The Wednesday Weigh-In: PRIDE Edition!

As Miriam noted, June is LQBTQ Pride Month in many places around the world, generally marked by parades, celebrations, demonstrations, and acts of solidarity for people in the LGBTQ community and allies. Here in NY, it could be made extra sweet if we pass marriage equality this week.

What better time for a Pride-themed weigh-in?

Pride is a funny thing. In public discourse, it’s alternatively described as a problem of self-righteousness or arrogance, and a necessary component of achievement and sense of a job well done. For me, it tends to come sporadically, and in accordance with my moods. I often find myself deflecting recognition for things I’ve worked on to others that I feel are more deserving, or being hard on myself for the one thing that went wrong when there are ten other things that went so right. But on the other hand, on a good day when I’m feeling less hard on myself, I’ll allow myself a moment of pride or self-congratulation, and feel unapologetic about it. I find this pattern to be true among a lot of my feminist friends, who tend to be hard-working, self-critical, and incredibly thoughtful and high-achieving.

This week’s weigh-in question, then, is straightforward, but contains multitudes:

Name one thing about yourself that you are most proud of, and why?

It could be an action you took (or didn’t take!), something you accomplished or achieved, an identity you uncovered, or a character trait you developed.

Hopefully, this can be an opportunity to reflect on identity, self-love, and all of the messy, complex components of these. For me, this question makes me think about the relationships in my life. When I dig down deep and think about what makes me feel truly accomplished and proud, it has more to do with how I treat people, and the kinds of people that I attract to my life, than it does with any one thing I did or accomplished. But that’s just me. I wanna hear about you!

So, you know the deal: leave your thoughts in comments!