WHAT WE STAND FOR

Let’s make a few things clear…

PRIDE DIVIDES is PRO inclusivity, PRO diversity and most of all, PRO HUMAN. We are NOT an anti-(fill in the blank) organization. We don’t advocate ANY form of hate, violence, nor do we seek to bring any negativity to the world. Quite the opposite.

Let’s also take a moment to acknowledge that PRIDE can be positive and healthy. 

That being said, part of our movement lies in the exploration of what it means to be prideful. 

We invite you to explore this with us and ask only that you keep an open mind. We may challenge social norms and things may feel uncomfortable at times. Please, stick with us and you’ll see this all leads back to love, compassion, respect and empathy for ALL humans. 

Often we fail to differentiate the source of our pride. 

First, let’s examine some sources of PRIDE:

• A parent might feel proud of their child for a good grade on a school exam

• One might feel proud for setting a new personal record running a 5k 

• Perhaps we feel PRIDE for someone else who’s accomplished something we regard as challenging. 

These examples of PRIDE all find their source organically through effort and hard work. This is NOT the kind of PRIDE we consider divisive. 

Other sources of PRIDE may be fostered through: 

• One’s heritage, country or religion

• One’s social class or wealth 

• One’s race, gender or sexual orientation

As we examine the above attributes, it’s worth noting that one can not choose their families heritage, nor can you select where you’re born. One has no control over what social class they’re born into and oftentimes one is “born into a religion”. 

Though the lines have begun to blur on a person's choice of gender and sexual orientation, depending on who you ask (and we’ll leave that discussion for another time), biological gender, sexual orientation and race are also NOT choices, rather attributes we’re born or assigned at birth (depending on how you interpret it). 

So how and why are we often taught to feel PRIDE for such attributes when we’ve had little to no control in attaining them?

Whether or not it is one’s intention, to feel PRIDE towards a given characteristic (such as those listed in the second list above), one inadvertently begins to foster negative feelings towards those who do not share similar characteristics. It’s natural, it’s normal and to be fair, it’s often unintentional. Sir Isaac Newton made the observation that for every action, there’s an equal or opposite reaction.

Let’s hit the “PAUSE” button and take a glimpse back in time. Historically speaking, what has fueled (and continues to fuel) some of our planet's deadliest and brutal massacres? 

As a species we’ve fought in the pursuit of:

• Territory / Wealth / Natural Resources

• Superior religions, races and classes

One could make the argument that natural resources are worth fighting for, although more equitable solutions are certainly attainable. 

PRIDE has been branded and defined as something positive. Again, there’s little doubt that this modern branding was rooted in positivity. However, with closer examination we find ourselves “more divided than ever”. This is a phrase we hear all too often. So what’s gone wrong?

Rather than taking PRIDE in our species' overwhelming similarities, we continue to DIVIDE ourselves into more and more categories. 

This is a mistake. 

There is work to be done to reverse this trend. It’s uncomfortable, it challenges social norms and might initially be met with some backlash. However, if we shed all the layers of “PRIDE” we’ve caked on over the years, beneath we’ll find our bare HUMAN skin. Beneath the coats of segregation, exclusion and division lie simple and beautiful HUMAN commonalities. After all, does laughter not sound the same in all languages? Does a smile not look the same all over the world? Does a mother feel love for her child differently in Australia than a mother in Uganda? Does hunger care about your sexual orientation? Is a yawn less contagious coming from one religion to another? We are far more similar than we are different. 

Be whoever you want to be. Identify however you darn please. Leave your PRIDE out of the equation and let’s meet each other ONLY as fellow HUMANS. Let us always START with compassion, empathy and respect.

 Where we go from there…….well……

If you feel that PRIDE creeping back inside of you, take a moment to explore its source. Did you play a role in its development? Is it an inherent characteristic that you were born with? Is the PRIDE rooted in your own hard work? 

Please remember, the PRIDE DIVIDES movement is about unity. Perhaps one day we can revisit PRIDE as we see/use it today. For now, our goal is to STOP THE DIVISION and celebrate each other, our neighbors and maybe even identify similarities we share with our perceived enemies.  Let’s take care of each other. Smile…..it’s universal.