I put theirĪshes in the Hudson River and the Grand Canyon. We’d call the parents, and some of them just hung up on us. After they died, we had to decide what to do with the bodies. Doctors were covered from head to toe like “I’m thinking of all of the friends I lost in the ’80s,” said John Burris, 74, as he watched the march. Mourning is a theme of this year’s parade, but it is not a new one for the event. “It’s a double dose of homophobia and Islamophobia, and it’s got to “People don’t understand what we’re facing as a community,” said Mr. Ramdass explained that outside of the parade, gay Muslims face extraordinary bigotry. Diaz, who is straight, said her husband felt some misgivings about her marching because of safety concerns. We need to wake up, there is homophobia in our own community,” she said. “This is a conversation we have to have internally as Muslims. Observing Ramandan, she was fasting and was parched on the hot parade route.īut she was determined nonetheless to march. The march was especially profound for Barza Diaz, 28, because it was taking place during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramdass marched with representatives from Muslims for Progressive Values, a group that advocates for the traditional Islamic values of social justice But until then, you don't get to question the legitimacy of why we march.Proudly waving a rainbow banner above his head, Mr.
When any of these things become ever-present concerns for straight people BECAUSE of the fact that they're straight, I will march in the street with you. I faced losing the love and support of my entire family because of who I am. I used to have to switch pronouns at work when talking about my weekend. I have to think twice before expressing any affection toward my partner in public. I could be beaten and left for dead because I'm gay. I can't adopt in all 50 states because I'm gay.
There is never a time when this is not needed.Do you know why I marched this year? Because I can be fired for being gay. So we could say everyone needs them equally. Everyone needs to be proud of who they are. It's always great to be proud of your own culture or sexuality or similar. Celebrating one's culture is always a good thing. Saying "be thankful you don't need them" is totally missing the point of them. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts. Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. Under late CEO Steve Jobs, Apple also opposed many discriminatory laws, including 2008's Proposition 8 that sought to eliminate the right to same sex marriage in California. Before he publicly came out as gay in late 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook fought for equality in speeches and op-eds. The Pride Edition Woven Nylon band launched to the public during WWDC earlier this month, and Apple this week confirmed a portion of its proceeds are going to help LGBTQ organizations like The Trevor Project and the HRC.Īpple has long voiced support for LGBTQ causes like same sex marriage, as well as having spoken out against some controversial laws that predominantly risked negatively affecting the lives of gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals. In previous years Apple has taken to the streets for the pride parade in San Francisco with similar pride t-shirts for employees, commemorative videos posted on YouTube, iTunes gift cards, and a custom rainbow Apple Watch Woven Nylon band.