Gay Life Volume 33, Number 19

When I first learned there was a Baltimore Black Pride, I—like others before me—wondered why we can’t ALL share June’s annual Pride celebration. After all, as diverse as we are, we’re all on the same side—the side that advances   and celebrates the LGBT community. But I’ve come to appreciate what Black Pride organizers Carlton and Kevin explain (p. 12-13): While Pride organizers have tried to be inclusive, the uniqueness of Black LGBT Baltimoreans is not fully represented.

While June’s Pride is indeed a celebration of the entire LGBT community, it makes sense to me that Black LGBT community members would desire an additional celebration in which their  accomplishments, priorities, and goals are the main focus. Because even within the LGBT community, (and even within Baltimore, a city with a  large African American community) minorities get marginalized.

We can work toward a future in which we successfully represent every facet of Baltimore’s LGBT community during Pride; perhaps we can even dream of a time in which we won’t need Pride because we are all fully accepted by greater society. Until then, it is vital that we support each other and celebrate both our similarities and our  differences. I will never know what it’s like to be a black lesbian in Baltimore; it would be silly to suggest otherwise. But I will try, through listening, to be a supportive ally.

Maggie Beetz, Editor