Well, I can officially say this is the first Pride that I’ll be marking quite like this.
Usually, Pride month is a time for community, of the non-virtual variety. Whether it’s at a jubilant parade, a small gathering of friends, or a massive party, Pride is about coming together. It’s about unity and celebration — two things that are both in short supply right now.
This year’s Pride festivities were all canceled months ago. My wife and I will probably mark Pride simply by posting a rainbow flag in front of our house and reading Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag to our two kids again. (Well, we’ll read it with our 4-year-old, anyway. Our new baby will most likely just drool on the cover.)
But that doesn’t mean it’s not important to honor our community, even if right now we’re physically distant from each other. Honoring the heroes of the LGBTQ community was part of why I wrote Music From Another World, in fact. The book is set in the late 1970s in California, when an incredible team of activists was banding together to fight back against a newly powerful anti-gay movement. It was out of their efforts that the modern movement in support of LGBTQ equality was born.
It’s up to all of us to remember, during this strange time, how much we all depend on each other. And one day, when we can be together again without video screens being involved, we’ll remember all over again just how much we all depend on each other.
Robin Talley’s latest novel, Music from Another World, is out now.