Pride Weekend in Bellingham

When I first came out to my parents on January 5, 2002, my dear sweet mother sat on the couch and cried. You see, having been in the evangelical Christian church for most of her life, she holds certain beliefs about homosexuality... that the Bible condemns such. I can remember that January night in their Lynden, WA home, my mom saying, "I don't want any of that Pride stuff."

My mom has come a long way since January 2002. She still wrestles with her understanding and still does not celebrate us, but she does love us and both of my parents are very loving to Dotti and me, for which we are very grateful.

Little did I know at the time of coming out to my parents that I would not only participate in "that Pride stuff," but I would be touring the country with my spouse, Dotti Berry, and we would be featured in newspapers, magazines, television news & radio shows all across the nation.

So what is "Pride Stuff?" Some people look at the TV news clips of a pride parade, where the news crew is trying to create a "shock factor" to get people to watch. Is that Pride? Maybe. It's also a bunch of amazing people coming together to CELEBRATE THE GIFT WE ARE. It's gay, straight, queer, trans, intersex and questioning people. It's about love. It's about being proud to be who we are. It's about being REAL and sharing our authentic selves with the world in which we live.

I can't think of a more exciting time in history to be alive... and be gay! Yes, I'm proud, and yes, I'm "doing that Pride Stuff!"

We had a delightful gathering on Saturday evening at the Bellingham Food Co-Op. Diana, Diane, Cathy & Ronna organized the event -- THANK YOU, Ladies! Dotti and I shared stories from the road, and showed some slides to a crowd of 44 interested and supportive people. It was a great time of reconnecting with old friends and making some new. It was a time of celebration and a time to reflect on what PRIDE is and what a gift it is to be gay!

On Sunday, we had Gay Into Straight America booth at the Bellingham Pride Festival. Dotti and I also spoke about our journey for about 15 minutes. See the Bellingham Herald article about the festival by clicking here.

Our dear friends, Rachel & Tammy spent the entire weekend with us, much to our delight and Rylee Joy's! Rylee LOVES her Aunties! They doted on her like she was a Princess. Well, she is! :)

After PrideFest, we enjoyed a pizza at Stanello's with some friends and one of our neighbors, Elizabeth. Thanks, Ladies, for a great day!

--Roby