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10. Proud
"Where you going?" Charlie called from the bathroom.
"Out," Hunter said glibly, running out the door. Charlie walked to the window and watched a shirtless Hunter disappear into the crowds already gathering on Halsted for Pride weekend. He didn't know from grieving processes: he hadn't lost someone that close to him as Hunter had. How Hunter was dealing with it, the sullenness, the late nights...it frightened him. And he hoped that Hunter would be able to process it and get back to his old jovial self
"Where are you going?" Tyler asked as Charlie approached the front door with his back pack.
"Gonna head out of town for a couple of days."
"But...it's Pride."
"Yeah, the whole thing just gets to be too much. It's not what it's supposed to be about."
"Well, what is it supposed to be about?" Tyler asked. All Tyler could think about was the only Pride he ever saw, on the living room TV ten years ago when he was twelve.
"Well it started in 1969 when some drag queens had had enough of the police raids and rioted."
"Police raids?"
"Yeah, it was illegal for gays and lesbians to congregate in a bar together. People would get arrested, they'd lose their jobs, their lives would be ruined."
"Geez!"
"Yeah. And think about it ,that was just a little over forty years ago. After the riots, the laws began to change, the movement started. And the Parade after...the first one was a celebration of that. Of being able to be who you are, literally saying to the world in defiance, 'we're here, we're queer, get used it.' But now... now it's all about drinking and random hook ups."
Tyler walked to the window. "But they are here. And they are queer. They're out there celebrating because they can. That's awesome."
"But they don't care why they can."
"But I do. Now that I know. And I'm not saying that you should go out and tell everyone the why, that's not your job but...isn't that why they did what those drag queens did what they did? So someday, people like them would be able to celebrate out and proud?"
"Yeah."
"So aren't you kinda dissing that by heading out of town instead of celebrating Pride?"
"I guess. I never really thought of it that way."
"So come. Celebrate with me. Whatever way you want. Because it's my first Pride and I need to learn how to do it right."
Charlie smiled at Tyler and put his back pack down. "Alright, Tyler. Let's go be proud."
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"Out," Hunter said glibly, running out the door. Charlie walked to the window and watched a shirtless Hunter disappear into the crowds already gathering on Halsted for Pride weekend. He didn't know from grieving processes: he hadn't lost someone that close to him as Hunter had. How Hunter was dealing with it, the sullenness, the late nights...it frightened him. And he hoped that Hunter would be able to process it and get back to his old jovial self
"Where are you going?" Tyler asked as Charlie approached the front door with his back pack.
"Gonna head out of town for a couple of days."
"But...it's Pride."
"Yeah, the whole thing just gets to be too much. It's not what it's supposed to be about."
"Well, what is it supposed to be about?" Tyler asked. All Tyler could think about was the only Pride he ever saw, on the living room TV ten years ago when he was twelve.
"Well it started in 1969 when some drag queens had had enough of the police raids and rioted."
"Police raids?"
"Yeah, it was illegal for gays and lesbians to congregate in a bar together. People would get arrested, they'd lose their jobs, their lives would be ruined."
"Geez!"
"Yeah. And think about it ,that was just a little over forty years ago. After the riots, the laws began to change, the movement started. And the Parade after...the first one was a celebration of that. Of being able to be who you are, literally saying to the world in defiance, 'we're here, we're queer, get used it.' But now... now it's all about drinking and random hook ups."
Tyler walked to the window. "But they are here. And they are queer. They're out there celebrating because they can. That's awesome."
"But they don't care why they can."
"But I do. Now that I know. And I'm not saying that you should go out and tell everyone the why, that's not your job but...isn't that why they did what those drag queens did what they did? So someday, people like them would be able to celebrate out and proud?"
"Yeah."
"So aren't you kinda dissing that by heading out of town instead of celebrating Pride?"
"I guess. I never really thought of it that way."
"So come. Celebrate with me. Whatever way you want. Because it's my first Pride and I need to learn how to do it right."
Charlie smiled at Tyler and put his back pack down. "Alright, Tyler. Let's go be proud."
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