"Privilege, Pride, and Plastic," Amsterdam 2019
Dublin Core
Title
"Privilege, Pride, and Plastic," Amsterdam 2019
Date
2019
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
Perhaps contrary to others first pride that I have read on outhistory.org, mine was recent, very recent. Before getting there, I would like to shortly introduce myself, just so you might be able to see my first pride through my eyes, or at least somewhat similarly.
Imagine you're 20 years old, have been out for about 2 years and have just broken up with someone who you came out for in the first place. You've never been to pride but they're abundant, they're here every year and to top it all off, you're in the Netherlands. You know, that country that first introduced gay marriage, exactly! What would be a better set-up to a glorious experience?
Although that might have sounded sarcastic (I hope), I'm really not kidding. Reading others stories I have realized that there is so much privilege in that small introductory section. There's prides in abundance?! For me, a 21 year old Consumer Studies student from the Netherlands it sounds 'normal'. And exactly there is where I realized my privilege. Having Pride sounded like something normal...?
Anyways, to get to the event itself, I guess you could say it was a Pride? There was drinking, dancing, lots of 'physical activity' and all the rest of it, and I'd be lying if I didn't like it, but most importantly, it was the first time I felt this blanket of acceptance? It was this reckless force of love that didn't stop for any barrier, not for age, not for skin tone, definitely for at sexuality, not for the way you were dressed or the way you chose to dance, not for the drink you ordered or the tone of voice you used to order that drink in. There was just this reckless acceptance, and it was bewildering to me. It's something I would love to feel again, although unlikely during the current COVID-19 crisis but let's not get into that.
Basically, it was a mix if privilege and pride. There was no pride in my privilege, but there was a privilege in my pride.
Also, guys (and gals' and my non-binary pals) ... can we please be mindful of what we're doing to the environment during events such as Pride? I haven't seen that many empty plastic cups gathered up in one pile since looking up images of the Plastic Soup that is haunting our seas. If we can be kind to each other, can't we also be kind to our environment?
Henk
Consumer Studies (Wageningen University and Research)
Imagine you're 20 years old, have been out for about 2 years and have just broken up with someone who you came out for in the first place. You've never been to pride but they're abundant, they're here every year and to top it all off, you're in the Netherlands. You know, that country that first introduced gay marriage, exactly! What would be a better set-up to a glorious experience?
Although that might have sounded sarcastic (I hope), I'm really not kidding. Reading others stories I have realized that there is so much privilege in that small introductory section. There's prides in abundance?! For me, a 21 year old Consumer Studies student from the Netherlands it sounds 'normal'. And exactly there is where I realized my privilege. Having Pride sounded like something normal...?
Anyways, to get to the event itself, I guess you could say it was a Pride? There was drinking, dancing, lots of 'physical activity' and all the rest of it, and I'd be lying if I didn't like it, but most importantly, it was the first time I felt this blanket of acceptance? It was this reckless force of love that didn't stop for any barrier, not for age, not for skin tone, definitely for at sexuality, not for the way you were dressed or the way you chose to dance, not for the drink you ordered or the tone of voice you used to order that drink in. There was just this reckless acceptance, and it was bewildering to me. It's something I would love to feel again, although unlikely during the current COVID-19 crisis but let's not get into that.
Basically, it was a mix if privilege and pride. There was no pride in my privilege, but there was a privilege in my pride.
Also, guys (and gals' and my non-binary pals) ... can we please be mindful of what we're doing to the environment during events such as Pride? I haven't seen that many empty plastic cups gathered up in one pile since looking up images of the Plastic Soup that is haunting our seas. If we can be kind to each other, can't we also be kind to our environment?
Henk
Consumer Studies (Wageningen University and Research)