Having Pride in ourselves, the animals, the planet and the universe -- #HappyPride2025 #govegan #amreading

Janet Mason
Jun 29
3 min read

As part of a Unitarian Universalist service focusing on Pride this morning, I reflected on the progress I've seen over forty-plus years and the recent rollbacks since November 2025, and how Pride connects with veganism and the importance of self-love.

The talk is on YouTube, and below the video is the text.

I’ve been queer for a very long time. A childhood friend signed my yearbook in high school, “to the queerest girl I know.” She wasn’t wrong. But I was queer with a lower case “q” then – meaning I was an odd bird, a bookworm surrounded by working class conformity. I still had a few years to go until I became a lesbian feminist with a capital “L” and an “F” – far before the initials of LGBTQ+ came along. When the term Queer came into vogue—several decades ago — I adopted that moniker because it was more inclusive.

In the past forty years and then some, I’ve seen a lot of progress. It’s been hard, not so much for myself, but for my concern for the young queers, particularly those in the trans community, to see that progress rolled back. Forty-plus years ago, we had to create our own communities, including institutions, to live our lives. I always thought I enjoyed being an outlaw, and I did make the most of it. But really, what other choice was there?

Recently, when I was reading a late friend’s book about being a young gay man in the bars, I read about a young hustler who had a psychotic break in the bar. I witnessed the same thing when a lesbian at a women’s music festival had a psychotic break in the woods. The settings and symptoms were different, but my friend’s (the author Jim Cory’s) work made me understand that the external and internal pressures of living in a homophobic society caused those breaks.

Being an outlaw may have seemed like fun (and maybe it was), but it was necessary. It may be human nature to look back with nostalgia, but it’s dangerous to romanticize the past, and starting from scratch isn’t something I’d wish on anyone.

About five and a half years ago, my partner, Barbara, and I went to a healthy plant-based diet because of medical reasons. Shortly afterwards, we both had major shifts in our thinking about the rights of animals and our planet. Recent developments in quantum physics prove that everything is connected. But we know that.

I feel so good that there have been times when I seem like a different person, even to myself. Being different gave me plenty of experience for being vegan, but I am still the same person. I am just lucky to be here.

After some reflection, I realized the essential thread between my past and present is love. I love the animals, and I love the planet. I love feeling part of the universe, now more than ever. Perhaps most of all, I love the human animal that I am. It's radical to be healthy. And it’s fun.

Pride may be for a particular group of people. But we all need Pride. The world would be a different place if everyone loved themselves. We may all be on different paths, but we can breathe together and inhale compassion for ourselves and others.

Inhale compassion to a count of three.

Then exhale to a count of five and breathe out peace–– for ourselves and for all beings in the world.

Please breathe with me.

Let’s begin…

--Breathe--

Happy Pride.

Namaste