When I was first accepting my homosexuality, I remember having a discussion about pride with another married woman in the same position. We were wondering exactly what there was to be proud of…after all, this was not some great accomplishment we had achieved. We hadn’t worked to get to this point and in fact had spent a lot of effort trying to avoid it!
Years passed and I journeyed into pride. It’s a place you arrive at after doing a lot of soul-searching and bearing of fear and pain. I found out you do have to do something to get there, albeit at an emotional level. It is an accomplishment. Pride is a sort of militant fortress you built around your heart to protect you from the bad guys…the people that whisper behind your back, the fundamentalists that condemn you to hell, the government that legislates against you. Pride is a place of fellowship you share with other gays, lesbians, bi’s and transsexuals. Pride is a place you can point a finger back and say, “Dammit, I’m a human being just like you, so lay off.”
What I was surprised to learn is that there is a place beyond pride that is not addressed in the media. It is a place of peace with yourself and with your part in the world. When you arrive here, you will find you have fully integrated your sexuality in your mind and with your soul. It is a calm place that does not require fortresses. It just is. When you come to peace, you are free to be yourself at all times and in all places, with all people, without fear or embarrassment or even pride. Peace is a place that frees you to experience joy. Here you will finally be whole.
Years passed and I journeyed into pride. It’s a place you arrive at after doing a lot of soul-searching and bearing of fear and pain. I found out you do have to do something to get there, albeit at an emotional level. It is an accomplishment. Pride is a sort of militant fortress you built around your heart to protect you from the bad guys…the people that whisper behind your back, the fundamentalists that condemn you to hell, the government that legislates against you. Pride is a place of fellowship you share with other gays, lesbians, bi’s and transsexuals. Pride is a place you can point a finger back and say, “Dammit, I’m a human being just like you, so lay off.”
What I was surprised to learn is that there is a place beyond pride that is not addressed in the media. It is a place of peace with yourself and with your part in the world. When you arrive here, you will find you have fully integrated your sexuality in your mind and with your soul. It is a calm place that does not require fortresses. It just is. When you come to peace, you are free to be yourself at all times and in all places, with all people, without fear or embarrassment or even pride. Peace is a place that frees you to experience joy. Here you will finally be whole.
Beyond Pride: Gay And Lesbian Nirvana
©2008 Patricia Cheney
©2008 Patricia Cheney