What Pride Means To Me

It's that time of year again... June 1st marks the beginning of what is known around the world as LGBT Pride Month. 

This year our community has received national recognition from the President of the United States, officially declaring June to be National LGBT Pride Month in honor of those who stood up for their rights during the Stonewall Riots in New York 45 years ago. Although our battle for justice and equal rights is far from over, I'm happy to be alive during a time where it is encouraging to reflect upon our country's progress in helping our brothers and sister receive basic human rights.

I will start by saying that I am beyond excited to have a 45 foot float in the Boston Gay Pride Parade, graciously donated to my cause by the Local Teamsters Union 25 of Charlestown, MA. This will be the FIRST gay pride event that the Teamsters Union is participating in, and I could not be more honored and grateful for their dedication to my dream and vision and to host their first Pride event! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! 

So what do you get when you combine 45 feet of float, with 10,000 watts of sound, 10 drag queens, over 50 screaming/ flailing queers and a disco/funk theme? WHO KNOWS, BUT WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT!!! The Boston Gay Pride Parade begins at 11:00AM on SATURDAY JUNE 14th, 2014!!

Now, let me explain how this is going to work.... This year, the theme for the Three Strange Women Productions Float is DISCO/FUNK/SOUL TRAIN. I have been furiously chasing down disco balls, picking up t-shirts, taking in sponsorship money, making banners, and buying decorations for the past 6 months. Our sound system is going to be OUT OF CONTROL, generously donated by AR Productions LLC/ DJ Daniel Sevelt. We'll be pumping DISCO classics along with tons of recent favorites. We are basically a giant queer party on wheels. 

This type of event takes TONS of time, energy, planning and coordination. The work load is immense and I do the majority of it by myself, with the exception of promotions and, of course, the celebration! I don't get paid for any of this. I created the "TSW Productions Float Campaign" the past two years as a way to give back to my friends, colleagues, and co-workers and to celebrate with those who have loved, supported, and encouraged my work over the years in a way that they'll never forget. 

However, personally, Pride Month is about SO MUCH MORE to me than just rainbows, glitter, and my giant float. It's not about the money, because as I mentioned, I don't actually MAKE money off of this event. It IS about celebrating the lifestyles of the brave individuals who choose to live their lives as OUT individuals.... BUT it also signifies several very important milestones in my personal life as well.

I grew up as an awkward, chubby, little kid, an only child, raised by a single mother, and attended Catholic School for grades K through 10. I developed Diabetes at age 10, spiraled into a sever depression throughout my entire teen years, and also suffered from Alopecia in my mid-teens and early twenties and was forced to wear a hair piece on a daily basis, (alopecia is an autoimmune disease where the body rejects its own hair). Oh, and did I mention the whole figuring out I'm a very queer person situation? It was intense. I'm happy to be past it all.

Everyone has their own stories and struggles, and those experiences are what can make or break a person, depending on how the situations are dealt with.

An extremely long story short, June marks several incredible milestones for me over the past few years. On June 8th 2012, I finally weaned myself off of all prescription medications used to help "control" my depression/ anxiety. On June 12th 2012, I reached a healthy weight and lifestyle goal and found myself at a point where I no longer needed to inject myself with insulin or take any medication at all to control my diabetes... no one just CURES diabetes, I'm a very special case and have lost over 50 pounds in the past 4 years but healthy eating and exercise. On June 7th, 2013 I had reached a point where my alopecia had subsided enough to a point where I no longer needed to wear a hair piece to be seen in public, hence me now rocking the short hairstyle. 

It's a lot to talk and/or think about, and what I can say for sure is that mostly everything about me as a person has evolved over the past 4 or so years, aside from the fundamentals which I live by (no lying, cheating, or stealing in, near, or around my life). Physically, emotionally, aesthetically, and spiritually, I am in an incredible place where I am happy to say I've found an ample amount of security, happiness, and overall love for the person I am. I try not to think of it as me "changing" as much as "growing" into the woman I was always destined to be, but may have been too insecure or unstable to be fully proud of. 

Everyday is a chance to be a better person than I was the day before, and I try to live my life in such a way that I can bring some type of joy, hope, or happiness to anyone else's life.

As I said, Pride Month is a huge deal to me, for several reasons, the gay part being one of the BEST parts, but definitely not the MOST important! At the end of the day, I may not be "rich" or "famous" or have a fancy car and mansion (yet), but I am extremely happy with the progress I've made as an individual, as a business woman, and as a young lady trying to make some type of difference and impact in this world.

I'd like to extend a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has touched my life over the past few years. You've watched and helped me grow into a person I never believed I'd have the opportunity to be. YOU are what make MY life SO SPECIAL. I would be nothing but a girl with a dream without YOUR LOVE. <3

Please take a moment and show some love to our sponsors of this year's Three Strange Women Float In The Boston Pride Parade!

AR Productions LLC

Patty Chen's Dumpling Room

Deep Eddy Vodka

Rock N' Fitness

Dig Boston

Stingray Body Art

Good Vibrations

Local Teamsters 25

Luvable Leashes Pet Sitting

Filth And Decay Clothing

LOVE, LIGHT, AND HAPPINESS <3

Miss Jackie Soriano

CEO | Executive Producer |

Three Strange Women Productions