Is Gay pride needed?

I totally agree and that's the reason why I'd never be apart of one! Being gay is normal and shouldn't be celebrated.

 

Yes, I think so. It's the one time of year that all the different GLBT groups come together to celebrate our sameness and our differences. After pride week bears go to their bar. Lesbians go to their club. Drag queen and king s put on their shows. Leather folks have their club. My point is that we do come together at least once a year.

 

I like to think of pride as being something like "oh, well, we've got our own culture and despite naysaying, we're proud to openly showcase this shared culture and experience."

I mean, why can't someone revel in their differences and be proud of them? A cultural group shouldn't have to be as close to the majority as possible in order to be considered acceptable. I find when people say "we're all human beings, we're all the same," we're neglecting the fact that as people, we're all different, we all come from different backgrounds. No, no one's the same. And we should be able to recognize and accept that no one person, regardless of what culture or group they're from, is going to fit perfectly into the boxes assumed for 'normal people'.

We're all human beings. And human beings are diverse and kind of weird.

 

I see what you mean and you definitely make a good point. However since LGBT are a minority population I think it's important to have pride about our sexuality. Some could argue that there's such a thing as "straight pride" and that straight people flaunt their sexuality. To me, gay pride doesn't mean shoving your sexuality in someone's face--it just means not being afraid to let others know about that part of yourself and that it's a part of who you are. And it's definitely important to speak up and show pride about it to show that we won't be silenced just because some people don't approve of who we love.

 

This is something that comes up a lot, and the simple answer is "Sort of".

But that's really quite unhelpful so I'll give you the long answer too!

So when most people think of 'pride' in any sense, they think a celebration of achievement. For example:

I'm proud when I score high marks on my assignments.

I did something good, therefore I can celebrate that fact. This is known as 'pride'.

So can I be proud of my orientation? Well, no, not really. I didn't DO anything, it just IS. As people so LOVE to point out "You don't have STRAIGHT pride parades".

Now if you ever hear someone use the phrase "You don't have STRAIGHT pride parades" you have my full permission to slap them or kick them in the crotch. Or both.

Why? Because it neglects two very important things.

1. The TRUE object of pride
2. SHAME

The true object of pride

When I say 'object of pride', I'm talking about the thing we are supposed to be proud of. Obviously you can't be proud that you like people of the same sex, it makes no sense to be proud of that. There is no achievement there. It merely IS.

But take a step back and think bigger. How many times have you heard someone be called 'gay' as an insult? How many times you have heard of gay people getting picked on, disowned, beaten, jailed or killed?

We are very lucky. VERY lucky. You live in the UK too, things aren't GREAT for gay people here, there are a lot of very vocal, and often violent arseholes out there. "Gay" is still the go-to 'bad word' for a vast amount of people. It takes a lot for someone to stand there and admit that they are gay and that being gay is fine in the face of that. We can be PROUD of the fact that we did that.

As I say, we are lucky it's not too bad here. Now look across the world, in some parts of the world you can be jailed for being gay. But these people still refuse to hide who they are. Absolutely those people can be proud as hell.

Gay pride isn't about being proud to be gay, it's about being proud that you were true to yourself even though so many people try and tell you that you shouldn't be.

Which leads me on to the second part.

Shame

Shame is the opposite of pride.

Now I ask you this, with the exception of a few mindless dickheads on tumblr, how often do you hear people 'straight shaming'? How often do you hear people get ridiculed for being straight?

You don't.

As I say, there are SOME people who seem to think 'straight shaming' is OK to do, and those people are morons. But for the most part you will not hear someone say "Dude, you can't do that...that is SO staight..." or ask their friend "Gross...he's straight! Why would you want to talk to him?"

It's a question of balance.

There is an old piece of advice that used to be given out. "When someone puts you down for something, own it and be proud!"

Your mother sends you to school in a tie. Other kids make fun of it. You spend the rest of the day proving their remarks don't bother you by reminding everyone how proud you are of this tie.

This is a common one for people with red hair or freckles. You get picked on for those things and suddenly you are told the best way to combat the bullying is to take pride in it. You can't change it, so you may as well love that part of yourself.

That's where this comes from. Now when 'gay shaming' stops being a thing, we won't need 'pride'.

When phrases like "that's gay" or "you look gay", when names like "fag", "queer" or "dyke" are gone forever, when people stop treating homosexuality like deviency and it becomes accepted universally as being as normal as being straight, we will have no need for pride.

Until then, it's our learned defence. Pride is probably the wrong word. Self love is a better description of the feelings. But that doesn't work so well as a title.

 

Agreed!

 

I would like to say so, but given that parades (at least in Australia) are dominated by middle-class, slim, white men and have a habit of excluding others, I don't think so.

The pride parades are far too limited in their scope.

 

I think every oppressed minority group, whether it be sexual, gender, ethnic, religious, or whatever else, needs a time and place to just *be* themselves without worrying about being treated as outsiders or inferiors, and Pride is one of the few examples we, as queers, have.

It's not perfect, there are parts I might disagree with, but that doesn't make me think we should scrap the whole thing and live up to some heterosexual ideal simply because they might get the wrong idea. Do Irish-Americans say, "They're going to think we're all rowdy drunks!" or do women say, "We're only going to re-enforce the idea that feminists are all man haters"? Well, possibly, but those don't strike me as particularly strong arguments against the need to have those spaces in the first place.

Besides, isn't that what being a community is all about? We're going to disagree, compromise, work together, otherwise, what's the point of having such events in the first place? I think it's great that so many varied groups and individuals are able to come together and mingle, considering just how little understanding and conflict seemingly exists between the various sub cultures.

 

No.
Why do I need to have pride of something I was born with?
It's kind of like saying I need "arm pride".

Which is absurd.

 

^ Well, after reading Holly's essay up there, I can say...
I'd still rather take a neutral stance. Right now, I don't think I can have self-love.
(Being trans doesn't mean hating myself. No, I'm just trying to fix this dysphoria with medicine. Kind of like getting a cough drop when you have a cough... But that's not my point.)
I have too many flaws. I can't accept that.

So, for now, I don't think pride in my sexuality or transgender status is really warranted.

 

I would like to go to meet other lesbians :icon_redf

 

Well, or course they aren't objectively necessary, but as we Queer people are a frequently persecuted minority worldwide, I think Gay Pride -- especially during the current age -- is a very positive force for all Queer people. Granted, as Aussie stated, Gay Pride is not always ideal to everyone, but as a symbol of our history and as a beacon of hope, I personally consider Pride to be very necessary.

And hey, one day we might not celebrate with huge festivals and dedicated months, but little moments of Gay Pride--in poetry, literature, music, weddings, &c.--I hope will still exist even after the great storms of hatred have passed. It's a great and beautiful thing to appreciate, as Queer humans, those little queer aspects that mark us as unique, just as humans in the present constantly celebrate the little and not-so-queer aspects that make people unique, whether heterosexual love or something as universal as family and community.

Oh, and having an opportunity to meet a cute guy/gal/neither/both that'll probably be interested in you also is a plus, if not so idealistic ^_^

 

Here is this man opinion. Pride is just another holiday, like Christmas, Valentines Days, St. Particks day, Cinco De Mayo, Independence day, Thanksgiving, etc.

Nothing wrong with taking a day to celebrate. You can choose to not celebrate if don't care to.

Myself, pride is really the only holiday I like to celebrate. Yeah I didn't choose to be gay, but I had to overcome a lot to live as an openly gay man. I think that is something worth celebrating.

 

ElliaOtaku said all I was gonna say. Pride's more in the context of you're not ashamed to hide your true self in a world that hates you. Of course, if it's not your thing, there's nothing wrong with not participating in Pride related things. A lot of LGBT people don't celebrate it.