Thoughts on gay pride parades?

Well initially gay pride parades were a commemoration of the Stonewall Riots and they weren't even called pride parades back then. They were called gay liberation parades and their initial purpose was created so the LGBT community could gain recognition. Gay pride parades initial purpose was great and was needed back then. Do we need them now? You could argue yes and no quite easily. However in their current form I don't think it's helping anyone. I understand the purpose for dressing that way is irony, but really homophobes don't know that

 

I love them. I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating who you are. We have faced so much discrimination and hatred, what's wrong with having an event where we can feel comfortable in our own skin and have a good time while supporting equality? I will definitely be going to pride this year.

 

Homophobes are going to hate you no matter what you do or don't do unless you plan on no longer being LGBT and converting to being a straight person.

Straights flaunt themselves and their sexuality all the time and in near every way possible pretty much 24/7. In fact I bet that you take it so much for granted that you don't even think to object to it any more than a fish thinks to object to the presence of water. If they can do it, we should be perfectly free to do so as well.

What you are essentially arguing is that we should beg the homophobes to please please please like us if only we promise to 'remember our place' and act suitably subservient and ashamed to make them happy. You're free to spend your time however you like, but that sort of behavior didn't work out well in the past, for gay people or black people or anyone else. In fact the only reason you have any rights as a gay person at all is because of people who refused to give in to homophobe pressure and hide and be ashamed like good little slaves.

Thanks, but I'll follow the idea of the people who fought for my freedom, not the people who want to take it away.

Todd

 

Far from reinforcing sterotypes, I think pride parades offer an opportunity to show how diverse we are. The last parade I went to had representation from emergency services, armed forces, trade unions, gay Christians, political parties, charities, major employers + many more... and thousands of LGBT men and women (and children). I see them as a positive thing.

 

I worry maybe they do us more harm than good.

 

I'm going to AtlantaPride this year, it'll be my first parade.

I see your point though, people don't need to be running around almost-naked and making out with strangers. EWW.

That's one reason why I don't want to participate in the "Dyke March", nearly all of the women there rub on eachother and makeout in public. The other reasons being most of them are butches and will probably try to hit on me (butches aren't my type), and they use the word dyke as if it's not offensive.

 

I see two claims here, and they are separate:

"It's making matters worse." and
"It's just really inappropriate."

The first says "this is a problem"; the second says "ick, I don't like it".

If something that has been going on since the 70's is making matters worse, then one should expect to see conditions for LGBT people deteriorating since the 70's, no? Let's review the evidence:

Homosexuality has been removed from the DSM.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in several States, and several more have had attempt to make it *illegal* overturned.
The Supreme Court has basically indicated that they will help keep same-sex marriage from being illegal.
On overwhelming majority of US Citizens support same-sex marriage.
Gays are permitted to serve openly in the US military.
Most Americans these days consider sexuality largely a non-issue.

Do you honestly think we would have made more rapid progress in the past 50 years if only Gay Pride Parades had never been invented??

Or is it really simply something you find distasteful, and therefore can feel free not to participate in?

 

If they do more harm than good it's because people choose to see what they want to see.

There is a reason when people think 'pride' they think of a half naked muscular guy on roller-skates and short shorts covered in glitter.

You walk out into the street and observe groups of people walking around, unless they are holding hands or kissing or something you have no idea what their orientation is. That doesn't make for good media reporting.

When you report pride, people treat it like Mardi Gras of Carnivale. They pick out the WOW parts and ignore the mundane and the regular.

Pride isn't the problem, perception of pride is.

 

I think they are important.
In my point of view, it helps for young gay people to know this thing exists and they are not alone ... at least that what it meant for me years ago!

Biggots will stay biggots, having a parade or not won't change their minds anyway, and as a general rule I don't think people should bend according to others will, why should we then?

 

Oh, they're so much fun. Imatiger and I went to one once during a escape trip from the zoo and we had a blast. Only thing was everybody kept running away and screaming whenever they saw us. Guess we're just too awesome!

 

Yep, we are just that awesome Then the handlers found us and put us back in the zoo

 

Yes, exactly! It makes me feel less alone in this world. I feel so much joy when I see all the beautiful people there celebrating love. After pride I'm always so proud of myself being part of LGBT community!

I wish we lived in a society where we wouldn't need gay pride parades though. I want to march in that parade anyway, cause I feel like it is the least I can do cause there is a lot to be done til we're all equal. If I have kids one day, I want them to grow up in a world where they don't have to hide who they are or love. I think we need those parades as long as there is discrimination, or fear of attending to those. The most important thing, we need to be able to walk in those parades. It would be dangerous if they were forbidden.


I agree on that first one though, that half naked people are not the best way to present the community if we want to be seen as any other people. But pride is such a joyful event, one day day just filled with happiness. So waiting for the next one!

 

I don't get any pride related to being LGBT. It's just the way you are born, nothing to be proud of.
God forbid some straight guy said he was proud of being straight... would get flamed for being homophobic

 

^^^This

 

This is what Im thinking too! If straight people had pride parades (actually there was one in my country last autumn), they'd be seen so homofobic and discriminating. It is interesting how it is ok for minorities to organise parades. Prides also remind of the suffragettes in the UK when they demanded the right to vote for women. Now it feels so absurd that women had to riot to get their voices heard - only a hundred years ago. So Im hoping, one hundred years from now on the gay movement will be seen the same way.

 

To be fair most pride groups are born from the need of the persecuted party to gain recognition and visibility. Later on they end up being a celebration of victory for gaining equality. As for straight pride groups most of them are homophobic, BUT if one were to not be homophobic that would be fine.

 

I've heard that there are bears in this parade, so I'm all for it. Although it would be much better if the floats were made if bamboo

 

I hunk they can be good for visibility and awareness, but can sometimes be a bit over the top.

That said, if people want to do it, good for them. It's not for me to judge. Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not as nuts as some of these people in them. I mean, I'm nuts, but just not that nuts.

Happy days