I wanted to make this post before the end of this month, because it is, in fact, Pride month. For those who have no idea, Pride month occurs in June, and is to celebrate awareness of the LGBTQ+ community.
What does that mean for most people? Well, things get a little more colorful, maybe a little more bombastic, some people will use it as a reason to take part in all of those wonderful little social lubricants we all enjoy like sex, alcohol, leather bondage gear, and table top games.
What does that mean for folks like me? Well, I’m pansexual. I’ve talked about this before with lots of people, and most people tend to nod their heads and say “oh, okay,” and I assume at that point they either know and acknowledge that, which I thank them, or they don’t know but don’t want to look like they don’t know, and that’s okay. You don’t HAVE to know everything about the LGBTQ+ community. No one knows everything, and it’s good to ask questions.
Anyhoo, I’m pansexual, which means that unlike heterosexuals, who are attracted to people of the opposite sex, and unlike homosexuals, which is people who are attracted to others of the same sex, I am pansexual, which means I like yes. Seriously, it just means that I am attracted to personalities, to people in general, and that their sex is secondary.
“Oh no! Are you going to groom my kids?!”
Fuck no. Fuck no. Let me repeat that: Fuck no.
Just like heterosexuality and homosexuality, being pansexual is about attraction to mature human beings. Grown ups. Adults. People who have to pay taxes AND pretend like they enjoy their jobs. Consent is not only required, it is demanded. Anyone who tells you that LGBTQ+ people are grooming kids is absolutely without fail 100% full of shit.
If you look through criminal records from state to state in the United States, you will find that most “groomers” are heterosexual men, often in positions of authority, like, oh, politicians and preachers. Maybe go see if the call’s coming from inside of the house if you believe LGBTQ+ people are trying to groom your children. Otherwise, calm the fuck down and be a human being who isn’t easily swayed by nitwits who feed off of your fears and gain political and social influence.
Your mama didn’t raise you to be a shitgibbon. Don’t act like one.
Anyhoo, so I was talking about being pansexual. So there you go on that! I hope my erudite explanation gave you the knowledge you needed to head out into the world. Moving on.
Pride is about more than awareness, though. Pride is about remembrance, about LGBTQ+ people knowing their roots, knowing what they’ve fought for their whole lives, knowing the history of the folks who came before them. You should know people like Harvey Milk and Marsha P. Johnson who put their lives on the line to fight for equality.
You should know the history of oppression, violence, and the campaigns waged against the LGBTQ+ community, not just a hundred years ago, but the actions made against us here and now, today, and if you find those actions against us objectionable, we’d appreciate it if you would stand up with us and push back against those things.
Sometimes you can fight through legislation. Sometimes you have to throw a brick at a cop. No one solution is always going to fit the situation, and don’t give me that “violence never solves anything” bullshit, because Hitler didn’t shoot himself in the head because he got a strongly worded letter. No, Comrade Stalin’s Red Army was stomping right out his doorstep, Churchill’s fighting British soldiers, and Uncle Sam’s boys were marching up right behind them.
Sometimes violence works. Sometimes violence is a good thing, when used with preservation of human rights at the heart of it. I know that one sounds weird, but I will eventually get around to that as this blog continues. Maybe. I don’t know. We’ll see.
SO! Now that I’ve said that, if you’ve read this far, congratulations, it’s nice to know you’re curious. I don’t see very many curious people anymore. I like that, and I like you.
To make a long story longer and yet somehow shorter, that is the heart of Pride: the celebration of free expression as an outlet for the oppression and misery caused the LGBTQ+ community for so many generations.
If you’re thinking “okay, but what about white pride?” and I’d have to ask you why you’d be proud of being the reason so many people were oppressed in the first place.
Touchy subject. I’ll talk about it eventually. Probably a lot.
I think that will wrap it up for this first non-welcome blog post. Until next time…
Stay fresh, cheese bags.
Red.
