“Seasoned” is my Pride Superpower

“I appreciated hearing from a seasoned member of the LGBTG+ community,” a colleague wrote to me today. Seasoned! Isn’t that a metaphor for old, I thought. For a moment, I heard that comment as a criticism, adding an insult to the injury of apathy I was already feeling about this year’s Pride Month celebrations.

Then, I turned the idea around in my mind. I contemplated my current position in the community and landed with the happy thought that my age is my Pride superpower.

Forty years ago, I tip-toed out of the closet. In those days, Pride Month was the highlight of my year. The roar of motorcycles as the Dykes on Bikes rode down Fifth Avenue made my heart race. The floats of men bravely living with HIV inspired me. The PFLAG parents brought tears to my eyes. In the early 2000s, my wife and I brought our daughter to the parade. She took in our LGBTQ+ world from her perch on my shoulders. The civil rights advances LGBTQ+ people have gained over these four decades have been miraculous.

This year I struggled. My efforts to write a submission for Pfizer’s Pride Journal was met with writer’s block. I enjoyed speaking at a Pride colleague broadcast earlier this month but arranged my calendar to be out of the city for the New York City Pride March – too much traffic, litter and noise. I wasn’t feeling connected to the community.

My curmudgeonly attitude lifted this morning. At the invitation of a colleague in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I was invited to speak about coming out and communications with our company’s colleague resource group for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, called OPEN. It was an intimate, heart-felt conversation with colleagues, several younger and earlier in their journeys. People dialed in from places with fewer freedoms than I enjoy in New York City. One woman, also seasoned, thanked me afterward.

I was reminded that every Pride engagement matters. It’s not only the big, loud events with high energy and megaphones. There’s also room for quieter, small-group conversations where wisdom and perspective matters. I’m honored to be considered a seasoned member of this community.

Happy Pride to all!