"Love is love" and "All means all."
Those were the phrases of the day Saturday afternoon in downtown Anchorage as the LGBT community and its allies marched through the streets in the 2015 PrideFest Equality Parade. People dressed in colorful clothing, and parade entries were conferred such awards as: "Best Themed," "Building Equality," "Pride Choice," "Most Fabulous," "Campiest," and "Best Float."
I can tell you from experience that judging the entrants in this parade is one of the best ways you will ever spend an afternoon, because I was honored to have been a Pridefest parade judge in 2012.
Things continue to feel better and better every year. As I stood on the corner of Seventh Avenue and F Street, I didn't feel like I was standing with an outcast community, because I wasn't -- I felt like I was standing among friends.
Identity Inc. organized the parade, which was emceed by the fabulous Daphne DoAll Lachores of Mad Myrna's fame. Watching the parade without her commentary is just not quite the same. Leading the way was Dykes on Bikes, a lesbian motorcycle club that historically leads gay pride parades. Daphne explained that this probably originated for logistical reasons and the one of the members of the groups explained she was there to "lead the way for her brothers and sisters behind her."
All of this fantastic celebration of self, friendship and community came on the heels of some displays of tremendous hate against the same community around the country.
Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, began the process to become a woman.
This was enough to spark hateful comments all over social media, talk radio and television, however, ESPN became one more outlet added to the targets of faux disgust.
ESPN announced that the Arthur Ashe Courage Award would be awarded to Caitlyn Jenner this year. This sparked a slew of hateful Facebook memes comparing Jenner to many members of the military that lost limbs and met various other fates, questioning why they weren't more worthy.
The problem is that it's a false premise. It's not that they aren't more or less worthy – it's a sports award, it's an ESPY. The award last year was given to Michael Sam, a college linebacker who announced that he was gay as he was about to enter the NFL draft.
Other past winners include Billy Jean King, Muhammad Ali, and The family of Ed Thomas, a high school football coach who was murdered by a mentally ill man released by a hospital less than 24 hours before the shooting.
The only military personnel who have received the award are brothers Pat and Kevin Tillman, who were both athletes. Pat was a professional football player, and Kevin played minor league baseball. Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Iraq, spurring his brother to become an anti-Iraq war advocate.
It is courageous for Caitlyn Jenner to stand up in her new body and embrace her identity in public. Some people need to understand it is not their business how other people live their own lives when it has no bearing on them.
We cannot make people stop hating others. Some will always fear what is different; some will never embrace what they cannot understand. However, as a community, those of us who support our LGBT neighbors can do so loudly rather than quietly.
We should stand with them and show our strength in numbers. We need to insist that in everything, all means all. And when we discuss equal rights, we must insist that equal really does mean equal. There are no degrees of equality.
In the recent mayoral election, two of the candidates told Anchorage voters that they needed to see proof that folks in the LGBT community are discriminated against. That isn't the first time voters heard such a call for evidence, despite the number of citizens who have shown up at the Anchorage Assembly Chambers to give examples from their own lives.
This is a discussion about protecting individuals' civil rights. Thank goodness we have a mayor-elect to be sworn in July 1 who understands everybody deserves the protections in the law that are supposed to protect us all.
Someday, hopefully soon, this entire conversation will seem silly. People will be free to love whomever they love without facing shame or ridicule. Nobody will try to tell anybody else whom they can or cannot marry, and our rights will not be based on our choice of life partners. However, that day is not quite here yet.
Until then, we can continue to support our neighbors and remember that love is love and all means all.
Mike Dingman is a fifth-generation Alaskan born and raised in Anchorage. He is a former UAA student body president and has worked, studied and volunteered in Alaska politics since the late '90s. Email him at michaeldingman(at)gmail.com.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.