The ladies of The Phoenix Nest are going live!
On Saturday, August 17th, find all three lovely ladies recording their discussion of Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey at Mostly Books in Tucson!
Quick tip- read the book ahead of time so there won’t be any spoilers! We also welcome listeners to send in questions about the book or ourselves to answer during our live recording.
June 28, 1969, 1:20 am. Stonewall Inn Greenwich Village, New York. A bar where LGBTQ+ people are just trying to live their lives. Police are yelling, people are trying to flee, a riot is brewing. At this time it was illegal to be gay. Let that sink in for a minute… It’s illegal to be gay in 1969 America. Men, women, and those that fell in between were not free to be themselves.
We now live in a world where being part of the LGBTQ+ community is celebrated. We spend the month of June celebrating for those that couldn’t. The first Pride took place a year after the beginning of the riots as a way to mark the anniversary. As a way to remind the world that something as simple as love was being suppressed. Did they know that by saying no they would be celebrated 50 years later?
To me Pride means so much more than many would think. I spent 31 years of my life trying to hide who I really was. In December of 2016 I finally said enough. Coming out is easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Little did I know, I wasn’t going to be questioned about it. I’m fortunate enough to have surrounded myself with people that understand and love me regardless of my sexual orientation. If only the original rioters at Stonewall knew what kind of path they were creating for the future of the LGBTQ+ community.
Let’s never forget that Pride started as a riot. Love is love.
There are a lot of times in my life that I have had to answer difficult questions. Why is the sky blue? Why do I have to teach about metaphors? Why don’t I have to teach sex ed? All good questions. All fair questions (though not always are appropriate times while I’m teaching!).
All deserving of answers.
So, when Jess asked all of the bad bitches of The Phoenix Nest to write a little something about why Pride and Pride matters to us, I was definitely game.
Pride is important to me as an ally. I’ve had many people in my life- both friends and family members- come out to me. Even some students. I always feel honored that they trust me enough to share a part of themselves with me that they may not feel comfortable sharing with the world quite yet.
Pride is important to me because if we have to exist in a world that can be so terrible sometimes, why can’t we acknowledge that all races, sexualities, creeds, and beliefs are capable of being decent humans? Loving someone of the same gender or sex is no different than loving someone who is your physical or genetic opposite.
To be truly equal, we have to give equality a chance. Pride month is the chance to recognize the sameness between humans; the capability of love does not distance itself nor does it transcend; it does not judge and it is a step forward to living the best life possible for each person.
Welcome to The Phoenix Nest! If you like to get cozy with a good (or bad!) romance novel, you’ve stumbled into the right place!
Join us as we read romance novels in various genres and enjoy some friendly conversation and good wine!
Check back for updates soon!
The Phoenix Nest 