Thank you to Les Roka and "Selective Echo" for publishing this as written in 2010:
Thank you for this conversation. Our history and our future begin with the present.
Salman Rushdie wrote about behalfism. Beware those who speak for races,
religions, sexual orientations, constituencies and political parties. They impose conformity on the rich
diversity of human experience.
Values subjected to political and business interests murder thought.
Let us think independently and individually. Each person can choose her own
labels. Reject authority. Especially political authority. Especially in this state. Politicians have nothing on us
intellectually, ethically or morally.
Let our work be a conversation about values among
people. Life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness provide nice starting points.
A label common to us and perhaps most important is “human
being.” Let’s make the most of
life, the Nabokovian crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Pride is not about one day. Pride is about every day.
Let’s celebrate liberty. Absent compelling argument in opposition, greater liberty
for each and for all should reign.
Loving couples deserve liberty to marry. Well-intentioned immigrants deserve liberty to work. Marriage equality and humane
immigration reform are aspects of human freedom.
The pursuit of happiness is difficult, especially in times
of economic crisis. It makes
little sense for humans to make life more difficult for others.
Latinos are sometimes thought to be hostile to LGBT
rights. Gay Latinos, of which
there are many, sometimes feel isolated in their community. Unfortunately, they frequently feel
isolated in the LGBT community.
Let’s recognize and respect the great overlap in the Latino and LGBT
communities. Overlap and diversity
are complementary and enriching.
Put away the stereotypes. From 2007 to 2009, I lived in Mexico City, Mexico. Many LGBT people lived freely and
openly. Not only on Calle Amberes
and in La Zona Rosa. Now, Mexico
City recognizes marriage equality.
Ten years ago, I went to an unofficial wedding ceremony for
two men at Bar Claca in Valencia, Spain.
Today, that couple could officially marry.
In 1993, I took the Metro from Laurel, Maryland to
Washington, D.C. for the March for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and
Liberation. Equal rights in the
U.S.? Still waiting.
Who said Latinos are slow for freedom? Let’s work together for liberty.
Almost twenty percent of Salt Lake City residents speak
Spanish at home. Many of us are
bilingual. We are lesbian,
bisexual, gay, transgender and straight.
Estamos
aquí para disfrutar del día y para celebrar nuestro orgullo. A veces usamos un
lenguaje diferente. Coincidimos en los valores humanos: la vida, la libertad y
la búsqueda de la felicidad. Seguimos en el camino. Conocemos las palabras de Antonio Machado:
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
(English translation: We are here to enjoy the day and
celebrate our pride. Sometimes we
use a different language. We agree
on human values: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We continue on the path. We know the words of Antonio Machado:
Traveler, your footsteps are
the path, and nothing more;
traveler, there is no path,
the path is made by walking.)
History is a record of humans stumbling and stammering
toward greater liberty. We are on
the right path. In diverse
languages and ways, our challenge is to keep going.
A Spanish-language version of this speech can be found at
https://fronterasinteligentes.blogspot.com/2014/06/el-orgullo-no-es-tema-de-un-dia-sino-de.html
A Spanish-language version of this speech can be found at
https://fronterasinteligentes.blogspot.com/2014/06/el-orgullo-no-es-tema-de-un-dia-sino-de.html
