Pride 2011

As the beginning of Albuquerque Pride Week is kicking off, I find myself thinking about this community, my ten years in the ABQ Queer community and what this week means to me.

I will never forget my first Pride, so many years ago. I was only 18, and I was scared to death. What would this mean, how would I fit in, and what was I going to wear!? And it was an experience that changed my life. It was the first time I had ever been in a space where I felt totally and completely safe. I was empowered to walk around, flaming little gay boy with purple eyeliner and a purple sarong, without ever feeling like I needed to look over my shoulder or be aware of the nearest exits and safe spaces.

Now, with my ninth Albuquerque Pride just around the corner, I am amazed at what has developed, thanks to this community. I am Miss New Mexico Pride; I will be the one walking around wearing a crown, that I was dying to take pictures with 9 years ago. I am blessed to have found in ABQ a drag community, and audience that loves the craft and respects us all as entertainers, but especially that has chosen me(with the help of my Brothers and Sister) to represent our community.

I have been blessed to have the support, throughout the years of such great organizations at the Under21Group, and Mpower to help me meet new people and develop lasting relationships. I have had the joy of knowing multiple pastors of our MCC churches, who helped me to feel comfortable and proud of being Queer and Catholic, not always an easy feat. I have had the fortune, and often self-induced misfortune of having several bars/nightclubs to attend and enjoy in my time in ABQ. Though none hold as special a place in my heart as the Albuquerque Social Club, the family that has hugged me tightly when I needed it, and helped me celebrate when I deserved it, while never pushing be to drink, but simply to enjoy the space and the company.

I think fondly on the friends I’ve met and worked with in GLBT Politics in New Mexico, the “radicals” with whom I helped buck the system and the “professionals” with whom I worked the system, Equality New Mexico, The Democratic Party, Multiple queer friendly candidates and elected officials. I am proud to live in a state that has not yet banned Same-Sex Marriage in statutorily, a state that protects GLBT people in the workplace from discrimination, and that has strong progressive Hate Crimes Legislation to protect minorities.

I am proud of New Mexico, and proud of Albuquerque. I look forward to living here for so much longer, and relishing the love and support of this community.

I am so incredibly proud of my Crown Brothers, Rocco Steele and Raydon Hawk. They have been a rock of support for me in my year, but are also just amazing and handsome gentlemen for our community to look up to. I encourage any Gay Boy or Trans-male to look to them as role models. Their hearts are huge and all welcoming, and they have done an amazing job, so far, of presenting to this community a great image. And my Sister, Tiffany Mariah DiMarco. No words could ever explain how much love for her I have, but also how proud of her I am. I shall leave at this, She is quite possibly the most amazing, beautiful and loving woman I have ever met! I encourage our community to find these titleholders, these amazing role models sometime this week, and introduce yourself, chat them up a bit, and thank them for the work they do!

I encourage my friends, family and community to celebrate with us this year at any and all of our events. I ask you to be excited and proud, loving, caring, compassionate and joyous! I challenge you to stretch your mind to a new found openness, to explore ideas of sexuality and gender, community, faith, morality, love and acceptance. I challenge you to find something you’ve never heard of, or have immediately written off in the past, and allow yourself to really process it without judgment. I ask you to have conversations with the Car Club, or the Kink community, with the Trans Folks, or the Church Groups; all who are members of our community, Brothers and Sisters, Sons and Daughters, and learn who they are as people, without assuming you have it all figured out because you see the outside of them. I challenge you to approach this pride week with love in your heart and openness in your mind, for that is how life should be lived. And remember, when you walk away from someone because you think that their “niche” or “constituency” in our community doesn’t belong, or is “wrong”, that is what has been done to us by so many, there is no reason to do it to each other as well.

Lastly, I hope you enjoy this Pride safely, with designated drivers, sunscreen, water, healthy eating and sleeping habits, for the long-term ability of celebrating in years to come. I encourage you to have fun, but do so wisely and without carelessness, for the sake of our health and safety as a community.

I only hope for two things in this PrideFest: That I am able to do justice to those who have supported me in my journey to this place, those who came before me and those will wear this crown in the future; and that somewhere on that parade route, or at that PrideFest, there will be a younger person who isn’t sure how to reach for their dreams, doesn’t know where they want to end up in life, is just confused about their journey, who will see me, take a picture with me, cha with me for a few moments, and decide that they are worthy of greatness, that they already have it in them, and that they will reach out and grab it, for them and no one else! So go to PRIDE, have fun, learn new things and find the greatness within yourself, put it out there and celebrate it! Happy Pride!