Sunday, October 4, 2015

Who You Are

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~Dr. Seuss


A couple weekends ago, my neighbour, her young son and I headed into town to watch the Peterborough Pride Parade. I expected it to be colourful, upbeat and fun and I wasn't disappointed.


PP Begins
Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it's a good place to start. ~ Jason Collins
This was the start of the parade which probably lasted about a half hour. Gotta love the play on words with the GayPole.





PP Bluebeard
If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would pretty much be left with "Let's Make a Deal." ~ Fran Lebowitz
This local businessman was feeling the love.





PP Proud kids
Gay teenagers are four times as likely to attempt suicide as straight ones. I wish they knew that there's nothing wrong with them; that they are just a different shade of normal. ~ Jodi Picoult
It was well attended by community kids..





PP Cute Kids2
There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of your own sex. People should be very free with sex, but they should draw the line at goats. ~ Elton John
... even kids of the four-legged variety.





PP United Church Support
It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It's like disapproving of rain. 
~ Francis Maude
I was quite impressed and pleased with the huge show of support from local churches.





PP Church Support
At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.
~ George Clooney
Each carrying their messages of love and acceptance.





PP School Board
It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. ~ Maya Angelou
There was also the school board staff and students sporting t-shirts which said "Respect Accept Include."





PP Canadian pride
Ethnic diversity adds richness to a society. ~ Gary Locke
Also supportive were various government branches.





PP Police pride
If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door. ~ Harvey Milk
Our much-respected first responders such as the Peterborough Police...





PP Paramedic
I believe gender is a spectrum, and I fall somewhere between Channing Tatum and Winnie the Pooh. ~ Stephen Colbert
... prideful Paramedics..





PP Infantry Reserves
When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one. ~ Leonard Matlovich
... and our always-ready Infantry Reserves.





PP Reserves pride2
Don't quit. Never give up trying to build the world you can see, even if others can't see it. Listen to your drum and your drum only. It's the one that makes the sweetest sound. ~ Simon Sinek
Amnesty International followed close behind.





PP Dad and Kidlet2
Let's make a law that gay people can have birthdays, but straight people get more cake--you know, to send the right message to kids.
~ Bill Maher
Everywhere I looked I saw youthful faces...





PP Ice cream
I was raised around heterosexuals, as all heterosexuals are, that's where us gay people come from... you heterosexuals. ~ Ellen DeGeneres
.. and youthful hearts.





PP Stilted2
I had a hell of a time convincing people I was gay - which was so annoying! ~ Portia de Rossi
There were high-flying butterflies...





PP Rainbow Butterfly2
Mothers, tell your children: be quick, you must be strong. Life is full of wonder, love is never wrong. Remember how they taught you, how much of it was fear. Refuse to hand it down - the legacy stops here. ~ Melissa Etheridge
.. and those who stayed closer to earth.





PP Puppy pride
I once had a large gay following, but I ducked into an alleyway and lost him. ~ Emo Philips
I'm not so sure this little guy was aware of his flamboyant appearance..





PP Happy Feet2
We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture. ~ Robin Williams
... but this guy surely was.





PP Smiles
Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? ~ Ernest Gaines
Lots of fun and smiles all around.





PP Sign
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself. ~ Gore Vidal
The parade ended at a nearby park where folks mingled and muddled through the crowds.





PP Happy pride balloon
Here is a little tip for all of you. Don't come out to your father in a moving vehicle. ~ Kate Clinton
Thanks for coming along!

42 comments:

Birdie said...

I really admire the older folks that attended. A pride parade is pretty much a common thing for younger people but it must be a big change for seniors. No doubt many of them had to do a lot of soul searching. My hat is off to them.

I bet the couple in the last picture would love a copy. Just beautiful.

Birdie said...

Oops. I see some of my pictures didn't load. I meant the couple with the man wearing the long blue coat.

DJan said...

Oh Hilary, this post just warmed my heart, and like the Grinch whose heart was two sizes too small, on this day in Canada my heart grew three sizes that day! What a wonderful heartfelt warm post. And I laughed hard at Robin William's quote. :-)

Red said...

Thanks for taking us to the parade. Things have come a long way but there is so much more to do.

stephen Hayes said...

This looks like a colorful fun event. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

yaya said...

This looks like an event that answers the question "Can't we all just get along?" Yes we can!

Kaye Waller said...

This makes me want to move to Peterborough!

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, dear Hilary! I am very proud of your town for staging this parade and proud of you for bringing us the highlights. You included many great quotes that make perfect sense to open minded individuals. I think George Clooney is right. Someday people will look back at this period of history when there was opposition to gay marriage and wonder what all the fuss was about. I hope that day comes soon.

Thank you again, dear friend Hilary, and have a wonderful week!

Anonymous said...

You've captured some joyous shot! Lovely.

Dan said...

So nice to see a community... come out and celebrate.

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Your photos and narratives show such a wonderful event. Celebrate diversity and be a good neighbor all rolled into one. Good on your community. xoxo Oma Linda

Linda said...

Looks like people had fun! We saw a gay pride parade in Berlin in 2001. Lots of color and great music!

ADRIAN said...

I love carnivals and parades. You have wonderful images of a superb parade.

Laura~Pretty Pix said...

A simply wonderful post. Thanks so much for sharing!

Cloudia said...

I must tell you that this post brings tears to my eyes....












ALOHA
ComfortSpiral

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Andy said...

Being free to come out of the closet without dire consequences must be a big relief for these people. I enjoyed all of the quotes with your post.

Out on the prairie said...

Always fun to watch and be in a parade

messymimi said...

Such beautiful pictures! It looks like a very happy day.

Indrani said...

Such wonderful shots from the parade. I liked the goats and their dresses very much. :)
The policemen seem to be friendly.

William Kendall said...

It looks like a lot of people came out to see the parade!

Rita said...

How beautiful! Lifts my heart. :)

Daryl said...

Lovely ... madam sit here and smile BIG ....

Shammickite said...

What fun! Our small town hasn't hosted any Pride events yet, too small probably, and we are quite close to Toronto where there is a huge Pride event every year. Great pictures of a special day.

Leah J. Utas said...

Yay! Wonderful.

TexWisGirl said...

a great mix of all ages, sizes. love the fellow with the beard and chain-mail headdress. and the sweet old woman with ice cream. :)

Karen said...

Peterborough is a very inclusive little city. As a child growing up there, I knew a broad spectrum of individuals. FAR more open minded than the community that my children grew up in.

photowannabe said...

Great descriptive photos and quotes.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

:)

ellen abbott said...

Loved this! all the quotes and all the pictures.

Theresa said...

Such fun pics! I think Ashland is having its Gay Pride day/parade this weekend...I'll be down in town Saturday so I guess I'll find out! :-)

Pierre BOYER said...

Some very good, happy and funny pictures...
Thanks !

Pierre

Andy said...

The Bowmanville fish ladder... the trout were the first to use it this past spring. It's really neat. There is a great viewing platform with a pedestrian bridge. You can watch the fish as they reenter the river. It is worth the trip when the fish are migrating.

Bob Bushell said...

It looks like a fun day for everyone. Beautiful images Hilary.

Tabor said...

I have to learn to keep up with your blog on a better basis so that my comments don't fall to the bottom of the pile of long responders! If we had a parade here in our small town, half the population would have a heart attack. While people are not opening anti-gay, they are not open-hearted either.

Kathleen's Blog said...

Loved all of these shots----so good to see so much support and acceptance!

Maggie May said...

Thats the kind of parade I like.
Loved the goats!
Maggie x

Joanna Jenkins said...

The colors and people all are so festive and happy! That's nice to see.
Thanks for all he lovely pic, Hilary.
xo jj

EG CameraGirl said...

Good to see such a wonderful turnout! The First quote, the one by Dr, Seuss, is one of my most favourite!

Betty Manousos said...

thanks so much for taking us to the parade. such fun pictures! the sweet old woman with ice cream is adorable. great portrait!

xoxo

Jenn Jilks said...

These are simply amazing photos of people getting together to celebrate diversity.

Jenn Jilks said...

P.S. So good you're posting again.

Hilary said...

Oops. I inadvertently deleted a comment from Csobla when I was in an over exuberant spam-killing mode. My mistake. The comment was in Hungarian:

Csinosak. Sőt szépek a felvonulók. De én azért nem akarom utánozni őket, megmaradok a hagyományos párkapcsolatnál. Jó egészséget!

And Google Translate tells me it says the following:

Pretty. Moreover, the marchers are beautiful . But I did not want to imitate them , abide by traditional pair of connections. Good health!

I'm sure that's not an exact translation, but it's logical enough to catch the meaning.

Sorry for the mistaken delete, Csobla and thanks for stopping by. :)