Valid question. But I don’t think it’s exactly as simple as we’re just proud to be sleeping with people of our same gender. It’s more than that. We’re proud to be who we are, we’re proud that we are allowing ourselves to be… ourselves, in the face of adversity. Being straight is “normal” in this world. Although to many of us it's quite bazaar. But hey, to each their own.

Straightness is assumed, in general. So, the fact that we like have sex with people of our same gender (or whatever your queer identified desires are) is what unifies us in our difference from society, thus, we call our celebration gay pride. Which is really LGBTQ… Pride.

It’s hard to be different in this world. It’s hard to be raised in the church, and told you’re a sinner, but know in your heart this is just your truth. It’s hard to be honest and open when there is such hatred surrounding you, especially from your family, leaders and such.

We’re celebrating loving ourselves and each other exactly as we are.

I think. That's what I'm celebrating anyway.

And you may have noticed, most descriptions of such events note something like “LGBT and friends of the gay community”… it’s about being yourself and accepting others as they are, even if they’re straight ;-)

Most of us don’t come out until at least our 20’s. If you’ve lived in hiding, in fear, sexually repressed, unsatisfied in relationship, confused, sneaking around with your lesbian neighbor who scares all the little kids because she wears black and parents say she's a devil child, etc, then when you finally say NO! NO MORE! This is who I am, you can like it or not… you become proud of yourself, for standing up for yourself! Allowing and loving, embracing and cherishing, this thing about you that the masses see as “different,” “strange,” “scary,” “wrong,” “weird,” "disgusting." 

To each their own, and yes that includes to me my own. 

That’s what gay pride is all about, for me anyway. I look around at these events and think, I’m proud to be me, and I know that there’s at least one thing that connects me to you, and that’s that we’re part of the LGBT community, and so, I’m proud of you too, for coming out and embracing who you are, I’ve been there and I know you have too, we’re making our mark by being ourselves, and letting others know it’s ok to be themselves. Lets party.

More beer? Would you like a rainbow sticker? Yes, two of each, please.

Celebrating you and me being openly ourselves in society: Pride.