Please -- it's GAY Pride

I enjoyed the Gay Pride events in New York but am I being a tightass when I say that one thing really bothered me. And that was this tendency for people to say "Happy Pride" instead of Gay Pride. I mean, what's up with that? Has there suddenly become something wrong with the word Gay? I know there are other groups included, but are gays now non-persons?

I wouldn't go that far, but I understand where you're coming from. "Pride" has become the name for the annual Gay/LGBT parades/marches and it's stuck with many people and reporters, although many still use "Gay Pride" or "LGBT Pride" instead of the generic "Pride."

It sort of annoys me when someone says "Happy Pride" in my face so I always counter with "Happy GAY Pride." Just saying "Pride" sounds too generic to me, meaningless. And while you can probably tell what kind of pride we're talking about from the same-sex couples and headlines, it's still rather annoying.

It's not so much that "gay" has become a dirty word as that it expanded to become LGBT so as to include all the sexual minorities [up to a ludicrous point where some call it LGBTQASBC and so on]. Although "gay" certainly includes gay women, you can understand that many lesbians wanted their own identity, which is also true of bisexuals and transgender individuals. Hence, I believe "Happy Pride" was born so as not to offend the non-gay members of the LGBT movement. Or something like that. It was some -- certainly not all -- politically-correct activists who decided this -- You and I did not get to vote.

The trouble is that "pride" is rather presumptuous. After all, there are many groups who have pride -- Blacks, Jews, Asians, Latinos, Women and so on -- since when does any one group or alliance own rights to the word?

Not far from where I live there's a section in the Village where different groups set up fairs, and at each fair you can see bankers and others wearing "Pride" shirts that work for any and every group -- I mean, they don't bother changing the shirts whether it's gays, Hispanics, or Chinese-Americans and so on who are celebrating. Saves on the cost of t-shirts for sure.

The thing is, "gay" should never go out of date. In the first place,"gay" was always meant as an umbrella word for the L B T factions, and it still has a certain identity and power.

And Gay Power is something we never want to lose.

They say Happy Pride.

You say: Happy GAY Pride.

It's as simple as that.

HAPPY GAY PRIDE

I have a backlog of questions that I'll be answering in the next couple of weeks, but for now let me simply say:

HAPPY GAY PRIDE EVERYONE!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, COME OUT TO A PERSON YOU CARE ABOUT!

BILL SCHOELL

HAPPY GAY PRIDE!

Today is the Gay Pride March in New York City, my home town.

And all I can say is:

HAPPY GAY PRIDE EVERYONE!

Have a great time, party, stay cool, stay safe.

And don't forget -- this isn't just a parade -- it's a March!

Because there's still a heck of a long way to go!