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Charles M. Blow

My Journey to Pride

By Charles M. Blow

Opinion Columnist

June is L.G.B.T.Q.+ Pride Month, a month in which people in the community affirm their identities, celebrate their culture, demonstrate their solidarity and assert their humanity. It presents a concentrated opportunity to be seen, in jubilation and triumph, to recognize the struggles, to commemorate the fallen and to honor the progress.

But I must say that I have had real struggles coming to embrace — and be embraced by — the institutional structures of the gay world.

(An editorial note: I use “gay” and, more often, “queer” as shorthand for the lettered grouping. As the Association for L.G.B.T.Q. Journalists has advised of the term “queer”: “Originally a pejorative term for gay, now reclaimed by some L.G.B.T.Q. people. Use with caution; still extremely offensive when used as an epithet and still offensive to many L.G.B.T.Q. people regardless of intent. Its use may require explanation.” I am in the reclamation camp.)

My coming out was unconventional and, to many, unacceptable. I came out late, in my 40s, after a heterosexual marriage. I came out as bisexual, which is viewed with suspicion and contempt by gay people as well as straight ones. And I apparently don’t have enough gay-obvious affectations for some people, although there are quite a few people in my high school who would beg to differ.

I was even asked recently in an interview why I wasn’t more gay, or something to that effect, because people who followed me would most likely not know that I was part of the queer community. I reminded my interviewer that I had written a best-selling book about my identity and that that book has been developed into an opera that will become the first opera by a Black composer to be staged at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in its history. What other queer man can make such a claim? How much more open can a person be?

But again, it was about affectation: I wasn’t projecting enough cultural cues. Being myself, naturally, comfortably, was somehow akin to concealment.

You came out during a pandemic. What was that like?

During Pride Month, Opinion will be publishing various essays on the L.G.B.T.Q. community at this moment in history. We plan to publish a selection of your stories as part of that coverage.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Cultural Identity — I Am Proud of My Cultural Identity

I Am Proud of My Cultural Identity

Categories: Cultural Identity

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Words: 1139 |

Updated: 7 November, 2023

Words: 1139 | Page: 1 | 6 min read

Chen, K., Shao, A., Jin, Y., & Ng, A. (2020). I Am Proud of My National Identity and I Am superior to You: The Role of Nationalism in Knowledge and Misinformation. Available at SSRN 3758287. (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3758287)
Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., & Weisskirch, R. S. (2008). Broadening the study of the self: Integrating the study of personal identity and cultural identity. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2(2), 635-651. (https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00077.x)
Smolicz, J. (1981). Core values and cultural identity. Ethnic and racial studies, 4(1), 75-90. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870.1981.9993325?journalCode=rers20)
Hall, S., & Du Gay, P. (Eds.). (1996). Questions of cultural identity: SAGE Publications. Sage. (https://sk.sagepub.com/books/questions-of-cultural-identity)
Lucy, S. (2007). Ethnic and cultural identities. In Archaeology of Identity (pp. 96-119). Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203087572-10/ethnic-cultural-identities-sam-lucy)

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Pride Essay: The Soundtrack to My First Summer As Myself

Photograph of Florence Welch against a sky background with her arm outstretched. Extending from her arm are rainbow colored musical notes. White text reads: "The Soundtrack to My First Summer As Myself"

By Ella Mastroianni , Blog Assistant

Since you guys don’t know me: Hi, I’m Ella, I’m 20 years old and this is my sixth summer knowing that I’m a queer person, or being “out.” I don’t need to fill you in on all the details of these past 6 (woah) years, but there’s been confusion, happiness, heartbreak, turmoil, more turmoil, and even more turmoil.

This Pride Month, I feel closer to myself than I ever have. With an approach of gratitude and honesty, I’ve been able to reflect on what has gotten me to this point, and steer myself in a direction that feels the most truthful to me. A piece of this has been being extremely intentional with the music I’m listening to and the messages I’m telling myself with those songs. Luckily, there are already a few special songs I can pinpoint that impact my life in a positive way…

From teachings on gentleness to embracing exploration and mistakes, these are a handful of songs that taught me lifelong lessons, and helped me along on my journey to my first summer feeling truly myself.

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE — “FREE”

This past year chewed me up and spit me out. At the end of the school year, I went back to my home in Massachusetts, and for the first time in a long time, I was able to breathe. This doesn’t mean that my anxiety and all the baggage the year gave to me didn’t follow me home — it absolutely did. But something about being in a new place (although it was an old place) allowed me to look at my life a little differently than I had been.

During my first five years out, when Pride came around I would put my rainbow flag out front by my Mom’s flowers, and that would be that. I had that month alone to be excited about my queerness and at least for June, that was what I was— I was queer, but I wasn’t much else. I say this because I used to be so focused on one piece of my identity that I neglected all the rest. This sixth Pride is different.

The song “Free” by Florence and the Machine is a song that helped me realize that I could and should be proud of myself for everything that I am. The song is on Dance Fever , the band’s most recent album, and I could eat the songs off this album for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but “Free,” in particular, has a piece of my heart right now. I stomached a big move last week and this song was one I am so glad that I put in my metaphorical suitcase. As the song boots up, it reminds me of the feeling of running. Then, Florence’s echoey voice takes me up and away. As the song’s narrator says, I have been “on fire” for this last bit of my life, and I’ve tried not to show it. But the refrain of this song feels so true to my experience as a human being: “As it picks me up, puts me down. It picks me up, puts me down.” Florence wrote this song about her anxiety and listening to it is helping me work to embrace my own. It’s hard for me not to jump around when listening to this song, and when I’m alone, I always do. In those moments, hopping around on my hardwood floor like a madman (definitely concerning my downstairs neighbors) I feel the most myself that I ever have. And if nothing else, this pride, I am free.

ALANIS MORISSETTE — “HAND IN MY POCKET”

Lately, I’ve been putting a lot of effort into accepting my reality — being okay with what didn’t work out and being excited about what could. “Hand In My Pocket,” is nothing short of iconic, and it's a song that feels like a cry of acceptance— at least, that’s what it is for me. This song is so ’90s sounding, but lyrically, nothing has felt more current. As a queer person, I’ve felt pressure to do everything correctly the first time around to validate my identity, including feeling like I have to choose the right label for my sexuality. When things inevitably don’t work out the first time, it’s been easy for me to chalk it up to failure and to call myself one. Alanis Morisette ’s song offers a different perspective, a more optimistic lens to view me and the world.

This song, in particular, encourages me not to take things so seriously; to be open to exploration; and to view the mess-ups as a learning experience. The way the verses are communicated makes me think about what I “am,” in the same structure as Morisette. For example, lines such as, “I'm sad, but I'm laughing, I'm brave, but I'm chicken shit,” make me consider different aspects of my identity without placing judgment on them. I think about how I’m stubborn, how gentle and compassionate I am, and how all those things exist within me, and I don’t designate them as “wrong,” or “right,” (à la Morisette). When I listen to this song, I believe things will work out and that the best is yet to come; I know I’m learning and can’t expect to know things without experiencing them first. I don’t know who I want to be or what I want — not at all — but I will keep one hand in my pocket and… well, you know the rest.

MUNA — “GOOD NEWS (YA-YA SONG)”

Everyone who has met me knows that MUNA is my favorite band in the world and I would not be the person I am today without their music. That being said, “Good News” was never a song I turned to. I don’t think I completely got it, and what I mean by that is I was in my “Crying on the Bathroom Floor” and “Stayaway” era, and I’ll just leave it at that. However, this Pride month I have good news (I’m such a comedian); I am finally, gratefully ready for this song.

I have spent the past year or so listening to many sad songs, and while that’s fun to a certain point, I realize now that the music I’m listening to really affects how I feel throughout the day. There are so many beautiful sad songs, but I’ve taken a step back from even the artists I adore whose music doesn’t necessarily make me feel my best. I can still listen to MUNA’s sad songs, but right now the happier ones are the ones I am reaching out to and finally feeling connected to.

“Good News” is such a fun listen. The lyrics are humorous and make me want to ask questions, and I think that’s a telltale sign that a song could become a favorite. Listening is also a visual experience for me, and every time I hear the second verse I try to place myself in the “art exhibit” that Katie Gavin describes; I see the sink and the dishes and the sign saying “Be where you are.” The way it looks is different on each listen, as are the wonders of the mind, but I’m filled with such gratitude, especially when in the pre-chorus she sings: “I'm gonna figure it out, 'Cause I'm already here, and I won't leave now.” This lyric is the one that makes this song what it is to me — a reminder not to give up, even when my first instinct is to run. With the support of this song, I move forward and face what’s to come.

ADRIANNE LENKER — “ANYTHING”

You can call me a hypocrite because I am about to talk about a sad song. “anything,” by Adrianne Lenker is a special addition for me this Pride month, because as I have been trying to be proud of all the parts of myself, I have also leaned into expressing myself in different ways. Long story short, “anything” is the first song I learned in its entirety on guitar. I have been playing guitar on and off for a few years now, but I didn’t want to wait around anymore to be “good enough.” In the past, I would pick up my guitar, and become frustrated when I wasn’t perfect at playing. I wouldn’t allow myself to learn because I would count myself out almost immediately, as though I didn’t believe I could learn something, could get better at something. That was my thought process before, but it was exhausting not believing in myself, so I picked up my guitar and started learning a song that scared me.

Adrianne Lenker is talented beyond words, a creator of guitar-picking patterns that I’m sure challenge even more experienced guitar players and a writer of lyrics that feel like they were ice cream scooped out of my own heart. “anything,” has become a song that helped me find something I was missing — I love listening to music, and love creating it. I heard the notes on my guitar ping in all the wrong ways, and for the first time I didn’t walk away, and I am so proud of that. “anything” is tender and open in ways I only hope to be, and now it's proof that I am capable of more than I believe.

LESSONS LEARNED, AND WHAT LIES AHEAD

I’ve learned a lot about myself after six years of claiming my queer identity. This Pride is so special to me because I feel a deep connection of self that I haven’t always had. I’m only 20 now, but I’m vastly different from 14-year-old, and even 19-year-old me.

20-year-old me doesn’t shy away from what scares her, she is someone who sees the good in the world and now in herself… She redirects love songs to herself, realizing that she deserves them, too!

I’m sure my next Pride I will feel distant from this version of me, but I can honestly say that I have never felt more like myself. I couldn’t have become this version of myself without all the past versions. I am so grateful for everything that I was. And I reach out for everything that I am and can be.

All of this doesn’t mean that things aren’t difficult, or that I don’t have moments where I question myself and my identity (which is a pretty common queer experience). But it does mean that I’m ready to accept the good things that could enter my life. I didn’t even have the chance to attend a Pride celebration this year, but this is the most proud, joyful, confused and lost I’ve ever felt — and what a good thing it is to feel so much.

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Essay on Our Culture is Our Pride

Students are often asked to write an essay on Our Culture is Our Pride in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Our Culture is Our Pride

Introduction.

Culture is the lifeblood of a vibrant society. It represents our history, identity, and the values we share. It is our pride, reflecting our collective achievements and aspirations.

Culture as Identity

Our culture is a mirror of our past. It includes traditions, arts, and beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. It’s our unique identity.

Culture as Unity

Culture brings us together. It fosters a sense of community and unity, making us feel part of something bigger.

Preserving Our Culture

We must preserve our culture for future generations. It’s our responsibility to keep our traditions alive, ensuring our culture remains our pride.

250 Words Essay on Our Culture is Our Pride

The essence of culture, culture as pride.

Our culture is our pride, a beacon of our collective identity. It forms the bedrock of our individuality, reflecting our history, achievements, and aspirations. It represents our resilience in face of adversities and our triumphs over challenges. It is the legacy we inherit and the heritage we pass on, a testament to our past and a blueprint for our future.

The Power of Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity is a testament to human ingenuity and adaptability. It enriches our world, fostering mutual respect and understanding. It encourages dialogue, breaks down barriers, and promotes peace. It is a source of innovation and creativity, driving social and economic progress.

Preserving Our Cultural Heritage

Preserving our cultural heritage is vital. It requires active engagement, education, and respect. It is about more than just preserving artifacts and traditions; it’s about preserving the wisdom and knowledge they embody, and the values they represent.

Our culture is our pride. It is the mirror that reflects our identity, the canvas that illustrates our history, and the compass that guides our future. It is our responsibility to cherish it, preserve it, and pass it on to future generations. It is a gift of immeasurable value, a treasure that enriches our lives and defines our existence.

500 Words Essay on Our Culture is Our Pride

Introduction: the essence of culture.

Culture is an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of history, geography, language, religion, customs, and shared experiences. It is the soul of a community, the collective memory of a people, and the defining characteristic that sets us apart in the vast human mosaic. Our culture is our pride, a manifestation of our identity and the root of our existence.

Identity and Belonging

The role of culture in social cohesion.

Culture plays a crucial role in fostering social cohesion. It provides a common ground for understanding and cooperation among individuals. Shared cultural values, norms, and rituals contribute to a sense of community, mutual respect, and social harmony. Our festivals, ceremonies, and communal activities are not just celebrations; they are the glue that binds us together. They are a source of our collective pride, a testament to our unity in diversity.

Culture as a Catalyst for Innovation

Culture is not static; it evolves and adapts with time. It is a catalyst for innovation and progress, as it encourages the questioning of established norms and the exploration of new ideas. Our culture’s richness and diversity stimulate our creativity and inspire us to push the boundaries of knowledge and imagination. Our cultural heritage, far from being an anchor holding us back, is a springboard propelling us forward. It is our pride, for it is the wellspring of our ingenuity and the engine of our advancement.

Culture as a Guardian of Values

Conclusion: preserving our cultural heritage.

In conclusion, our culture is our pride because it is the embodiment of our identity, the foundation of our social cohesion, the catalyst for our innovation, and the guardian of our values. It is incumbent upon us to preserve and promote our cultural heritage, to pass on its wisdom and beauty to future generations. For our culture is more than just a collection of customs and traditions; it is the essence of who we are. It is our collective memory, our shared dream, and our enduring pride.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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