Pride

Before Covid, Pride in our town happened during the month it does for most of the nation - June. After Covid, the group that produces most of the events for Pride decided to move it ours to September so that we as a community could support other Prides around our state and nation. So acts/performers they book would be more available and just little nuances like that made more sense for Grand Junction Pride.

In 2019, Pride was AMAZING for my love and I standing next to her as it was the first time she was fully out as herself authentically. That was the last time we went to Pride. When Pride came back for 2021, I still wasn’t ready to go. Then last year I wasn’t either. Just the thought of going made me cry big ugly messy tears that ended with a migraine from crying hard.

When the organizers started posting events for this year, I thought maybe I could go to one or two of the events. I made plans with 2 people in my chosen family to go to the festival in the park as a for sure and the poetry event as a maybe. Wednesday the 6th, I started feeling like I had a cold. The cold made it that I couldn’t go to Pride today. I wondered if the cold was a fluke or a way of telling me I wasn’t ready to go to Pride events yet. I know that it would have been difficult as that last Pride with Michaela makes my hole heart feel like it could burst with love and gratefulness to witness such a beautiful woman go to Pride glowing at each event. My heart also breaks that it was her one and only Pride of being able to express herself authentically.

I know she would want me to go and not only celebrate the LGBTQIA community and myself as someone who is pansexual, but honor her as a transgender woman. Next year for sure.