Pride Lost, Pride Regained

29 Jun 2012 2 Comments

by OutTales in Pride Tags: , , ,

I have fond memories of the London Pride events that I attended in my late 20’s. It was a period where I was coming to terms with being gay, and there was something really comforting about walking in a parade or dancing in a park, with hundreds of other same gender loving people.

A few months ago, feeling a bit nostalgic about how I had experienced those early Pride events, I decided to sign up to be a volunteer at World Pride, which is due to take place in London on Saturday 7th July. I have fond memories of being a volunteer at the ’96 London Pride, and this time with it being World Pride, I felt it was a great opportunity to stand in pride, on a global scale, with many others. More

Love Me As I Am – gay men reflect on their lives

21 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by OutTales in General Tags: ,

This time last year, Darren Brady, a fellow coach and group facilitator and myself started running a series of workshops inspired by ‘The Velvet Rage‘. Our collaboration gave birth to ‘The Quest‘ and to date we have had over 60 people attend our workshops.

Later this year, The Quest will be publishing an anthology comprising the stories of gay men reflecting on their lives, and some of the experiences that have shaped the person that they are today.

More

The Essence of Pride

19 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by OutTales in Pride Tags: ,

What does Pride mean to you?

To share your story, email us at outtales@yahoo.com. Or share a comment below.

The (recycled) theme for June is ‘Pride’

02 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by OutTales in Pride Tags: , , ,

The theme for the stories to be shared in June is ‘Pride’. It was a theme covered by OutTales last July, and featured a broad range of stories (which you can check out here).

This morning, one of the headlines in the Huffington Post caught my attention – Pride Parades are they good or bad for the LGBT community and it got me thinking about Pride all over again and reflecting on the fact that the season is about to begin; and whether we like it or not, it is indeed part of ‘gay culture’.

I am sure that in the countries where it is illegal to be gay/lesbian or not culturally acceptable, those who identify as LGBTI would welcome an opportunity to have a day where they can come out and celebrate their sexuality with Pride. And yet, somehow for us living in countries where the law does not prevent us from celebrating our sexuality, Pride can often be seen as a relic from old days or simply another opportunity for escapism from the wounds that we are too ashamed to acknowledge. More

Oh My Foolish Pride!

28 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by OutTales in Pride, Reflections Tags:

Proud to be who I am!

11 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by OutTales in Pride Tags: , ,

If you could live a thousand years as yourself, never having to worry about looking over your shoulder, hiding or being found out, what would that be like for you? If you lived a thousand years always looking over your shoulder, doubting and worrying about what you say, how you say it, trying to remember what you said last time or the next, what would that be like for you?

By the time I finished university in 1997 I was certain of 2 things; that I was definitely coming back home to Kenya to live and that I was gay. I actually knew I was gay much earlier and had redesigned my life to fit into a life I knew for certain would be hard, difficult and secretive. But something was to change when I got home, and I never would have thought home, Kenya, would be where I would make my peace, be myself as a gay man. I always thought it would be in the ‘west’ where I would be comfortable and ‘at home’ and proud of myself. More

Discover your authentic Self

Share your OutTale with us

Love Me As I Am – The Book