Michael Maize – A Heart of Pride

June 4, 2019

BGB Equality

A heart of pride… gratitude… courage.

We are here. June 2019. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. And I remind myself of the pride I have for being an independent, strong-willed gay man who continues to let down my walls of falsehood. I feel the gratitude for having the freedom to live the life that I lead. And, courage sparks from my soul igniting new paths and conquering new feats of expression, as I combat the intense homophobic actions which still prevail today.

It is easy to get bogged down in the political upheaval we are experiencing as a cultural mass, and there are indeed days where it feels as if I am trudging through the marsh of bigotry. I march ever forward with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. But, as I sit to write out these words, I am feeling something different this month. At the bottom of my gut, I feel the truth of a counter-culture that is combating the narrow-minded and ignorant views on sexuality and gender identification. My heart softens and I loosen the grip on the weapons. You cannot fight fire with fire. Instead, you can pierce truth into people’s ignorance by leading with a fearless example of veracity.

I have gratitude that I can write this blog and publish it online. I am thankful that I can marry a man in the country I live in. It humbles me to know that I have the freedom to produce an immersive theater production exploring gender fluidity and sexual identity. And, I feel courage to know that the fight is far from over. It is up to us, up to me, to not give up. To swing harder than I have ever swung before.

So, let’s write. Let’s produce. Let’s express. Let’s ignite. There is so much chaotic energy to cloud our vision. But, also so much synergy to create. For chaos is energy in of itself. And energy is available for us to grab hold of.

“In all chaos there is a cosmos. In all disorder a secret order.” ~Carl Jung

Explore Michael Maize’s IMDb.

Related Posts