So one more year has passed and one more Gay Parade taken place in the wideness of Av. Paulista; 1.8 million people gathered to protest in the name of the rights of the homosexuals, the transsexuals and bisexuals in the world.

This was my second time there. Or at least, the second time I can remember. I don't really know if my parents have ever taken me to a Gay Parade before (which I really don't doubt). Last year it was pretty good. But nothing compared to 2005. This time I really had conscience of what was I doing there. I was really proud to to be part of it, and support the pleading for all the rights that by a very strange reason were denied to us on account of our sexual orientation.

I always thought that it diminished people to say you were proud to be something that neither you nor they really chose to be. It's prejudice against prejudice. A black guy can say another one is a little white rich bloke and if the later calls him negro he's going to feel offended. And I despise this kind of hypocrisy.

But yesterday... Yesterday I was really proud of myself. Not because I am homo (and, who knows? maybe people really are born like this) but because I was a part of all that. Because I was there to say to everyone I just didn't care if they thought it was wrong or not. I am like this, I like it, and I'm not going to change, because you know what? I don't have to feel embarrassed by it. I didn't do anything wrong. At least, not when it comes to this. What right have you then to judge me? We are all equal, for fuck's sake. Humans. And we deserve to be treated as such. We deserve proper Civil Marriages; rights to raise/have children; be able to express our feeling towards each other in public places as much as everyone do; and, most of all, we deserve respect.

Everyone makes a difference. One alone can't create 1.8 million people. But one can make all the difference. And I was there to at least try to prove so.

That is what I was proud of.

But, unfortunately, everything isn't just strawberries with cream. The truth is that the city that has the world's biggest GLBT Parade is also one full of prejudice and homophobia (not to mention all the other cities and town around the Globe).

And I'm tired of it. I'm tired of having to hear my girlfriend cry on the phone saying that her father beat her up for being a lesbian. I'm tired of hiding my feelings in public. I'm tired of having to lie to people. I'm tired of making up imaginary boyfriends. I'm tired of listening to stories of violence that happened to people next to me. I'm tired of seeing my friends suffer because of their families' discrimination. I'm tired of having people pointing fingers at me and saying I'm abnormal. I'm tired of religious people (and even non-religious ones) saying I'm wrong because I love someone of the same gender.

Prejudice is a crime, and people should pay for it. Unfortunately, that is not what happens. I guess we will keep being expelled of shopping malls, avoided, kicked out of our own houses, being beaten up, hiding, wearing masks. And God only knows how much I hate those masks.

One day... One day, hopefully, they will be thrown away. Not just the homosexuals', but everyone's. And prejudice will cease to exist.

*sighs* Stop day-dreaming, Lu. And go fight for it.

"Masquerade, paper faces on parade! Masquerade, hide your face and the world will never find you!"

I am extremely grateful for my family and my friends. I honestly don't know how would I live without their comprehension. And, of course, Kill... I love you very much.