June is (or was, depending on when you read this) international Pride Month.
Beginning in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall uprising, which had occurred the year prior in New York, Pride has grown from events in four US cities into an international observance – a month for LGBTQ+ people to stand up and be counted. To assert their personhood. To demand – still working on this one – a full place at the table.
It’s always great to be a part of Nashville Pride, and this year was no exception. Following the march down Broadway to the riverfront, I worked a shift at my church’s booth at the celebration on Bicentennial Mall with some of my fellow parishioners. As always, the mall was mobbed, and the fashion statements were jaw-dropping. Our booth offered water, handed out fans and streamers, and let people who might be doubting know that there is a place for them – at least there is with us.
As always, I went home after my shift in the booth, about to die of the heat, but feeling happy. And – as always – thinking about real estate.
So, looking for the Pride/real estate overlap, the following …
It’s about life – and how you want to live it. I’ve said it a number of times in this space – your house is the place where you “do” your life. Your house is a part of your identity, a reflection of what makes you, you. Living how you like and where you like is part of the Out and Proud equation.
It’s about taking care of yourself. Owning your authentic identity is self-care. So is owning your own house. Paying your own mortgage rather than someone else’s. Building equity for the future. Painting, decorating, landscaping to suit yourself – all part of making your life authentic and the best it can be.
It’s about freedom. Owning your identity is about freedom from having to hide who you are. Freedom from stereotypes and societally determined norms. Owning your own house means freedom from ever-escalating rent, from potential whims of a landlord, and from ending up with nothing to show for it after spending your life paying rent.
I’m proud to be out. I’m proud to be a realtor. And I’m always proud to help out if you need real estate counsel.