2024 June 1 Happy Pride Month!

I accompanied my school’s GSA at the Pride in the CLE March today! I’m proud of these kiddos and honestly a bit jealous that they are so open and able to he themselves in middle school. One of my students announced that they had been going every year since they were a baby. All of the parents were either marching with us or another group in the parade. 

Pride in the CLE 2024 with the CIS GSA and GLSEN. 

A parent took this picture and marched with us.

When I was about their age, we were on a family road trip after visiting my sister in Rhode Island. My parents took me on a long trip up the cape in Massachusetts and we happened upon Provincetown during Pride. I watched wide eyed through the car window. P-town Pride wasn’t a corporate, family-friendly event like the one in Cleveland today. It was the nineties. The weather was hot, and clothing was optional. I found it awkward at that point in my life. We zipped right on out of there.

I was in my twenties when I actually went to a Pride on my own. It was Cleveland and milder than P-town, but it still wasn’t exactly a kid friendly event. There were floats with men in thongs, a few topless women in the crowd and interesting ways people wore leather. I was afraid to be outed at that point in my life, so I shied away from any cameras. 

I wonder a lot what life would have been like if I grew up in now times. What if my real crushes were known in middle school? What if my parents marched in the pride parade? What if I had a normal high school experience, where I got to experiment with relationships? Looking back, everyone knew I was a little different in the relationship department. I got along with everyone but never dated. I was terrified of “seeming gay” in high school. Being gay was “weird”.

I’m happy for these kids. I do know that there were kids unable to come. Some kids were not able to even step into a GSA meeting. Some were brave and did it anyway. One kid couldn’t even accept a book I had bought him that I thought might help him feel less alone in the summer. Maybe I’ll tell that story in the future, but right now it’s too fresh. 

I’m happy when I finally came out to myself, my family was completely on board. I avoided so many of the issues kids have when families don’t accept them. My mom even came to my end of year Pride school events when I was a teacher. I am grateful for that.