I didn't go to Pride. Even though the parade started on Fifth Avenue, dangerously close to where I work. I decided to sleep in and just show up for my shift.
When I got to the hotel, and heard the whistles and the crowd noises, I felt a little bit guilty about not going and seeing all the cute guys, but then I remembered that I've always felt a little strange about Pride. I mean, sure, it's always been so much fun. But at the same time, I wonder what the intention of Pride is, and if it has anything in common with what it should be.
What I mean is, Pride is a commemoration of the Stonewall Riots, 35 years ago. And in one of the many articles I read about various Pride festivals this weekend, I learned that in Berlin, they called the celebrations this weekend "Christopher Street Day." Isn't that sort of cooler than "Heritage of Pride"? And isn't it ironic that the basic message that we use doesn't mesh with the one used by the media? We can't call it the "Gay Pride Parade" because then the Lesbians or the Transgenders or the Bisexuals or the Who-knows-whats might feel left out. And I'm not trying to say anything negative about anyone, but didn't every single news outlet refer to the parade as the "Gay Pride Parade?" Either they're not understanding us, or we need to rethink exactly how we're delivering our message.
But wait, are we delivering a message? How is a parade with a float from Rentboy.com a message other than "Fags like sex!"? Granted, I wasn't there this year to see if the rentboys were representing, but I've sort of cringed every time I've noticed them in the past.
Of course, the last time I was there, I thought about how cool it was that Hillary was marching with us. Was she there this year? Hope so.
Even at the biggest gay pride I ever went to, the 1993 March on Washington, so much of the weekend seemed more about having fun and getting laid than it was about getting the message across that we are here, and we are normal (albeit horny) people who deserve equal (not special) rights.
I'm not trying to say that Pride is not a wonderful thing. It is; it's great that there are so many people who are proud enough to come out to Fifth Avenue and say, "I'm here and I'm (insert whatever "alternative sexual terminology word thingy" here) and I'm proud of that!" It is.
And how great is it that the New York Times would actually run an article on the parade that features a photo of a "normal" looking family with two moms as they are exchanging wedding vows, rather than the photos of leather daddies or 8 foot high drag queens. Of course, they simply referred to it as the gay pride parade.
And I wasn't there. And I pretty much wish I had been.
Posted by Jon at June 28, 2004 01:51 PM | TrackBack