Don't get me wrong. I enjoy PRIDE month, PRIDE week, PRIDE Fest and the PRIDE parade as much as the next gay man. But, after the celebration is over, I can't help but feel a little like that great gay icon singer, Miss Peggy Lee as she sings "Is That All There Is?" (If you've never heard of her, seen her, or heard her sing, you need to run right out to your nearest CD store and check her out!)

She of the picture perfect makeup, nails and hair with an oh-so-sultry voice. Many a drag queen was born after watching her perform.

But that song - it just defines the word melancholy. And that is pretty much how I feel after all the PRIDE activities are over.

Oh sure it's fun to dress up (or dress down), people watch, cheer on the parade, applaud your favorite float, but at the end of the day, we head back home and wait until next year.

Has PRIDE become the latest in a string of pop culture "holidays" whose meaning has been stripped away by commercialism? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves what we are celebrating.

Yes, we are celebrating our sexuality in an open and free way, a way denied us for many years. But we are more than just our sexuality. We are a community with a rich history, a dynamic present and an unstoppable future - but only if we LIVE our PRIDE every day.

As a community we possess the riches of the Twin Spirits - male and female. Many ancient
civilizations honored those Twin Spirits in their midst as the keepers of the tribal magic. While the Medicine Man was surely important, the Twin Spirits were those protected most fiercely when battles erupted.

It is this dual sensibility that provides us with a valuable gift that we must honor in ourselves. HONOR is the key word here - for if we do not honor ourselves, how can we expect the larger culture to respect us and our rights?

Daily, we struggle with those who would deny us our "inalienable rights, among these: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." That simple phrase, born over 200 years ago by the wise founders of this nation, still rings true today with our community. Why then must we still struggle? I don't know the answer to that question. I only know that our brave gay ancestors who fought to obtain the simplest of human rights demand that we continue their work, but that work must continue year round.

We are on the cusp of a presidential election year. This election, more than any other in recent history, provides our community with the opportunity to make a major difference. Be aware, listen, and actively support those who support us.

Take the time to take care of your soul and the souls of those you love. As a community, we have had a checkered past in our treatment of one another. I have seen the signs of a new day dawning. As we learn to honor ourselves for the brave, creative, intelligent leaders that we are, we must share that pride in our community as a whole as well as individually.

We have much to be proud of - not just every June, but everyday. Let Miss Peggy Lee sing her song - we know better - there is much, much more to our community if we just open our minds and hearts to one another, every day!