By Etheric Medicina

Well, family, it’s PRIDE SEASON…and you know what that means…

Wait…what does that mean? What popped up in your head when you read that first sentence? What is “Pride Season?” What does “gay pride” or “queer pride” actually mean? It opens a fascinating conversation that offers tons of opportunities for reflection, reflection that I invite you to join me in.

• What does “pride” mean to me?
• What are some general things that I’m proud of in my life?
• What does it mean to me to be “proud” of my queerness?

As we slip and slide into the sweaty and celebratory season of PRIDE, I find myself ruminating on these types of questions more and more. I think about what being proud of my homosexuality means and feels like to me, and then I wonder what it could be for other queer folk. Does “being queer” mean the same thing to me as it does to the rest of the community? Do I have the same “queer values” as others? Do I align with the same types of causes, events, politics, or ethos as the rest of my LGBTQ+ family?

Since that rabbit hole is deep (sans pun), I like to bring myself back to the foundation of this celebration and why it started, why the concept of “gay pride” even has roots. When I think back on the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and what those times were like for people like me, I am given a taste of what it means to be proud of my homosexuality. When I imagine what my life could have been like if our queer “ancestors” hadn’t finally stood in their pride and authenticity, I am reminded of one of the many reasons we get to be proud of who we are, and who we love. What led to the Stonewall Uprising on June 28th, 1969, acted as the proverbial straw (or a literal lifetime of oppression) that broke the queer camel’s back and pushed our predecessors to fight for and claim the rights that they had been denied.

One year following the riots, the U.S. experienced its very first gay pride parade, with its starting point being the Stonewall Inn, where the Uprising took place. The parade’s official chant was, “Say it loud: Gay is proud!” Goodness, what “gay pride” must have symbolized and stood for back in 1970…When I take time to really sink into the awareness of what Stonewall brought to people like me, I am anchored into truth, pride, and valor; I get a glimpse into what it means to be proud of queer identification.

And then I come back to today, to integrate the path of pride that the earlier queer generations paved for us; a road built on top of “illegal” homosexuality, punishable “cross-dressing,” battered queer folk, and adamant allies. I ask myself if we are honoring those who came before us and living up to their hopes and intentions for us, the next generations. I wonder what they would be fighting for today and what they would proudly march for this season. I then find myself wondering what we are marching for this year, what we are marching for every year. So I pose the same question(s) to you as I do to myself: What are we marching for?

When you sit down for bottomless mimosas on “Sunday Funday,” what does “gay pride” mean to you?

When you hang an LGBTQ+ flag outside your home, what do the colors represent to you?

When you’re getting ready for the next circuit party, what does “queer pride” mean to you?

When you’re on your way to the PRIDE Festival, what are you proud of in that moment? Are you thinking about – or actually feeling – pride, or has that word become a mascot for anything we choose to partake in while identifying as queer?

I’m personally inspired to lean into deeper levels of awareness, inquiry, and understanding as we move through all the celebrations and self-expressions that come with this liberating period. It’s PRIDE SEASON, family. What does that mean to you, and in what ways can you embody it?

Oh, also, here’s some Astrology info for the “Astrology” article that you just read:

• June starts off rough between the planets. “Opposition” is the name of the game, and with several planets moving through hot-tempered Aries, my encouragement is to: stop looking at things (and bitches) that make you mad; refrain from filing your nails into claws; walk away when you want to verbally destroy people (especially your most intimate people); and remember that you aren’t always right (I know, I know…).
• Be prepared to either lock down a powerful partnership, or (more likely) to break up with someone (anyone) in June, Pluto’s archetype of destruction and death is in a sexy little dance with our planet of love, Venus.
• Fortunately, the month ends with amazing alignments between the Moon, Saturn, and the Sun. Long story short, the week of June 28th is going to be SO golden and SO prosperous in SO many ways. Throw some glitter on this date in your calendar.
• While the beginning of July begins in a very beneficial and “afterglowy” way, things get rocky after the first week. Nobody wants to take orders from anyone or feel subservient; suddenly, everyone wants to be independent, do things on their own, be their own boss.
• There is a lot of “misunderstanding” that happens between the planets in July, which can create confusion, doubt, misinformation, self-contradiction, and distrust.
• With Venus traveling through the Leo constellation all month, it can definitely be said that lust, passion, temptation, and pleasure will be taking precedence over most things. And with planet Mars lowkey stalking Venus in the solar system right now, it can also be said that impulsivity and lack of boundaries will be operating on high.
• You will be hot and bothered through most of July, both in sexy ways, and also not…

This article was originally published in the 2023 PRIDE Month Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.