Pride month marks
one year since our diarist launched his activist group
in Virginia, and the opportunities activism has opened for
him have made him proud to be an American.
Satre is a junior at Notre Dame Academy, a private
Catholic high school in Middleburg, Va., and the
founder of the Virginia LGBT activist group
Equality Fauquier-Culpeper. He writes regular journal
entries for The Advocate.
A year ago I sat
at my computer, frivolously typing a business plan for
what became known as Equality Fauquier-Culpeper. At that
very moment my life took a 180-degree turn toward
political activism.
Over the past
year I have had more opportunity than I ever thought I
would have in a lifetime. I have challenged congressman,
debated with U.S. senators, testified before Virginia
General Assembly committees, spoken to crowds of
anywhere from 500 to 200,000 people, fallen off a
chair during an interview on national TV, and even served on
two panels at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters
in Washington, D.C., whose discussions were broadcast
on Fox Television and in Tokyo. I spoke for the
minority within our own minority, challenging members of our
own community besides the opposition.
The opportunities
I’ve had were not solely for my benefit. They were
also for other teenagers around the country and the
world so that they would see they can stand as equals
and take action against all odds.
For a year I have
not stood alone--and when I say I, I mean
we. Equality Fauquier-Culpeper has been a team
effort. Every member and officer within the
organization has come together for one shared purpose
and belief that all humans are created equal. We stand
together equally as one human family to promote civil
liberty for every citizen in the commonwealth of
Virginia and in this country regardless of sexual
orientation. Every day we stand beside every individual,
every organization, and every community of people,
whether through an example of truth, a letter to the
editor, or a mass demonstration.
Now it is pride
month and a year since I first became engaged in
activism. This has been a month to show our pride—to
freely show who we are, to express ourselves through
art, music, dance, celebration, and festivity. Many
people showed their pride by waving rainbow flags and
colors. Me? I showed my pride by waving a large American
flag down the streets of the parade, meeting cheers
and nods as I flew down in an orange VW convertible.
A year ago I
hated calling myself an American. My life took a 180-degree
turn toward patriotism. I have pride for who I am: I am an
American. And I believe in liberty and justice for
all, as would any patriot.
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