This weekend marks the height of the annual gay pride celebrations: the weekend closest to June 28, the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Occasionally people, both within and without the gay community, question whether these celebrations are necessary, or whether they serve any useful purpose other than to promote circuit parties, costumes, and corporate sponsorships.
Personally, I've never been to a pride celebration, except by accident. (I had to walk through part of DC Pride last year, on my way to the Folger Shakespeare Library for a performance of Taming of the Shrew.) While I was never one of the voices calling for an end to pride celebrations, I was one of those who didn't really see the need for, or the relevance of, such things.
That changed for me this year. Follow me below the squiggle and I'll tell you why.
