Hey Fellow Straight Guy Chasers,
First of all let me start off by wishing you all a very Happy Pride Month and give a shout out and a very heartfelt thank you to our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters who started the path that would eventually lead us to the paved road we walk on today. Tired of police harassment and inequality as a whole they'd finally had enough of the discrimination and suppression brought on by constant police raids of gay, lesbian and transgendered establishments. One of those establishments was a gay bar known as the Stonewall Inn. It was here in the early hours of June 28, 1969 that a fed up group of gay men, lesbians and drag queens (transgender wasn't a term heavily used at the time) would stand their ground and fight back. As police and the queer patrons went toe to high heels, the bar was set on fire by police officers to try and disperse the crowd. One drag queen threw her shot glass into a bar room mirror and yelled out, "I've got my civil rights!" For what would become the gay rights movement it would be known as "the shot glass heard 'round the world" as riots broke out and sparked demonstrations and marches throughout Greenwich Village until July 3rd. That drag queen was Marsha P. Johnson.
The Stonewall Rebellion would inspire the Christopher Street Liberation Pride rally which would be held on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in June of 1970. From this small rally Gay Pride Parades would begin organizing in cities across the country year after year and today there are more than 500 yearly Gay Pride Parades in the United States during the month of June each owing its existence to those who stood up and refused to be silenced anymore hence why June is considered by the LGBTQ+ Community as Pride Month or just simply Pride. For many of you reading this, I'm preaching to the choir as I'm sure you know your Gay Rights and Gay Pride history, but for our younger siblings many don't know the first thing about the struggle that allow them the freedoms they now enjoy. I often say that I came up when being gay wasn't cool but even I have no idea what suffering through the kind of discrimination and oppression was like for the men and women that ignited our cause. I'm luckier than they were because of what they found the courage to do. And hopefully today's generation realize just how lucky they are. We owe it to ourselves to know our history and to celebrate those who came before us who sacrificed so much so that we can all be proud of who we are. I often put it into perspective by realizing had my elders not made those sacrifices this gay boy from rural North Carolina would have never been able to start a gay porn site in 1998.
Unfortunately 2020 has been a year like no other and not in a good way. With shutdowns, cancellations and just pure madness thanks to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic followed by a government mandated quarantine that lasted nearly two months and shut the economy down. Those who weren't already batshit crazy joined the rest of us who already were. Many high school seniors in the class of 2020 would be among the first in history not to enjoy the liberating feeling of walking across the stage to receive a diploma they worked 12 hard years to earn. Family members would die in hospitals alone because their loved ones weren't allowed to be by their side. Nationwide unrest, protest and outrage have boiled over because even in this day and age in this great nation people are still suffering at the hands of oppression and discrimination and unlawful acts of violence. As citizens many of us find it impossible to trust those who we expect to protect and serve. Is it the end of the world as we know it? Has the world finally gone to hell in a handbasket? That remains to be seen.
I still believe there's hope. And I hope you do, too. With many events closed down because of social distancing and the world becoming 6ft or more apart at every turn will we ever be able to come together as one again? Will we ever be able to stand shoulder to shoulder without wearing a face covering to protect ourselves against God knows what? Is the pandemic really a plandemic and all of us mere clueless participants in a changing world that will never return to normal as we once knew it? I don't have the answer to that. But I do know that in the face of it all with cancellations of nearly everything any of us hold dear we will find a way to overcome it all.
One example can be found in the response to nearly all the Gay Pride Parades across the world being cancelled this year once again the LGBTQ+ stands in the face of adversity and says "oh no, not today. Not on my watch." On Saturday June 27th 2020 organizers will hold the world's first "Virtual Global Pride Event" bringing together world leaders, politicians, activist, singers, musicians and speakers for a 24 hour Live Streaming Event. Global Pride was the result of over 500 Pride organizations who submitted over 1,000 pieces of content for this first ever event.
"What makes Global Pride very unique is that this is the first Pride of its kind where we are really focused on bringing the entire LGBT global community together." Said Natalie Thompson, a chair of the Global Pride event.
But Gay Pride won't be the only thing Global Pride focuses on. It will also amplify black voices and acknowledge the demand for racial justice.
To learn more about Global Pride and to join in on the live stream check out this link:
https://www.globalpride2020.org
Now, let's go watch some good ASG porn and clear our minds until we all meet at Global Pride!!
Dink Flamingo