Keeping The Pride Alive Until Next Year
While the official month of Pride is now over, this weekend’s celebrations have been enjoyed by those remembering 50 years since the first Pride event in the United Kingdom. It just goes to show that because the official month dedicated to pride events has now concluded for 2022, Pride is not just an event, but a lifestyle, a feeling, a celebration, a heartwarming smile shared from person to person, and a means by which to build a better future.
As such, the work remains. While the common joke of LGBTQ+ people hibernating for the coming eleven months is a funny one, it’s important to note that just because we’re not celebrating outright, it doesn’t mean we’re any less proud.
With that in mind, it’s healthy to look to the future with confidence and make some plans between now and the next Pride event. What did we learn from this weekend’s celebrations? What memories did we make? How might we enjoy Pride next year? What logistical tasks do we need to attend to after a month of celebration? This can help us reinvigorate our sense of pride even when we’re partied-out and just want to retire to bed for a little while.
In this post, then, we’ll discuss some practices you can take part in while planning for the next Pride event:
Place Your Event Items In Storage
The amount of work people put into Pride is jaw-dropping and beautiful. You don’t want to lose all of that effort just because Pride month is over. Placing some of your creations such as float stall decorations, trailers, props and more in a storage unit can keep them secure until next year. Here you may even have a space to come and work on a few different items for next year; making those celebrations even better. Check here for more information.
Secure Your Outfits & Clothes
Protecting clothing covers can be used to keep your outfits and handmade creations safe for another year. Strong storage boxes can help you keep your celebration material, like flags, bunting, handmade signs, and costume accessories safe for another year, free from exposure to the element and dust. If you need to have a few items dry cleaned go for it, but be mindful of how this could disturb some adornments that may need to be carefully removed before undergoing that process.
Commit To The Work Online
Sure, Pride celebrates LGBTQ+ culture, history and identity in all of its forms, but it’s really an event to bring everyone together, regardless of sexuality, gender, income, and physical form. The only people who are unwelcome are those who choose to exclude others or denigrate people for arbitrary reasons – after all, this is the exact reason the celebration is necessary. It’s good, then, to keep the spirit of Pride alive online where we can. Celebrate your best moments through posting pictures of Pride. Talk about queer issues on forums if you can find rational discussions; and try to educate about what Pride means to you. As amazing as Pride is, it’s unfortunately rife with unearned criticism about it being a loud, brash event full of people who only wish to be loud. If you show them why Pride is so important to you, the culture changes. People realize that Pride is among one of the most human and important celebrations out there. They may even attend. If you can, busting any and all stigma left can be tremendously valuable. That comes from personal insight and honesty.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to keep the Pride alive until next year. The secret, of course, is that Pride will never be diminished, regardless of the month or the event.
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