Pride is sort of like every holiday rolled into one. We dress up like its Halloween (though arguably there’s only one costume theme), we celebrate love like it’s Valentine’s day, the excitement is so high you’d think it was Christmas and we eat like it’s Thanksgiving.
Ha! Kidding — who eats during Pride?
Also just like Halloween, the veil is mighty thin. Anything can happen.
Below, guys turn to Whisper to share their Pride experiences — the good, the incredible and yes, the not-so-good too.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Happy Pride!
bottom250
Pride is all about hooking up and celebrating the male body
Matt Achine
@bottom250: That’s the damn truth. What lesbians?
martinbakman
I kissed my boss at Pride and now want to take it further. I haven’t told my boyfriend yet. <– Yes, sex with the boss is always a great idea. Can't wait to hear what your BF thinks about it. LOL
bottom250
@Matt Achine: I know right. Men, Men and More men
Scribe38
@bottom250: Pride is what you make it. I saw plenty of families at Detroit’s pride this year. Personally we went this year because of Orlando. I wanted to mourn with people who truly understood the lost. It was also nice seeing the young gay kids brought by straight parents or seeking away own to get their first taste of gay culture.
AJAnders
“Went full nude at pride today. It was so much fun.”
Ummmm…not that I’m against naked guys. But can’t you get arrested for that?
AtticusBennett
I’ll be marching next Sunday with PFLAG, like i Do every year. And i’ll be hitting the beer gardens, the streets, and i’m gonna be the gayest darn gay who ever gayed.
i’ve seen more than a few comments and posts about how this year, in light of the Orlando massacre, “all eyes will be on Pride and we need to be *careful* how we behave and represent the community”.
They’re right. We do need to be “careful” how we “behave” and “represent.”
We need to have the GAYest, QUEERest, messiest, sexiest, most glorious and joyful Pride ever. Throw gender-nonconformity into the wind with fistfuls of glitter. Shake and grind our asses harder.
“Dance like nobody’s watching?” No. Dance like you’re on Soul Train, coming down the line, in your sexiest attire with your best moves ON POINT. Dance like you’re Rosie Perez in the opening of Do The Right Thing.
Kiss. Hug. Embrace your sexuality and sensuality and everything a world of haters wants you to not be.
The people who died in Orlando were at Pulse to dance, and congregate; escaping a hateful world and culture, and celebrating with booze and music and joy. To honour those who are dead we don’t need to be solemn and mournful. We need to dance harder for those who can’t join us on the floor. We need to laugh and cheer louder for all the voices missing from the crowds. We need to show not just “the world”, but those in our community that we will not be broken, we will not be timid, and while we can (and will) take time to continue mourning, Pride will not be a funeral. It will be a celebration of life and culture. Make this the most well-attended and gloriously in-your-face Pride ever.
I’ve said before that Pride is not the time to give a moment’s thought to what the prejudiced haters of the world may think about you, or “us” as a community. I still stand by that. But maybe perhaps this year there’s an element of consciously being aware of What A Hater Will See – and I’ll say the best thing you can show them is pure, unadultered, uncensored, unedited YOU.
Laugh, Drink, Dance, and be Mary.
Chris
@AtticusBennett: And if you can’t be Mary, then jump for Joy!
So true; this Pride, be proud.
Thad
I wasn’t able to go to the big city Pride celebrations this year, but I did go to Chester County Pride in Phoenixville, PA. It was the first Pride in Chester County in about a decade, and was pleasant and family-friendly. Any protesters left before my arrival; the attendance was OK, the entertainment too (nothing awesome but nothing cringe-worthy). I was the silent guy there; I didn’t see anyone I knew and didn’t speak to a soul. Although my grandparents were from Phoenixville, I’ve never lived there and am there rarely for work. Still, it was a fun day and I hope they repeat it next year. They’re not certain whether it will move to another county location in the future.
DannX68
@AJAnders: Depends on where he’s from, I think. This year at the Barcelona Gay Pride Parade there were a bunch of nude guys, only in body paint, “dressed” as the characters from The Wizard of Oz.