Inspiration Monday | Pride
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Dear Readers,This Monday, starts on a sad note, but ends on a sweet one. Something very wrong and disturbing happened to a friend of mine recently. But out of the darkest of clubs, the sketchiest of alleys; out of the thickest smoke in front of the most Russian of mirrors, came some “proud” inspiration.As many of us Vancouverites know, this August is Pride season. It is like the gay Christmas mixed with Halloween mixed with Mardi Gras mixed with Wednesday night drink specials; all in one. Fantastic events like the famed Pride Parade and Trans March has queens flocking from all over the world to Vancouver. Except for one. My lovely guapo-padre who was in Russia. While my coming Sunday was going to be filled with sunshine, cheering crowds, two free drink tickets and Top 40 dubstep remixes; my friend in Russia witnessed a crime of hate. He is a traveler. One on a perpetual quest to become a scholar and since eventually school had nothing left to teach him about art, theatre, literature and romance; he went around the world. He recently wrote to me that his stay in Russia has been as great as a twenty-four hour Pauly Shore movie marathon. He said, after trying to reach out as a foreigner to no success to anyone, on the street or in a club, while walking home one night, saw a group of men violently ganging up and punching the living daylights out of two more noticeably effeminate individuals. I had to remember, this is the country that recently passed the controversial law of banning any homosexual discussions, imagery, displays or propaganda of any kind in public. This is the country that has supported widely and perhaps perfusely and religiously to keep their LGBT communities behind closed doors. This made me realize many things. It made me realize that those of us who know better should always find the will to want to be better. To want to make our world a better place and to leave the most fabulous footprint. And for those of us who are blessed enough to be in such a safe place, to stay strong for those that don’t have that fate. To be the role models for the world, so everyday, people can see with their eyes we can be a painter, a musician, a friend, a son, or a brother before our sexuality. It made me realize that we should never take our right to be “proud” for granted. So for this Inspiration Monday; a day after the pride parade. A day after the balloons fly away and the roads get unblocked. To remember our “pride”, I proudly present to you, a list of ten people our universes of love, life, and fashion could not have lived without, because they were such visionaries, and heroic, and gay: 10. Hans Christian Andersen, Danish Writer, 19th C. With love and pride, Leroy Wan |
