One of the things that sticks out in Cass Sunstein’s article ‘The Daily We‘ is this statement:

In the United States, many national holidays have become mere days-off-from-work, and the precipitating occasion—President’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day—has come to be nearly invisible. This is a serious loss.

I couldn’t agree more. And it’s not just holidays. The meaning behind all sorts of occasions designed to remind us of the strife and struggles of ‘others’ in history are being lost.

Take for example - Gay Pride. Every year, for many years now, millions gather in gay pride celebrations across our country and around the world to make their voices heard. Every year the numbers grow.

But what does it all really mean. Why do they do it?

Gay pride marches and parades came about to force the mainstream to be aware that the rights of a certain section of Americans were being violated. They also allowed these men and women to express to the world they were not ashamed of who they were. A history of gay pride shows us that in the 1960’s

it was common all over the United States for police to raid gay and lesbian bars. While they were purportedly looking for liquor law or other violations, patrons were arrested and dragged off to jail with no legitimate charges. The names of those arrested were often published in the papers and many of those people were fired from their jobs as a result.

In June of 1969 the threshold had been crossed and gays and lesbians in New York City fought back.

Word quickly spread around the country about the gay people who fought back against the police. The event became known as the Stonewall Rebellion or Stonewall Riots. Although there was a small gay rights movement around the country prior to Stonewall, after 1969 the movement changed.

Since 1969 there has been great progress for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community. That progress has been made with the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of gays, lesbians, and their allies. The celebration of gay pride is supposed to be a reminder of that.

However, the LGBT community, like most other communities in America, is losing the connection to its roots and taking for granted the struggle of those that secured them the freedoms they enjoy today. Gay pride has become nothing more than a party, or in some cases a series of parties, that holds no true meaning. There are few in the LGBT community that force others to reflect on the past, to embolden those in the present, to fight for their future. The leaders of the past have all but given up and the leaders in our present are fragmented and weak.

It may be true that in 2000,President Clinton declared June as Gay & Lesbian Pride Month to honor the contributions of gays and lesbians in American society. But it is also true that in 2003 there were 1,479 reported victims of hate crimes related to sexually orientation. In 2004 11 states banned gay marriage after the courts in one ruled the state constitution allowed for it. And in 2005 the Employee Non-Discrimination Act is still being debated.

Today America is embroiled in one of the most partisan political moments in modern history. In order to keep their power, the two most influential political parties are playing to their bases and seeking middle ground on the most controvesial issues. And of course, these issues include gay rights.

The LGBT community, the American people, and I myself are in need of a new generation of inspirational leaders. Leaders that will provide us with a new sense of America and, most importantly, remind us to respect and revere the hardships of our past.

Though President Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech is over quoted in today’s world (which alludes to the fact the rhetoric of today is dismal) I find this quote fitting.

So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.