'Pride is a way for us to celebrate our wins': LGBTQ+ New Yorkers on Pride

storytelling

As part of Pride month, WNYC is highlighting LGBTQ+ voices in New York City.

Our Community Partnerships Desk recently set up shop at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center in Crown Heights to talk with people about what it means to be LGBTQ+ in today's society and explore the meaning of Pride in their lives. Sam Grasland of Manhattan shared this story.

The transcript of Sam Grasland's story has been lightly edited for clarity.

My name is Sam Grasland. I currently live in Manhattan, but I'm from Florida.

I identify as a butch lesbian. It's my history. It's, you know, a lot of my identity. It's who I look up to. It's my role models. It's kind of how I pave my path forward is definitely all wrapped up in my queerness. My role models are Leslie Feinberg, Julie Enzer, just random dykes I've met in my life that have just made dinner for me or talk to me about their histories.

I think it's, you know, hard growing up to not see yourself in older people. I'm 32, so I didn't see a lot of hard butch lesbians growing up in rural Florida. So, I think it can be hard to have to forge your identity, but it also gives you a sort of freedom to be anything you want to be. So, I would say if you're feeling anxious about your identity or feeling like you have to mold yourself to something, also consider the freedom that comes with getting to just be your own person.

Pride to me feels like gay Christmas. I love it because the whole month of June you're just like going outside and gay people are giving each other a nod and saying "happy pride" and it reminds me of the way during the holidays people are just like happy holidays but it's kind of coded and it's something just for the queers and I love it because I just feel like I go out the whole summer of Pride month and people are just happy to be gay.

Of course, we've come away and I think what's important now is to celebrate our wins and I think Pride is a way for us to celebrate our wins and remember what we had to do to get here and to rejoice and now get to sit in the shade of our trees.