This is really only true in Toronto, but I figured I would wish it to everyone here anyway! The Gay Pride parade was today in Toronto and I just got back from it. It was a blast, I can't believe how many people were there for it. It was a lot of fun and I think I might make it a yearly routine.
Later Days
pride parades always seem weird to me. while I appreciate the sentiment and reasons behind it, they now just seem like excuses for people to get drunk and act out cliches.Originally Posted by mouseman004
On that note, I completely agree, and I don't like how sexually charged the crowd tends to be sometimes. There is no need for men or women to go out wearing next to nothing just to promote the fact they are proud of who they are. I saw a lot more old man butt than I ever needed to. That being said, watching the parade and seeing the different groups marching was really cool. Teachers unions with signs that say "We love our LGBT students", cop cars with pride flags, military vehicles, university professors. The amount of support that was there made it a really cool environment.
Later Days
Pride was last weekend in Chicago. I enjoy the celebrations. I love the shock factor, especially for those that are anti-gay. It's nice to see people out in public being proud of what they are, and not being bashed for it.
at this point though, how much of a shock factor is it? How are you putting anything forward when you're in chaps and have a rainbow dildo on your head and a sign that calls you a unicock? When things started yes, but now? You want shock factor for those folks, you have gay families walking. You have "normal" people walking holding hands and kissing. You don't have people walking around like mr slave.
Well, where I live it still is shocking to some people. Very shocking. And, where do I see the Unicock?
it's interesting, but down here people wearing crazy shit and acting clichés are more like an amusement for the rest of the folks who see em. they just laugh, while still thinking of them as freaks. it's not shocking but i dont think it does any special good to the LGBT crowd.
where you live maybe, but the people who are attending a gay pride parade in Chicago, I have a hard time believing.
Let's assume that it is very shocking. What's the point of it then? I know what the point of it was, but that time and era have passed. All it's doing at this point is reinforcing stereotypes and giving homophobes examples to point to.
Yeah but the whole point of pride parades is to not care what homophobes decide to point to. Maybe they reinforce stereotypes just because it is a weekend where they can without having to worry about the possible societal repercussions. Pride weeks are an outlet for things that can't normally be expressed 358 days of the year. If some dude decides that he wants to be a unicock for the weekend, that is his prerogative and the point of the parades is that now he CAN be that unicock (I realise it is a ridiculous example, but an example nonetheless). I don't personally buy into the extreme sexual nature of the week or things like wearing nothing but a jock strap, but they really aren't hurting anyone, so if that is how someone decides they want to express themselves for that one weekend of the year all the power to them.
Later Days
at this point in time, I put forth that they are actually hurting their cause and themselves as a community in the process. At this point, where gay acceptance is higher than ever and increasing over time in Canada and the US, all this does is reinforce that they are a fringe element rather than your neighbors, teachers, dr's, etc. The concept of being a spectacle because you're gay is counter-intuitive to any kind of positive social agenda. It was done in the past because most people had to hide being gay for fear of losing jobs, social status, etc. This just isn't the case any more.
There is a certain amount of resistance (as there always had been) within the LGBTQ community to remain outside of heteronormative culture and thus be antagonistic towards its norms. This is the reason why there was a lot of queer criticism against the idea of "gay marriage."
It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us.
I think it's a stretch to call it a lot since the overwhelming majority of statements have been very much in favor of the idea.
If you don't float around queer circles of news or discourse I can understand why it would seem minimal due to a lack of mainstream media paying attention to it. There really is a lively debate over the issue that is still going on.
It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us.
and it's still a very small amount and not representative of a very large amount. The vast majority of folks are very much in favor for it, trying to paint it any other way, isn't really accurate. most people want the option even if they never intend to marry themselves.
But this inherently assumes that the intended outcome is to be something that isn't a fringe social element. Not all of those within the LGBT community want to be looked at simply as your neighbor. The goal isn't to hide the fact you might be someone's queer neighbor who is different from everybody else, but instead for those differences to be noticed AND accepted. There is a big difference between wanting equal rights and wanting to become assimilated into mainstream culture.
Besides, they have fetish and sex shows all the time with costumes and actions that are a lot more extreme than what we see at pride parades, and nobody really judges people who attend those when they are outside of the show, so why should pride parades be any different? If somebody wants to be a unicock at a pride parade, that should have no bearing on their lives outside of the parade. If that is how my Dr. decides to get down outside of office hours, all the power to him!
Later Days
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