This tweet struck a chord with me, and while I don't often get personal on the Tweeters, given the point made here, I feel it's important. So here we go. Happy #pridemonth. https://twitter.com/jpbrammer/status/871463554070835200

Confession: When I was younger, I never really bought into the idea of "pride."

Maybe it was my strict religious upbringing. Maybe it was a feeling that "this is just one small part who I am, no more important than any other part, especially the things I've actually worked for." Maybe it was self-loathing. I don't know.

At a point in recent history, I was at a music festival (a camping one, none of this urban festival bologna), known for being a relatively welcoming/open place, but still not a place where the gays were oft seen, at least openly. I'd been going every year for a decade.

I was with a guy I liked, & being old enough to genuinely not give a damn what anyone else thought, I started dancing with him at one of the stages. He wasn't entirely comfortable, but played along for a bit. I was fairly persistent. I apologized after for any discomfort caused.

He wanted to know why I was so persistent. While I was finding the words "I'm here, with you, there's music, and I wanted to dance, who gives a hoot what anyone has to say about it," I looked around and I realized that was part of it, but not quite it.

When it hit me, I started to tear up. I looked at him, and I said the following:

I've been coming to this place for a long time, starting well before I even turned 21. Some of these kids are 18, 19, 20 years old.

When I was that age, coming here, I never in a million years would have shown affection towards another dude. I was petrified. I had nobody to look to for guidance. I was with my (wonderful) straight friends. I watched them dance with their girlfriends & had to live vicariously.

If just ONE of these kids saw us and thinks to themselves "hey, I can be myself here. I'm not alone. Maybe I can also enjoy this amazing experience to the same extent as everyone around me without hiding who I am," it's worth it a billion times over.

So yea, I was dancing for myself. But I was also dancing to do whatever small part I could to make sure that the younger kids here, who might be just as scared as I was, don't have to experience things the way that I did, or the way that you did.

If I can help them feel any bit more normal, accepted, and welcome here, you're damn right I'm going to take the opportunity.

I think that's when I really began to understand why #pride is important.

And sure enough, we had plenty of folks walking by giving us high fives while we danced, and even stopping us to say thanks "for keeping it real" and "setting an example."

I spent the rest of the weekend, and even some nights after getting home, hoping at least one kid suffering from the same crippling anxiety, uncertainty, and lack of confidence that I used to feel, saw us that night and found some strength in it.

/THREAD.