YouTube Originals' “State of Pride” Prompts the Question: What Does Pride Mean to You?

Most people associate Pride with lavish colorful parades featuring floats celebrities and much media coverage As illustrated in State of Pride though not all Pride celebrations and parades are the same New York City Pride is heavily sponsored by major companies like Macy39s Apple and other juggernauts with commercial floats dominating the streets San Francisco39s Pride on the other hand is driven by its diversity particularly the drag and trans communities as seen toward the end of the documentary with legendary drag icon Heklina Tuscaloosa39s Pride is rather small with only a few hundred people celebrating in more intimate settings not at all like the massive New Year39s Evelike outdoor bashes in bigger citiesMany of them are met with protestsamp160 Not surprisingly Salt Lake City39s Pride met with the most opposition due to the vast Mormon community thereamp160 Braun notes that at every Pride event he attended there were always protest groups but Salt Lake City39s stood out as most prevalent amp160State of Pride is bookended with footage from Washington DC39s Pride featuring a performance from 2018 DC Pride headliner Troye Sivan a young South African artist who has helped change the public perception of the LGBTQ communityAbove all State of Pride asks and answers the question What does Pride mean to you I was so moved that to celebrate Pride and this important documentary I decided to put that very question to several LGBTQ people ranging from notable artists to influencers to amp8220ordinaryamp8221 Millennials and Gen Zersamp8220Pride is a place where I always feel everyone is welcome and thatamp8217s the most important thingamp8221 shared actress and writer Rachel Paulson amp8220It means acceptance which we all need a little of right now I only learned what Pride was when I moved to LA I started going and it really helped me with feeling at home and like amp8216my peopleamp8217 were all around me Itamp8217s such a celebration of lifeamp8221amp8220Pride is about being honest with myself and the world about who I am as a queer personamp8221 said Lukas Thimm host of AOLamp8217s daily morning talk show Build Brunch amp8220Iamp8217m so grateful to be part of a community that celebrates originality advocates for progress and promotes absolute authenticityamp8221amp8220Having grown up in a tiny town in North Carolina I never had the opportunity to attend Prideamp8221 recalled Matt Benfield a digital content creator and influencer amp8220At my first Pride in Berlin two years ago I remember being so shocked that people were being so authentically themselves out in broad daylight For me and for so many members of the LGBTQ community around the world out of the closet or not Pride is a safe space to let out that light thatamp8217s been waiting to shineamp8221For many of us particularly those in or near big cities like New York San Francisco Los Angeles and Washington DC Pride takes on a different life meaning and impact than it may in more rural states in the deep South and Midwest Itamp8217s a massive celebration where people can unapologetically be themselves amp160In more conservative places where there may be more aggressive and hateful behavior toward the LGBTQ community Pride is just as much a protest as it is a party where members of the march demand to be seen heard and accepted rather than just amp8220toleratedamp8221Braun and company traveled to Tuscaloosa Alabama where its firstever Pride march took place as recently as 2014 and had less than fifty people in attendance Thatamp8217s where they met Jaye who shared with Braun that she often dealt with hateful remarks and behavior from people while working at a local coffee shop amp8220One day I was working and this guy said amp8216Iamp8217m not gonna be served by this himshe whoever she is or whatever it isamp8217amp8221 she recalls in the filmamp160 I think theyamp8217re intimidated or scared because I can be myself and I donamp8217t care what they thinkamp8221 She then explains that in general the people of Tuscaloosa donamp8217t accept the LGBTQ community amp160amp8220But Iamp8217m glad that Tuscaloosa is trying to change that and actually have Pride hereamp8221 she saysWhile there are tearjerking moments in State of Pride seemingly every five minutes one of the most impactful and memorable moments is when Braun speaks with Subhi who shares the story of his first Pride in Istanbul amp8220There were a few hundred thousand people a lot of police a lot of haters as wellamp8221 he recallsamp160 amp8220People cracking bottles and shouting The government was not protecting us It didnamp8217t feel like it was something legal or something that you could feel happy participating in because you might end up in prisonamp8220I learned from an early age that itamp8217s not okay to be differentamp8221 he adds amp8220They would call me amp8216shadhamp8217 in Arabic which means amp8216irregularamp8217 or amp8216abnormalamp8217 I couldnamp8217t seek help My father was very aggressive He almost killed me a few timesamp8221An especially heartbreaking aspect of Subhiamp8217s story is how much trouble he had and still has adjusting to other LGBTQ people around him in the US amp8220Itamp8217s a lot a lot of new things a lot of new habits new traditions language terminologyamp8221 he says He explains that heamp8217d get asked if he knew the artists performing at Pride the latest music etc and when heamp8217d say he had no idea heamp8217d get some replies like amp8220Youamp8217re not gay enoughamp8221 to which heamp8217d reply amp8220Well I was almost killed for being gay but thank youamp8221In the YouTube doc a group of trans women in Birmingham Alabama share that trans people are often the most ridiculed and excluded by members of the LGBTQ community amp8220We created Pride 49 years ago when the Stonewall riot happened and started the liberation of the community as transwomen of color and queer people of color but we donamp8217t get our just dueamp8221 shares Daroneshia one of the women leading the group amp160amp8220Most of the time you see white gay men jumping around going amp8216Whoo Prideamp8217 and itamp8217s like weamp8217re erased from existence amp160Itamp8217s very critical that we get the attention that we need because we are the most vulnerable in the communityamp8221When Braun was in San Francisco that very same conversation was brought up how certain segments of the LGBTQ community have in a way overshadowed others amp8220In the deep South there is a Black Pride and then a separate Trans Prideamp8221 he says amp8220Donamp8217t we want Pride the one event to feel inclusive of everyoneamp8221amp8220Trans Pride feels more like a protest than a celebrationamp8221 says Our Lady J a transwoman and one of the few trans writers and producers in the TV industry known for her work on Amazonamp8217s Transparent and FXamp8217s Pose amp8220I think itamp8217s because we still have so far to go The darker side to that is that ciswhite gay men have centered themselves in Pride events and it creates a bit of hostility so we feel like we need to have our own Prideamp8221Carson Tueller a twentysomething gay man from Salt Lake City had one of the most complex stories to share in State of Pride from dealing with his conservative Mormon family to a freak accident that caused a spinal injury and forced him to use a wheelchair while he slowly but surely recovered He is the president of Affirmation an LGBTQ resource organization for Mormons and exMormons a group which makes up half of the population of Salt Lake Cityamp8220It was a very gradual decision to leave the churchamp8221 he recalls amp8220I eventually just believed that the church was flat out wrong about LGBTQ issues So I called up my bishop and I told him amp8216Iamp8217m leaving Itamp8217s timeamp8217 Sometimes my spinal cord injury is a blessing It gives me a constant reminder that as human beings one of the most beautiful things that connects us is actually our sufferingamp8221State of Pride is a beautiful celebration of Pride and LGBTQ people and an incredibly informative and eyeopening piece on the history of both shedding light on some of the stigmas inflicted on oftenignored segments of the LGBTQ community and the vast differences the celebration takes on across the country Whether you are inside or outside the LGBTQ community ask yourself What does Pride mean to youPhoto by Cecilie Johnsen UnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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YouTube Originals' “State of Pride” Prompts the Question: What Does Pride Mean to You?

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Juan Ayala

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YouTube Originals' “State of Pride” Prompts the Question: What Does Pride Mean to You?

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Juan Ayala

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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