, divided ourselves, repressed ourselves. Isn't it time for something new?