The annual Pride celebrations have turned into one big party and often those parties are for the young, or at least the young at heart. What were once mostly political events have become parades and festivals with cheering and drinking; we often forget the political implications of how they began. The reason for that is the progress the LGBT community has made in the last 35 years toward winning our rights.
But this year, more than in recent years, while we party and celebrate our successes we must be political again. In less than five months we will have what could be the seminal election of our time for our community. We have never been so close to achieving the goals that those at Stonewall were willing to fight for.
As we march and party and celebrate the achievements of the last few years, including winning marriage equality in six states and the District of Columbia; repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell;" the signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and other gains, we are faced with a Republican Party whose candidate for president -- along with many of their congressional candidates -- have sworn to do everything in their power to turn back the clock and try to bring back the days when most of us had to be in the closet just to survive.
There will be hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people coming to Pride celebrations in cities across the nation this June. This year we must make sure that they all come out again in November to vote. Maybe we need to plan a second Pride celebration in each city and town across America for Election Day, Nov. 6.
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