Pride breeds acceptance and other positives

So, I am excited to announce that I went to my first

P R I D E // P A R A D E!

And let me tell you, it was absolutely the most refreshing that that I have done in several years. The cities, the lights, the people, a very refreshing break from my close-minded little town. And let me tell ‘ya, the colours were FLYIN’.

So I recently went to the twin city of Minneapolis, MN for a friend’s bachelorette party, and we ended up staying with one of her girlfriends in the suburb, and the city is absolutely beautiful. I mean downtown has the modern feel of an electric city, but the living and residential area are filled to the brim with flora and beautiful architecture. And the culture is so diverse and spontaneous, I mean you saw all kinds of people. Now for you people who already live in bigger areas, this is no surprise, nor should it be, it was simply something that I wasn’t prepared for.

But something that I’m glad that I got to experience nonetheless.

The first night that we were there, my friend introduced us to everyone, and we kinda just had a chill day of trying different foods and getting to know one another. Nothing special. But that night she took me to my first gay bar, and it was absolutely amazing. The lights, the bubbles, the drinks…not that I’m a drinker mind you, but I did try a few things. And that MUSIC. It pounded so hard that it made my soul positively reverberate with tension. It was magical. Let me tell you, I haven’t been that comfortable dancing in a long time, but I just felt so at home there.

It’s also refreshing for one’s self esteem to get hit on by a couple of guys, so I’m certainly not complaining about that. :)

The next night was nothing too special. We did this pedal pub thing. (A vehicle you pedal yourself that you can also drink on??? Guess that’s a thing…)

Ah but the third day, that’s when the real magic happened. The pride parade. I waved my rainbow colours like you would not believe. And there were so many people there! ❤ So refreshing to see all the different wonderful people cheering on the LGBTQ community with garish colours and bright smiles! There was absolutely everything! Vendors, cheering, animals, you name it. There were also lots of LGBTQ canidates for things like mayor, or so and so representative, etc. Very nice as well.

As I stood there in the front row, and watched the parade go by, I thought to myself about what a wonderful place the world can be. Sure there are ups and downs in life, as there should be. It would be awful to have good happy times all the time. But life in its own special way can be both toxic and beautiful. All you gotta do is look for the positives.

About the Author:

Leonardo Ronaz is secretly an introvert, and is gay. All he needs are his friends, his video games, and his music.