Happy Pride 2009!!!!

NEVER HAVE I HAD MORE PRIDE at San Francisco's annual celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride (the ever-fun LGBT acronym). This year, I was joined in the Market Street march from the Embarcadero to Civic Center by my dad! Dad and I marched with PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), and had a great time. It was Dad's first Gay Pride celebration, and let me tell you, he made me very proud marching with me, smiling, cheering, and waving. Happy LGBT Pride to everyone! I hope you all had a great day, or got to see any of the large number of pictures and writings about this year's festivities.

The group we marched with, PFLAG, has been providing support for our community as we 'come out' at anyAnd overthrow Prop 8 and support Same Sex Marriage already! Our marriage is good for the family, good for your neighbors, good for San Francisco City Hall, and it's good for the world. stage in our lives. This is so important because, as anyone who has gone through this process can attest, the first thing to come under threat is our support network.  Who still loves us?  Who will still be there for us?  Will our own parents, our fathers, accept us, or will they abandon us?  Of course, as we mature, we will put together our adult support network, and with luck come from a cultural background that allows us to be 'out' to everyone in our lives.  But in the interim?  Who helps get thousands of us from the first step out of the closet to sound and secure foundation?  PFLAG.  Thanks, PFLAG!

Marching with Dad this year was a lot of fun, but it was also very important to show our love and acceptance as an example for everyone in the world.  This is because, unlike us, so many gay men don't have supportive relationships with their fathers. In fact, I am incredibly lucky to have a dad who loves his gay son, and is also willing to show his support and caring by marching in one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world.  For young men struggling with your own relationships with your parents, please know that Dad and I didn't always have the dream relationship either.  In fact, there were times when being disowned seemed like a viable option to me, and probably to Dad too.  But we worked at it.  What did we do?  We learned to accept each other, to find things to do together, and to assume the best about our intentions.  It didn't happen overnight, but the love we have is worth a lifetime.  Thanks Dad!

 

Pride Power!

And look at our wonderful family grow!  This was a real PFLAG day!!!!

And, for anyone who wonders, this Pride was ffffffuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!

See you next year!

Comments

[Gie]

Your dad is soooooo great!
You have a really great familly!

[Mario]

AWESOME!!!

[Kevin Woodson]

Thanks Gie! I love my dad quite a lot, and feel very lucky to have him here. He's one of the greatest gifts of my life. I love seeing your family on Gie's Journal, and I think you've got a great family too. I loved Yuzuki's story!

[Kevin Woodson]

Thank you so much, Mario! It was awesome to see you Saturday night, and then again on Sunday morning. And I'm so glad you were there because I have you to thank for two of the best photos on this blog -- the first one and the last one too! Looking forward to spending some time with you and Dad when we're sitting down and relaxing -- not marching too much. Thanks!

[Dad]

Yes I had a great time marching with Kevin. "Twas very warm, and I am glad i made it all the way, but with Kevin cheering me on [don't think he ever stopped. even when handed a throat lozenge], there was little question of my dropping out and into the bus that followed. I never saw the entire parade, of course, but it was gratifying to see so many smiling and applauding along the way--often 4-5 deep, and in places many more--it was in every way a victory parade....but with everyone very aware of the work ahead to bring it about.