Pride =Health          Health = Pride

In June of 1969, a stalwart group of gay, lesbian, and transgender people decided to take on the NYPD. Across the country in gay bars and clubs in the 60's, GLBT women and men were harassed, brutalized, arrested without provocation, and publicly humiliated by being named and identified as "indecent" throughout newspapers. During a series of riots that were sparked at the now infamous Stonewall Inn, those men and women stood up and said, "No more!" It is this event that sparked the modern homophile movement. And it is the Stonewall Riots that is the foundation for Pride: a reminder that we can choose life, liberty, and happiness OVER oppression and victimization.

While we pursue this Constitutional right of life, liberty, and happiness, we may be reminded that with that right comes responsibility. Maintaining a healthy body, mind, and spirit is an important part of that responsibility, not only in an individual sense, but in a community sense as well.

As individuals, we have a responsibility to care for our bodies. This care must include the recognition that the AIDS epidemic is nowhere near over. HIV is still infecting men and women, young and old, and still claiming thousands of lives each year. It is only through vigilance and through the practice of safer sex that this epidemic can be curtailed, as there still is no effective vaccine or cure.

We have a personal responsibility to look after the health of our minds. Some LGBT people shy away from talk of "morality" or "virtues." These words have often been used as weapons against us. But because of this weaponry, we risk believing that we are exempt from examining, discussing, and following healthy philosophies. Without a healthy mental state, it may be easy to fall prey to the belief that we are powerless to the oppression and injustice that surrounds us.

Our individual Spirit also needs to be nurtured. When the world constantly reminds us that we are defective and unwanted, this can weigh heavy on the LGBT Spirit. Moderation and reflection can counterbalance this burden; without these, we can spin out of control and risk wrecking the healthy nature of body and mind in the process.

There is also the health of the LGBT communities' MIND, BODY & SPIRIT. The health of the community BODY calls us to work for the good of the community. For example, participating in community efforts, such as the Kentuckiana Pride Festival, FAIRNESS and the LOUISVILLE AIDS WALK reminds us that we are not an island unto ourselves. We are members of a greater community that must be cared for. It is through this that the body of the community grows stronger, able to battle and withstand the discrimination and victimization that we sometimes must endure.

Maintaining a healthy LGBT MIND also means working for justice. We are called to treat everyone with dignity and to fight for equal treatment under the law. A healthy community mindset strives for prudence. Prudence invites us to exercise patience and approach the world as it is, realizing that sometimes change happens incrementally. We can be a people of ideals and dreams - a people working for a better world. Finally, the need for effective and charismatic leadership is critical for the health of the LGBT SPIRIT. Are we involved in mainstream politics? Are we looking within our own community for women and men who can unite our community, giving us the collective strength to battle the ignorance and injustice around us?

As Pride gets underway, take a moment to think about the Stonewall Rioters and their bravery in standing up against tyranny. In that fateful June, the needs of the LGBT individuals and community were clear: SURVIVAL! In the early days of the gay rights movement, the need for basic rights was a driver; the right to employment, the right to housing, the right to safe living. Today, we are called to take a rightful place in the greater community to seek our own lives, liberty and happiness. It is through a balanced and healthy life, as individuals and as a community, that we will prevail.

By E. David Jansing, PhD. & Brad Hampton