What Pride Means to Me - Who We Are by Cynthia Aoki

Coming out is not a single event. It is a daily struggle for those who identify as LGBTQ2S+*. Take something seemingly simple, such as pronouns. Each time a wrong pronoun is assumed for ourselves or for our loved ones, it evokes memories of not being heard, not being accepted, and not being seen.

But these everyday struggles are also spaces for possibilities. If each of us, as a member of Clyde, can reflect on our everyday actions, it can create a ripple effect to move us toward a more just society.

In the spirit of Pride and fostering caring allyship, I would like to introduce a poem written by my friend, Deborah Dutta, who is an active ally.  

Who are they?

They are the ones refusing to follow neat, sterile categories,

Resisting the narrow definitions of humanity.

Doesn't the sun shine indiscriminately?

They won't submit to the borders of love,

For there were none to begin with.

Ask the trees who whisper to the wind to carry their seeds afar.

Their unapologetic transgressions are an invitation

To transcend the fear, hate and ignorance of human essentialism.

They are more than the sum of parts.

We are them, when freed from our limitations.

Queer is another way to ask, "What more could we be?"

Deborah Dutta

To read more go to Deborah’s online blog, At the end of the rainbow

Cynthia Aoki, (she/her/elle), Partner, Calgary.

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two Spirit people; Inclusive of people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities, who use additional terminologies. Read more on what is LGBTQ2S+