Among the more anachronistic relics of the gay liberation period is the Pride Parade. No mystery why, in Manhattan and other blue-state oases, it's a dying institution:"I live in New York, and it's sort of like every day is Gay Pride Parade," said Matt Davie, 37, an associate publisher at Simon & Schuster, standing in the main room of G Lounge in Chelsea on June 14. "It's not this special day that I can suddenly throw on my rainbow flag, or whatever. That's every day. I don't need this special day where I'm out of the closet."
This is a very good thing. There was a time when a black on a TV show was a big deal. Today we don't think anything of it -- that's the success of the civil rights movement in our daily lives. And when the gay rights movement can get to the point where being openly gay is no big deal, and nothing that requires a parade to celebrate, then we will take one more step toward being a truly free society
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Comments (3)
At least in New York anyway.
1. Posted by Heralder | June 26, 2007 8:45 AM
Posted on June 26, 2007 08:45
After marching in the parade for two years and attending the parade the four years before that, I have found more reason to be proud of being gay. I am so tired of all the bashing of the parade by gay people. New York City does parades very well, so why shouldn't we have a parade as well. Other cultures have parades: Polish, Indian, Russian, Puerto Rican, etc. and none of those cultures complain. But the gays do! Well, the self-loathing ones do.
I am Gay and Puerto Rican and I do both parades proudly. How do I do this? I ignore all the politics involved. I enjoy the floats, the music and the colorful marchers. The Pride Parade is about recognizing what "we" as gay people have done to continue forwarding our right as a people and celebrating our culture. But others would simply have it go away. I have a suggestion; why don't you simply leave town that weekend and stop spoiling it for the millions who do enjoy it.
Who cares if the lesbians want to march first, does that take away from the enjoyment you will get from the rest of the participating groups? Ignore all that nonsense and simply enjoy your special day of recognition. Yes, you are gay everyday, so why not just enjoy your one special day of celebration and continue being gay the rest of your 364 days of the year.
2. Posted by Robert A. Espino | June 27, 2007 1:58 AM
Posted on June 27, 2007 01:58
Make no mistake -- I'm not bashing the parade. I will just be glad when our society gets to the point where being gay is no big deal. Back in the bad ol' days of the Stonewall Riots, gays needed an outlet to express themselves in a positive manner to a society that either reflexively hated them or who treated them as a caricature.
Hopefully we're moving beyond that point now. Yes, there are still societal backwaters who confuse the roles of faith and government and expect everybody on earth to be just like them, but thankfully they are becoming fewer as time passes.
3. Posted by Paul Hamilton | June 27, 2007 2:06 AM
Posted on June 27, 2007 02:06