Pride season 2014 is the biggest and most vibrant yet, and it’s not even over yet. Millions of people in hundreds of cities, big and small, turned June into a global celebration of all things queer. It was also the confirmation of a trend: In some places, straight nearly equaled gay in numbers. Hey, we’re all equal under the skin.
Pride is a chance for non-gays to party, too, a chance to party with the cool kids and to be themselves. That’s right, Pride is giving straight people a chance not only to support their gay friends. It adds little glitter to their lives as well.
Perusing a batch of particularly lovely photos from Pride New York, Brooklyn and Washington, DC–depicting the glorious diversity of Pride people in portraits–we could not help but reflect on the difference in mood between the jubilation of these events and what can only be termed the grim determination of antigay activists at NOM’s June marriage march, in D.C., where porta potties nearly outnumbers protesters.
Asserting your own dignity and demanding equality is simply better for the soul than opposing the rights of others, which, we can only imagine, must weigh on the mind. Surely, this is one of the many things Americans have noticed as they have, slowly but surely, joined the parade over the last half century or so.
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.
Haters are always gonna hate, but sometimes you just gotta wonder: If you can’t beat us, why not join us? We promise it will be a fun ride.
Anyhow, why are LGBT people winning the culture war of public opinion? Oh, let us count the ways in 20 revealing photos.
Would you rather hang out with these gents…
Or this dude?
These fine youngsters…
Or these angry NOM protesters?
Would you rather spend time with this crowd…
Or these lonely souls?
Would you rather take fashion tips from NOM’s perpetually scowling Brian Brown…
Or these dudes?
Even more awesomeness during Pride 2014...
The best revenge, they say, is a good life.
bsaucy00
@michael mellor: Feel sorry for you that you needed to troll Queerty because you have no joy or fulfillment in your life.
We still love you Michael and hope that next time you can get your facts Straight before making comments like this.
Maybe if you pray you can get your facts straight.
bobmister250
@michael mellor: If any backlash were to occur in the 2014 midterms it will be quickly wiped out by the progressive 2016 national elections. Frankly millennials, (the largest generation in the United States) have had more than enough religious nonsense.
Zekester
@michael mellor: LOL! You just keep right on believing that. You’re just more proof that the anti-gay, anti-science, anti-reality brigade can convince themselves of just about anything. Go back to the safety of your tea bagger camp and have a Fox News watching party so that you won’t have to be exposed to any facts that might make you uncomfortable because reality is really gonna piss you off!
1EqualityUSA
michael mellor, We used to have a shit head named, ‘GOProudest’ coming here saying things such as,
“It will be fun watching you whine when Romney is inaugurated. You are such a loser.”
Jul 4, 2012 at 3:21 (We all saw how that turned out.)
http://www.queerty.com/gay-gop-presidential-candidate-fred-karger-finally-calls-it-quits-20120702
The Republicans are delusional. They are so out of touch that they cannot even see how far gone they are. Why do you think that the SCOTUS “activist judges” on the bench are making the decisions they are making now? Hobby Lobby, Union harming decisions, Citizens United, Gutting the Voter Rights Act… They have insight as to how badly the Republicans are going to do for the next 6 cycles. We must NEVER forgive the Republican party for how they pounced on our community, when they were in power. We must NEVER forget what politically motivated, religiously coercive bigots they appointed to the Supreme Court.
The age of wealthy, white, entitled, exclusionary GOP is over. It’s not like they haven’t been warned. They just can’t hear it. That’s why GOProudest believed that Romney had the election in the bag. Delusional.
Maude
Michael Mellor’s comments are a warning that you will not heed, and that you will suffer in the end. (pun intended)
When you publicly do the atrocious things you do, do you really believe you are advancing the cause? Do You?
Just a few who are acting without dignity bring undignified reputation to all.
You do yourselves, and the rest of us an injustice with your disrespectful antics.
bsaucy00
@Maude: Lol Michael Mellor created a 2nd profile just to defend himself. Hilarious!
justSomeGuyFromNJ
One hater comes here to drop some hate and we all reply to him.
Fail. LOL
Milk
@justSomeGuyFromNJ: And then there’s two.
Little-Kiwi
this sums up how i feel about Pride:
http://www.iphoneogram.com/p/754331311099300109_198750465/
Lvng1tor
Can we all just stop responding to double M….at the very least he’ll be forced to switch to another of his jagwad names or make up a new identity to troll with. Responding to his crap is probably getting him all worked up and tweaking his nips..don’t give it the satisfaction.
vive
Nice article except the part about the fashion tips, though surely you were joking 🙂
abuelo
I’m an old Gay man pleasantly surprised at the progress we have made. Lots of that work was done by young people who are fed up with all the stupid hate and division generated by a loud-mouth few. The young are carrying us on beyond the haters of the past. There will be a dwindling few who try to fan the fires of hate but they are losing their fuel. Thanks to all of you who have enough soul to care.
matty2
@michael mellor: If that were true then why are more and more straight people coming to Pride. Pride attendance in city after city is exploding.
jvcarroll
“And then there’s Maude.” Hahaha! Come on, how could no one have said that yet? Maybe I’m just the oldest queen here. No one wears hate well, it clashes with everything.
Anyway, sweet article. A little short on the pictures. I know there must be many, many more like these.
vive
@jvcarroll, maybe nobody said it because Maude was precisely the opposite of a right wing troll 🙂
Paco
@Homosexualism is a perversion: I ran your rant through my bigot translation matrix and here is the translation…
“I am a member of a pathetic, dying breed of homophobes and scared that I will have to evolve with the rest of humanity.”
Looks like an accurate translation to me.
Trem1234
@Homosexualists are confused perverts that were not born that way: You can do what you can to cloak your insignificant, petty heart in this false jargon. Everything you have said has been a thoroughly discredited right wing illusion. If anybody deserves pity it’s you. Some nobody who finds validation in putting others down. Your hate is noting. You are less than nothing. A lie that will wither away into dust.
Stache99
@Help homosexualists overcome their perversion visit narth dot com: it has long been a refuge for disreputable characters, extremists and even criminals. It is a thoroughly discredited “ex-gay” fringe organization that peddles fraudulent “cures” for homosexuality. Sadly, a lucrative market still exists for anti-gay stereotypes disguised as science and the greedy ideologue “therapists” eager to profit from unnecessary pain. They take advantage of vulnerable people who want to “fit in” and exploit suffering families who are desperate to believe they can cure a loved one.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2010/05/8608/
Stache99
@Help homosexualists overcome their perversion visit narth dot com: Michael being a low life troll such as yourself is most definitely a choice.
James Hart
All of this anger is unhealthy. And the crazy back and forth doesn’t enlighten anyone. The truth is : Most Americans are somewhere in the middle. They aren’t at one end of the spectrum nor are they at the other.
Mezaien
@Stache99: ALL CHRISTIAN WHITE REPUBICAN WILL!! be exterminated in concentrations camp. I call the ISRAELI, government to exterminate all Christian in their country.
Stache99
@fuzzycublb: Ha. Now that you mention it yes. Seems when they want to vilify the other side it’s always the older crowd. Then Queerty contrasts that to the gay side which is mostly young.
At least you can never say Queerty doesn’t ever feature older average people.
fuzzycublb
Anyone else notice a vague ageism attached to this article via photo gallery?
michael mellor
These are not gay rights parades. They are modern-day equivalents of Roman circuses. The people who are coming to watch are there to see the freaks.
Gay rights is well and good but pride parades are not about gay rights anymore.
Mezaien
@michael mellor: You must be fucked up Christian. IDIOT!! it`s not about “GAY RIGHTS” it`s about GAY choice.
Dxley
Does anybody know what “homosexualism” is?
1EqualityUSA
Bigotisualism is a precursor to it….
DerekR
Can anyone from Queerty please look into why Jim Bryant aka Michael Mellor was allowed to slither back onto this site? Christ how many times do you have to ban a troll before he stops coming back?
Stache99
@DerekR: I think the final straw was when ol Jim aka troll on steroids started his bs of how hiv wasn’t what causes aids and maybe his extreme misogyny too. His new name persona Michael Mellor knows what line not to cross with Queerty.
DerekR
@Dxley: And Dxley whatever it is you see it in the mirror because you Sir are a homo. Cheers.
vive
@fuzzycub, @Stache, yes, it looks like Queerty “would rather NOT hang out with” anybody over 30.
Dxley
@DerekR: Fuck you, okay?
James Hart
@Mezaien: The dudes in the white lab coats are looking for you. Where should we send them?
James Hart
@michael mellor: Sadly, you may be on to something. I’m sure a certain percentage of people who go just want to see people making fools of themselves. They aren’t laughing with the marchers, but at them.
James Hart
@matty2: My question is: Are these crowds laughing with the marchers, or at them.
James Hart
@Dxley: Maybe it’s a new field of study you can major in college. LOL
DerekR
@Dxley: Um no thank you, I have this rule about f@cking head cases. But thanks for the mental salt peter…..
E T
@James Hart: I appreciate a good moderate approach to most things in life. However, I don’t think moderation is the best route when it comes to human rights. People shouldn’t have their dignity subject to vote. Doesn’t concern me where middle America lies – gay pride trumps homophobia.
James Hart
@E T: “Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
killgheys
Lets not forget Chik-Filet-A day and the massive support of traditional marriage. Lets not forget how North Carolina voted on gay “marriage” and it was soundly defeated 60-40.
The media and large liberal cities skew towards gays and gays right *now* have Judges and politicians in their pocket but a vast majority of Americans are fed up with gays and their non-sense. Never confuse tolerance with acceptance.