I've been researching about 'Gay Culture' recently, and obviously a big part of of it is Pride Parades. I'm half considering going to the next one in Dublin (whenever that is), but I honestly know next to nothing about it. To anyone who has first-hand experience, could you please explain the basics? Do you just stand around and watch, or is it a more involved thing? Sorry if I sound a bit stupid asking this, but I don't really have any other first-hand sources to find out about this P.S. I'm not too sure if this is best-suited to the Chit-Chat thread, but I also just wanted this to be a place for people to discuss their personal experiences at a Pride Parade Thanks in advance!
The one time I went to a Pride Parade, I just stood & watched .. pretty much everyone else there was doing the same thing as well. (there was also a 'fence' between the sidewalk & street where the parade was). I personally prefer to go to the festival part of pride instead of parades, & have gone to those multiple times.
If you are interested in walking in the parade, there are a lot of ways to do this, and I highly recommend it. You can find an organization that is going to participate and volunteer with them. Organizations are typically more than happy to offer volunteers the ability to participate. Alternatively, if you have a friend whom participates with such an organization, you can go with them. Walking in the parade is a great confidence boost. It is also a lot of fun! Walking down the street and seeing everyone in support is truly amazing. Even seeing some with signs against LGBT is quite comical when participating. Separately, you can always just go and watch! Watch all the floats, all the creativity, all the characters. It is a fun time just the same. Usually the parade is just part of a broader day of activities, concerts etc that you can participate in as well. Go for it!
It might difffer a bit depending on where you are, who you're with, etc. One time I just walked along in the parade with a friend of mine and chatted about random stuff, another time (first time) I was with Amnesty and we walked in the parade then we had a little booth set up where we gave out rainbow lollies, sold cold drinks and fabulous cupcakes, informed about stuff, collected signatures, and stuff. Last time around I was in a small black bloc formation thingy, holding a banderole and shouting some slogans etc.
I want to do parades but I'm not fond of crowds. Also, because I'm still mostly a female presenting trans guy who is attracted men, I often feel like I wouldn't be welcomed at one.
