This Saturday (June 26th) at 4:30pm I'll be at the at Lovers' Bridge just across the National  Palace of Culture in order to show my support for the 3rd Annual Sofia Pride Parade. And I'd encourage you to join me.

So, why I am doing this? Well for a lot of different reasons.  At this point, I guess that many of my American readers are thinking, so what? And Bulgarian readers are thinking thinking something a long the lines of, really?

I guess that some of you may be thinking:  Carolyn, this isn't is your fight. You're a single white middle class American who self identifies as straight. Let this one go.

Or you may be thinking: Carolyn, it isn't safe. Two years ago at the first Pride Parade 60 protesters were arrested after inciting violence.

Then again maybe you're thinking: Carolyn, what's the point? One person won't make a difference.

But that's the thing, if I allow myself to be silenced, limited and contained before even getting out there those who have lobbied so heavily (and angrily) against homosexuality have won. If they stop me in my tracks before I've even left my house, they get exactly what they want.  Theirs is a rhetoric of hate, violence, fear and shame. A rhetoric that I  believe has no place in the 21st century. A rhetoric that I cannot let shape my decisions or my actions.

By not going, by not speaking out, I let hate control me.  So I'll be at the parade because I refuse to be controlled, manipulated, limited or silenced by this kind of hate. Luckily a parade isn't just about resisting hate. It's about much more than this.<!--more-->

A parade is a celebration.  I am going to be celebrating my friends, students, colleagues and peers both gay, straight and everything in between.  These are men and women who are incredible people and who have influenced my life, my thinking and my actions in a myriad of different ways. They've taught me that the world is not black and white, that love comes in a variety of different shapes, colors and sizes, and that my life is richer with these voices, perspectives and people in it.

So I will celebrating that which gives us our shared humanity as well as that which makes us different. This is because, ultimately, I believe that diversity makes us stronger.  And that no one should be ashamed of his or her race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. I will be celebrating this diversity.

In the midst of all of this, I will also be standing up, supporting and celebrating those who are taking some of their first public steps in Bulgaria and saying: I am proud of being me no matter what anyone else thinks.  And that it seems is a wonderful and incredible thing.  It's not easy but it's worth doing.

It's for these reasons and more that I'll be at the parade on Saturday.  And once again, no matter what your sexual orientation is, I'd urge you to join me.  This is not just a parade for gay people, this is a parade for all of us. It's a celebration of life and love and a refusal to let hate control us.