Somewhere over the rainbow…

There are Pride Parades all around! Celebrating individuality, sexuality and gender expression, marchers and watchers are decked out in anything and everything from full drag to costumes of colorful balloons.

This Pride Month, we traveled to the Columbus and New York Pride Festivals to see what “pride” means. We hope you like glitter, because things are about to get a lot more sparkly.

“For me, Pride has always been about celebrating who you are regardless of what anyone else thinks. As someone who wasn’t “out” for a really long time, I love Pride because it was a safe space for me to come and be comfortable with who I was – and to do so in such a fun and exciting environment is really special.”

“Coming from a Catholic family, I never thought that I had the option to be gay. Anything I ever owned that could be gay was thrown out. My spirits were dashed and I never thought I would feel comfortable in my own skin. But, at Pride, I do. Pride is feeling free, relaxing, and taking a breather from a troubling and tumultuous society.”

“Pride is being able to be who you are no matter what in a judgement free zone.”

“Pride is all about being enthusiastically and unabashedly happy.”

“Pride is all about the love you share with yourself and other people. We’re here to support, not to attack.”

“Pride allows me to be whoever I want to be. This life is made for more than just suffering. This is my family that picks me up when I’m down, that makes me feel like a million dollars, and supports me through every venture. Pride is life.”

Brooke Stiles is a sophomore at Denison University and a contributor at GlamSalad.com. When she is not in a costume shop or thrift store, she can be found snuggled up with her puppers watching “Gossip Girl” for the thousandth time.