PRIDE! - What About It?

The word 'Pride' is an interesting word.  It is one of the seven deadly sins yet it's being used for the modern gay rights movement.  How did we come to this?

Merriam-Webster did a thorough explanation how the usage of 'pride' change over time. In the earliest of time, the word carried the meaning of "inordinate self-esteem" and "an unreasonable conceit of superiority. Pride soon carries a more positive tone in the 14th century. Today, just like many other polysemous words (e.g: cheap), it can be switched between positive and negative connotations. 

According to Cambridge Dictionary, pride /praɪd/ is a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that you get because you or people connected with you have done or got something good. pride also means your feelings of your own worth and respect for yourself.  

Before pride began to associate with the gay rights movement in the late 60's and early 70's, it was used during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. 

Image taken from Merriam-Webster

   
After the Stonewall Riot in 1969 (will elaborate it further in my next post), it was widely used to refer the event and a sense of self-worth among the gay community. 

Image taken from Merriam-Webster

Image taken from Merriam-Webster

Eventually gay was dropped in order for pride to be more inclusive towards other marginalised groups, namely the LGBT+ community. Today, besides definition given by dictionaries, pride or LGBT pride stands for all humans, regardless of their gender and sexuality, should be proud of their true self and don't have to suffer and live in fear from being marginalised, ridiculed, discriminated, persecuted and jailed.   

As Lady Gaga sings it:
Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
Cause baby you were born this way

Don't be ashamed of who you are. Instead, pride yourself as one.