Pride in Peru

I marched in Lima's 9th Annual Gay Pride Parade yesterday (Saturday, July 10, 2010). Now, when I say I marched in Lima's 9th Annual Gay Pride Parade, I marched in the FRONT of Lima's 9th Annual Gay Pride Parade. I mean in the very front. Leading the charge. My org, Promsex, funded the parade so our staff carried the opening banner. On occasion, while we were marching, I would stop to take a photo of the very colorful line behind us. When I did, I saw that the front truck would stop too. So when I say I was leading the parade, I'm not kidding. It was incredible! I can't say the reception of surprised onlookers was particularly welcoming. Mostly they looked like they were watching a horrible traffic accident. There were hecklers, but, like Maribel said, "No respondes. La indiferencia mata." (Don't respond. Indifference kills). I would make the argument that "la celebracion mata" (celebration kills). That's a weird phrase, but the celebration of who you are and what you believe (a celebration of self-love and pride with pure happiness) also defies the nay-sayers. And what were we celebrating? Yes, we were celebrating being gay, lesbian, transexual, bisexual...we were even celebrating being straight. But, primarily, we were celebrating love and humanity's ability to love. That is what we should be most proud of.


Some of Promsex's staff...I'm so happy to be a part of the family!



Preparing for the parade.





















This is Jorge. He works in my office. His shirt says, "Dare to jump out of the closet."







Beginning the march. The opening banner: "We are free. Are we always?"













There's this illusion that homosexuals have sex and heterosexuals fall in love. That's completely untrue. Everybody wants to be loved. ~Boy George