Tales of Colorful Pride

Pride comes in different colors. Though, more often than not, its vibrance outshine the stratum that serves as the foundation of our flamboyant jubilation today. Modern Pride events can be traced back from courageous yet unpretty riots that have happened more than 50 years ago.

Well, battles are not really meant to be charming but honorable, especially the Stonewall Riots in 1969 that became a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ civil rights. The six-day protest in the streets of New York City has paved the way for the annual Pride parades that we celebrate today all over the world. Compared to the black and white photos kept from many riots back then, ours have become more loud and proud as we raise the rainbow flag high.

In celebration of Pride month this year, we at Chicago Asian Network veered away from the usual virtual greetings and decided to reach out to the LGBTQ community so we can amplify their personal stories that we thought could shed light on what Pride really is. We have then come up with a video series, Tales of Colorful Pride, that certainly goes beyond the rainbow parade as it discusses even the queer community's poignant tales that are often overshadowed by the glitters of the celebration.

Tales of Colorful Pride is a four-part series featuring seven colorful tales from seven different walks of life. This allows us to look at Pride through the lens of those who are part of the LGBTQ community themselves. After all, we don’t want to claim that we’re allies without actually understanding their battles and perceptions. We get to know how the queer community celebrates Pride in an incredibly deeper sense that we mostly do not see.

In this project, Aurora, Gericault, Nabeela, Leslie, Rohan, Cesar, and Ranvier unravel real stories of identity, achievements, hopes, dreams, and Pride.

They have also delved into the effect of skin color, race, and existence of minorities even within the community. Apart from tackling how far Pride has come and how much more there is to go, they serve as living testaments to how beautiful love and Pride can be. Our conversations with them allowed us to have a better grasp of what bearing the rainbow flag truly means.

Pride trends every June and unfortunately fades as the month ends. Although social media is an effective platform to spread information, it is clear that there are more that can be done for the queer community in many other avenues than on the screen. Let us remember that Pride is a protest happening all year round. It is not a circus of colors but a fight for human rights. Watch what actions our features believe could be done to be better allies and create a more inclusive, humane society.

Happy Pride! Visit the video playlist at bit.ly/TalesOfColorfulPride.