Members of New York’s queer community reacting to the increased number of corporate sponsors and events of the city’s Pride program have announced an alternative march.
Labeled “The Queer Liberation March,” the demonstration will take place the morning of the New York City Pride Parade. The Liberation March will begin at 9:30am while the Pride Parade begins at noon.
“On the whole, I don’t believe it benefits our community when corporations are using it as a marketing endeavor,” says Robin Scott, a member of the Reclaim Pride Coalition, the group behind the alternative march.
Related: Hillary Clinton Makes Historic Appearance At New York Pride Parade
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Ellen Shumsky, a 50 year veteran of the queer rights movement, also told NBC News she plans to boycott the Pride Parade in favor of the Liberation March. “I don’t like all the floats advertising products,” she says. “It’s not the spirit of who we are or who we want to be.”
In a surprising move, organizers of the Pride Parade welcomed the alternative march. Cathy Renna, a spokesperson for NYC Pride, said “We want every event to succeed at Pride. We are not about division. We are about a diverse community that may not always agree on everything but needs to work together to move forward.”
The New York Pride Parade and the Queer Liberation March step off June 30.
IWantAFullBeard
I totally agree
UlfRaynor
I thought the whole point of Pride parades was to show just that, to stand up and be noticed and hopefully educate and gain tolerance and even acceptance in our communities (which includes local businesses).
I see this no differently than saying a gay police officer or gay military person can’t march in uniform.
Business sponsorship is part of that acceptance, biting their heads off doesn’t show tolerance and diversity it shows a misplaced petulant form of “otherness”.
Wolfie
Unfortunately they are also hijacking PRIDE but in another direction.
The ORIGINAL Pride march/parade (Christopher Street Liberation) was about standing up and being visible, proud, and fighting for our civil rights.
HOP turned it into a corporate party and Reclaim Pride is not reclaiming pride but doing a micro-agression march RP does not even specifically mention Full LGBT Civil Rights but does mention such things as Gays Against Guns, Abolish Ice, Trans issues, poverty, , sexism, xenophobia, bigotry based on religious affiliation, classism, ableism, audism, ageism and a slew of issues.
PinkoOfTheGange
Looks like there is a place to add a further event for NYC Pride. Get to work.
Luminosity
All this infighting for what? Most gays don’t care about who sponsors the pride or if the police should be allowed to participate. The extreme gay zealots love to ruin the party, like they always do. They are just angry rebels who can’t hold a regular job.
PinkoOfTheGange
NYC Pride did the exact right thing. Welcomed the simpler march.
That isn’t infighting.
That is inclusion.
radiooutmike
I always feel a little weird at Pride when there’s a corporate float going by. I mean appreciate the support but I just can’t help to think the people are the props literally parading down the street.
dwes09
“Ellen Shumsky, a 50 year veteran of the queer rights movement, also told NBC News she plans to boycott the Pride Parade in favor of the Liberation March. “I don’t like all the floats advertising products,” she says. “It’s not the spirit of who we are or who we want to be.””
Actually corporate floats are usually indicative of corporations who support our cause. Yes they see us as a market, but that also means they don’t see us as perverts or sinners, stand with us in conflicts with “Evandamentalists”, and it means they offer spousal benefits and all the other perks to lgbt employees. A little issue with booze and tobacco corporations, but their money still supports us.
Inspector 57
“It’s not the spirit of who we are or who we want to be.”
Hmmmm. Somehow flying Delta, buying a Ford, eating Chips Ahoy cookies, etc., doesn’t make MY spirit feel compromised. (Even though those companies have marketed toward me.)
I have some questions for the “activists.” Have you ever been to a gay bar? a Wymen’s Festival? a Cyndi Lauper concert? Ever paid for gay porn? Shopped at that big LGBTQ-oriented “50% Off For A Limited Time Only” website? Walked into a local business that had a “gay-friendly” rainbow sticker on its window? Yes? I thought so.
Well, two NEWSFLASHES for you:
1) Those entities were all making money based on exploiting your sexual identity. And…
2) It didn’t hurt anyone!
Personally, I’m glad that Macy’s, Campbell Soup, 2(x)ist, et al, market to us PUBLICLY — without apologies. Sure, they know it’s good for their business. (They also know they’ll lose some biz for it.) Their very visible support helps create a more tolerant, accepting social environment. (And if they didn’t do it, the only gay/business stories in the media would be about podunk bakeries refusing to make wedding cakes.)
It seems to me that these activists are more invested in being pissed off than in promoting positive social change.
TheMarc
Great comment! And 100% true! I remember when marketing to, including, mentioning gays in your advertising, HR policies, etc. was highly, highly controversial; but still a fair number of corporations did it before it was standard practice to do so. And yes, there were some potential $$$ in play; but for some, it truly was the right thing to do. Doesn’t matter to me since at least they saw us as $, just like they viewed heterosexuals. True equality, corporate style.
And by the way, look at a lot of the anti-gay legislation that has popped up over the years and been defeated in some areas. And then look for our corporate allies who lobbied and filed briefs in support of our community. And in some cases, their actions led to those initiatives/legislation being defeated.
Polaro
Good riddance. Just how good will their parade be with no sponsors? A bunch of bitter straight people with pink hair complaining about everything. What a dreary group of people.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
50 years ago NO corporations would dare consider looking at anything Gay related. These bitter old nasty queens don’t realize how important main stream participation and ACCEPTANCE is.
This is an event that brings MILLIONS of people both Gay and STRAIGHT who have a great day, with very few problems.
Sometimes some Gay people are as bad as the right wing smcubags who would love nothing better than to destroy a day which grows every year…..
bjohnmasters
Last month we had the Pride Parade here in Tampa. Surprisingly, it started right on time, and along came politician after politician…everyone was there except one County Commissioner (and the parade was better for his absence) and one of the candidates for Mayor (the one that ultimately lost by huge margin to a Lesbian). Finally, the first float came down the street and I looked at my watch. It had taken 30 minutes for the politicians to all get by.
I’m old enough to remember when your “sponsors” and any floats you had from businesses were the local gay bars, and maybe the local gay paper. Those businesses were hit up for sponsorships for everything, and you wouldn’t catch a politician within miles of the parade route. I’ve lived long enough to see us become more mainstream. Some of that is good, some isn’t.
But on whole, I’ll take having the big corporations unafraid to consider us part of their market and workforce, and I’ll take 30 minutes of politicians feeling a pride parade is a can’t miss event. Yes, we still have a ways to go, but these things are part of having come a long ways too.
tommyz
Corporations with C level out execs and board members should be welcomed. Unless you believe there are no worthy and smart gay people for those roles?
Fine line between using us as a prop and truly supporting diversity. I realize some are so desperate for any form of acknowledgement, they would sell out their boyfriend for a free buffet coupon. Others of us believe the parade basis was in being proud and equally worthy. Not just as the support rep – but as the ceo or president.
I am glad the pride committee saw this as not being divisive – but additive to the message! Smart.