Have you seen the “Straight Pride” hashtag that’s been going around lately? Yeah, it’s dumb; it’s nothing new; it’s not particularly clever; it barely warrants any response at all. But there’s another Pride-related meme making the rounds as well, and it’s infuriating.
The image shows a group of protestors holding signs in what looks like the 80s-ish, with slogans like “Smash gay oppression” and “parents of gays unite in support for our children.” “This is gay pride,” reads the text of the meme, and then juxtaposed with the old protest image is a picture of sexy dancers on a float. “This is bullshit,” the meme continues.
Ugh, no, stop. You are not the Pride Police, meme, and nobody gets to decide what everyone else’s Pride is. It’s something different for everyone. Some of us want a protest, some of us want sex, some of us want politics, some of us want music. Pride is best when it can be a lot of things to a lot of people and welcome as many people as possible.
Also, don’t try to tell us that all of the protestors marching in that parade wouldn’t have fapped to the sight of hunks gyrating on a rainbow float. Just because you have a photo of them being all serious doesn’t mean they weren’t also happy sluts. What do you think they were protesting for, the right to have more protests or the right to be open and public about their sexuality?
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.
The point is, you can be political and you can be sexy. You don’t have to pick one. And if you don’t like the sight of gays being sexual, maybe you’re not as knowledgable about the feeling of pride as you think you are.
Juanjo
It is a false dichotomy as the article points out. The gay community has more thn its share of Negative Nancys who are always upset about something that goes against their preconceived notions of correct gay behaviors. I do have concern about the number of people, especially younger ones, who think that somehow we have made it, all is good so it is time to ignore issues and just party. But that is not the majority and they have always been around, including back in the 60s, 70s and 80s – disco queens, clones, gym bunnies and others who simply ignored any of the issues facing gay folks and just partied on.
Dave Downunder
OK so there are so many things wrong with this article that I don’t know where to begin but suffice to say there has to be some middle ground. Marches and protests are still needed in some instances (probably not on Pride day) but performing simulated sex in public spaces is never a good idea. It’s just tacky.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Too right! Bring on the fisting and scat floats (floaters) I say! Nipple clamps for all the family! Fuck you heteronormative sex negative prudes who say otherwise! You see, that’s were Luther King and Rosa Parks went wrong…
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
^ *That’s where Martin Luther King
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
The meme is 100% correct. The bottom picture is what gay pride has turned into, attention whores trying to show their buttholes to the world. Parades need to have a dress code from now on. Pride is about showing pride in being gay, not self glorification for needy people.
Kieru
@Dave Downunder: I agree. Pride is an excellent way to ensure LGBTQ+ visibility … but when we turn Pride into an exhibition for our sexual proclivities we aren’t encouraging visibility – we are feeding into a need for exhibitionism and shock value.
There has to be a middle ground. I’ve seem some behavior at Pride that would get a person arrested regardless of their orientation, but somehow because it takes place during Pride it’s supposed to be excused as a celebration of LGBTQ+ life.
Mykaels
Many of us that participated in March’s described in the first pic are WAY ok that pictures like the second pic exist. Many of us that did pic one in order to make pic two ok. I really do not understand the romantization of our horrific past. You really want to epitomize and romanticize pic two? In the days when you could be convicted of being gay and sent to an asylum to be electrocuted till you thought straight thoughts? When the whole country sat around and blamed a new illness on god’s wrath?
I am HAPPY about pic 2. I never want to go back to pic 1
Mykaels
Holy crap, typos from hell, sorry all.
*You really want to epitomize and romanticize pic one?
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
How about we just do cool shit ..innvotaive, creative shit…free of empty headed exhibitionistic narcissists — the type of shit that already surround us 24/7 from all sides whether from gay, straight, black, white, cis, trans.. Or else what’s the fucking point anymore in the west. Now there are parts of the world where Pride marches REALLY matter and are TRULY brave
Mo Bro
I attended my first gay parade years ago in SF and I was woefully embarrassed, especially since my buddy’s girlfriend kept asking me questions like:
Why do gay men dress like women?
Why do gay men like leather so much?
Why do gay men feel they have to be publicly sexual?
I know not the answers to any of these queries, just that they are so, and witnessing this circus, I was never in my life less proud to be gay. Our “representation” has always been sadly shameful.
SnakeyJ
First off… the writer states the first pic is from the 80’s????? Really? Do your research.
Secondly, I really do not want to see guys gyrating and grinding on a float to “celebrate” being gay. There’s a limit to what’s acceptable in public and some people just refuse to understand that.
1898
“The image shows a group of protestors holding signs in what looks like the 80s-ish”
Looks more like the 70s-ish to me.
MediaGuy
The top picture looks like a bunch of communists in the 1930’s or something. The bottom pic tells the non-gay community what a bunch of sex pigs we are because everything always is brought to the level of dicks and asses (singing now: these are a few of my fa-vo-rite things). 🙂
Stache
God. Overt displays of sexuality has been an argument since the 80s.
Joe T
I’m with the majority on this. Pic 2 is exactly the reason we have such a negative stigma attached to us. THAT is the image most straight people think of when they think of us. We’re not doing ourselves any favors with that image. It’s embarrassing and for every step forward we’ve made it sends us back 3. And no, the freedom to act ridiculous & dress ridiculous is not really what the fight for gay rights is about. It’s a mockery.
Gigi Gee
@Mo Bro: Mo Bro
I changed a few things around. Self-loathing happens in the straight community as well:
I took my friend to the Carnivale parade a few years ago when I lived in Rio and I was woefully embarrassed, especially since my buddy’s girlfriend kept asking me questions like:
Why are the women dressed so slutty?
Why are the men almost naked (and why are they all so well endowed)?
Why do they feel the need to be so sexual in public?
I didn’t know the answers to any of these queries, just that they are so, and witnessing this circus, I was never in my life less proud to be Brazilian. Our “representation” has always been sadly shameful.
Masc Pride
It’s a dishonest comparison. One is a protest, and the other is a celebration.
Gigi Gee
@Joe T: Some gay guys like to wear skimpy outfits and gyrate in public. OMG! Shut the entire thing down!!
Ronnyboy
@Gigi Gee:”why are they all so well endowed”.. I want to know that too. For research purposes of coarse;-)
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
I’m fine with that sexualised displays if it’s happening at night or segregated from young children. What’s so unreasonable about that? Either it’s a family-friendly, corporate-friendly, LGBT celebration for ALL the community to enjoy..or iit’s not; make up your fucking mind
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
…Or let’s just hand to it over to our Black Lives Matter overlords
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
… Because rESISTANCE IS FUTILE … problematic…and very triggering
Gigi Gee
@Ronnyboy: I researched that a lot but never found the answer.
Tracy Pope
There’s nothing wrong with either picture in the meme. But they’re not really about the same thing either. One is about marching against the oppression prevalent in the late 60s/early 70s the other is about how lascivious one can act in public without being arrested.
thisisnotreal
With all due respect I disagree with this article. I’m a gay man but I can’t picture myself ever participating in a pride parade like the one pictured below. I have no issue with people knowing I’m gay and that I’m a part of the lgbt community, but the second picture is not something I would want to be associated with. As others have pointed out already gay pride is about celebrating all of our communities accomplishments and the things that make us unique! Not seeing how lewd we can be in public before we either get arrested or offend the rest of the world and give them one more reason to hate on us.
If your part of the section of the community that engages in and endorses the behaviors in the second picture then more power to you. But my issue is why does THAT have to be the face of the gay community that we advertise to the rest of the world during public pride events? Yes your celebrating the things that you enjoy about our community, but how are those things going to earn our community any more respect or admiration or support than it already has? You can have all the drugs and sex and alcohol your heart could ever want in most gay clubs nowadays, I see nothing wrong with toning all of that down for a single event and carrying ourselves with a little more dignity in the public eye.
damon459
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: so do you also feel the same way about Mardi Gras? If not you’re a hypocrite!
damon459
@Kieru: @Kieru: again Mardi Gras has been going on for decades yet nobody complains…..
GayEGO
The second picture has some frustrated Mary Doogan Closet Queens who need to be outed.
Sansacro
@1898: Totally. Early 70s. The tween writers at Qty show what happens when our education system fails.
Sansacro
I wish I saw more floats like the later at NYC gay pride. Most of them are goddamn branded floats selling corporate shiiit. Energy drinks and phones cards for gay pride. Really?
Kangol
@thisisnotreal: Then don’t participate. LGBTIQ people do not need to conform to hom0phobic or homonormative expectations of how we should behave or celebrate our history and lives.
The people who fought for gay rights and equality in the US and elsewhere before and after Stonewall did not do so in order for us to be able to still be beholden to straight or gay respectability politics. They fought for us to be equal and FREE.
So if you don’t like queer exuberance and open celebrations of LGBTIQ sexuality, then skip events that do that. But also, criticize straights when they do the same, because their celebrations of straight sexuality occur 24/7/365.
DarkZephyr
How nice to see that slut shaming is alive and well in the comment section.
BriBri
Men are pigs, thank god.
Charli Girl
As a gay female,Ive seen this since the 80’s. Id like to see more family floats and activities… I understand the guys have to put up with society pushing the females on them day in and day out and they just want to “have fun” but we get bombarded by the straight males as well and would also like to enjoy pride. JS
GG
“. . . if you don’t like the sight of gays being sexual, maybe you’re not as knowledgable about the feeling of pride as you think you are.”
Oh, dear. Mr. Douglas, the gist of your article is incorrectly conflating *gay pride* with expressions of said pride. An expression is not a feeling. An expression can indeed stem from a feeling, but an expression is not a feeling. Also, gay pride is not a hedonistic pursuit. Please allow me to explain.
Example: A child is taught to hate themself for who they are. They are, at best, often unloved, ostracized, bullied, pressured, and/or discriminated against; or, at worst, subjected to harmful “reparative therapy,” beaten, murdered, or driven to suicide. Self-esteem is virtually nonexistant. They feel worthless and lost. But then, right in the midst of their painful existence, a spark happens and a change begins. (WHY this happens is another discussion entirely.) They start to see themselves as having worth. They intuitively come to know that they, themselves, are the standard of measure, not society, not family. They stand up and say I AM WORTHY AND I MATTER. And no one, NO ONE, not the haters nor the government nor anyone, shall ever deny me my right to exist! And in that moment, there is great revelation. In that moment there is great self-empowerment. In that moment there is great dignity. In that moment, there is PRIDE.
Now, as I’ve previously eluded, the expression of that pride comes in many, many forms. Some of which appear on the surface as sedate, others more outré. But whatever our individual expression, the important part is that we remember and honor the true meaning of pride.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Gay pride is not like Mardi Gras… Pride has the extra burden of functioning as P.R. for the ENTIRE LGBT community — a tiny, world-wide besieged minority — helping to dispel the deeply ingrained prejudice and lies told against us; ideally encouraging empathy in the hearts of heterosexuals (95% of the voting population — some of whom might never meet an openly gay person ,particularly in countries with a perilous rights situation) and in particular the future parents of gay children, by inspiring hope that their child’s future is a bright and healthy successful one.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Slut out where it’s appropriate to slut out
Um_No
@Kangol: Thank you! I was getting more pissed the further on I got in the comments. You said everything I wanted to say. I’ll quit (reading the comments) while I’m ahead.
Wilberforce
Public humping at pride is bad strategy of course, and another expression of gay self-destructiveness. It’s comparable to letting HIV go on, or judging others by looks and bodies instead of kindness and character.
We all go through the society’s oppression. And we all suffer from internalized homophobia to varying degrees. But a large percent of us don’t heal one bit. And they continue to act out in destructive ways.
After thirty five years of this, it’s gotten very boring. But there’s no use trying to reason with them. Emotional problems don’t respond to logic or argument. They heal in their own time, which is sometimes decades, and sometimes never.
ShowMeGuy
History gets made by the people who bother to show up.
You don’t like the modern day floats filled with sluts being whored by corporate America which ignores the LGBTTIQQFFAA community for eleven months out of the year….then where is YOUR float displaying the “correct way to do pride”?
Mo Bro
@Gigi Gee: I too would be embarrassed to be Brazilian, but you have my sympathies.
assiandude
Gay pride has always been a celebration of diversity and the roots of gay culture involves unapproved sexual behavior. It’s not just about who we choose as partners but also about how we express ourselves in public. Some people dress and act as an “average” American, but LGBT has brought to our culture the ability to question sexual boundaries, to show “normal people” that being overtly sexual is neither perverted nor immoral. In fact, this picture should just be considered the fun and a sense of celebration to this event.
Traditionally, just being LGBT had been considered “sexual outlaws”, as expressed in the novel by John Rechy. Having guys humping in a parade serves to remind us that at least at Gay pride, it’s ok to do that and that it’s not public indecency. If also shows that if this is ok, than it must be ok for two men or two women to hold hands and have other PDA. I love to be reminded at the one event that showcases LGBT pride, that we aren’t afraid to continually celebrate the overt sexuality of some of the community.
Ashke113
Ghrating, simulating sex acts, wearing next to nothing is not prode. Pride is celebratibg what we’ve fought for in terms of oyr rights and ending persecution. Pride is not a bunch of queens on a float performing the live action version of GRINDR……yes we are a community who is all of those aformentioned things, but the gay community is mainly about respect love inlusion and dignity. We lose all dignity and revert to type every year duri g pride and it sickens me knowing there is a large portion of us who have no issue whatsoever in perpetuating that disgusting stereotype. Some may saybI’m a homophode which in itself is asisinine as I do not fear our community, however I do understand the HOMOHATE the straight community has against us when they see things like the pride parades. When are we going to rise above our primal gay carnal activities and show we are more than that. You want to walk around in a jock do it at home not in the streets, because in the end we all know damn well if the straight community did parades like we do then every queen would clutch theor pearls and call bullshit……..gay community grow up have some self respect dignity and common courtesy for others……..rant over
truckproductions
while I agree that pride is about being visible and there was a time when that meant showing your sexuality to remind people we had to fight to make even THAT legal, I still say the kids of today are using the parade to act like over sexed buffoons. it’s really become an embarrassment.
Ashke113
@truckproductions: amen
gayhope1990
Of course the pride must be a celebration but I think we must fight again the homophobia and demand respect.Everyday gay people are laughed at,bullied,harassed,threatened to death or murdered.Many gay people are too afraid to come out because let’s face it we live in a homophobic world.At best we are tolerated.
Brian
There are some people who have turned the homosexual rights movement into a sleazy festival of fetishes and exhibitionism. It has really harmed the movement.
They’ve also turned it into a bizarre drag queen event based on the costume and cosmetics industries. Drag queens are effectively distorting the idea of homosexuality between men.
We need to purify the movement. Ban the perverts, the drag queens, and those who have hijacked the cause of homosexual rights.
Kevin Wotipka
Sex in the bedroom is beautiful. Sex in public is ugly. That’s why we turn the lights off during sex.
b2rocketfan
@Ronnyboy: @Ronnyboy: I love that! Lol. I’d gladly help in your research!!
Hussain-TheCanadian
@Brian: I don’t like the word “Purify” and “ban” – it reminds me of the crazy portion of the straight population who use the same terminology. Besides what the hell is wrong with Drag-queens? – Also define “perverts”.
@Kevin Wotipka: You turn off the lights during sex? Not even a shade of light, like a dimmer? I ask because I always thought the visual aspect of sex is what keeps the blood flowing to all the right places.
Also, here in Canada, outside the major three big cities of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, our pride parades are extremely tame and family oriented.
Now people can celebrate in anyway they want, but if you’re going to be pervy about it, then I prefer such celebrations should be kept between us, private, and for us as a community to enjoy; sharing it with the entire public is counter productive me thinks.
scotshot
It appears that many of today’s respondents is filled by 85 year old evangelical christians than gay.
I’ve attended many pride parades. They are meant to celebrate ourselves as gay beings and our struggle for rights in the past and going into the future – note: the young celebrating youth and sexuality is not a negative as some of you think and have obviously forgotten yourselves. Like those in the above photograph, Lesbians, Transsexuals, heterosexuals and families of gay folk have always been part of Pride. We also march to celebrate our accomplishments, our future and the ones who are no longer with us who live on in our memories.
Pride is what you’ve make of it.
If you don’t like it make your own float. If you’re only standing on the sidelines bitching, tough.
Brian
@scotshot: I don’t agree with you. I think you’re failing to distinguish the fact that homosexual rights parades should be about rights, not reckless abandon. It should not be “whatever you wish it to be” . That is make-believe, not reality.
Matt Achine
@Charli Girl: You just brought up the main hypocrisy of these events. In addition to the sexual display, the gender disparity is strange. I guess lesbians would have to get on a float dressed in strap-ons to increase their visibility, but they’re not even interested in that garbage. Few are going to tell the truth about how pride season relies on the lure of a mens’ meat market, as they don’t know the difference between ‘celebrating’ and orgy bait to begin with.
Kevin Wotipka
@Kevin Wotipka: @Hussain-TheCanadian: Well, I’m old.
Alistair Wiseman
For those of you who consider this a great expression of “pride”, let me ask you a question.
Hillary Clinton made a brief photo op at New York Pride last month. Do you think Hillary should have been on a float in which couples of young gay men were simulating anal sex? If not, why? Weren’t they just expressing their version of what pride means to them?
bbg372
He-Man: “Well Orko, Jeremy sure changed his ways.”
Orko: “Yeah! He was acting pretty rotten for a while. I think all he really wanted was for people to notice him. But what good does it do to be noticed if people don’t like what they see?”
He-Man: “That’s right. The best way to get attention is not to look for it. By being polite and helpful, people will not only notice you, they’ll like you too.”
Orko: “I’m going to do something helpful right now.”
He-Man: “What’s that?”
Orko: “I’m going to say goodbye!”
cabe
@Joe T:
Exactly. Constant displays of simulating sex on a public float in a jockstrap just glorify the stereotype straight people have of us and isn’t a great representation of our community. I’m not being prudish but i dont know why this is encouraged?
cabe
@scotshot:
The response is not to make your own your own float but to not encourage oversexualized dudes in jockstraps f-ing on a float. It’s like when Miley Cyrus went on a twerking spree at an awards show several years ago while in a slutty outfit. The entire audience was uber embarrassed for her and did a collective cringe hoping she would get the F off the stage.
martinbakman
I’ve attended Palm Springs pride parade twice. I was impressed each time that a high school marching band marched in the parade. Where else would you find a high school marching band grace a pride parade? Probably nowhere.
Both times the street was lined with tourists but also with many families, both traditional and non-traditional. People brought their kids.
So no, having young men running around in underwear and simulating sex would not be a good fit, at their parade, in Palm Springs.
But I get it. In Toronto and San Francisco, beautiful hot youngsters will be cavorting around, celebrating their thing. They’re here, they’re queer, they do queer sex, etc.
Not my thing. But I get it.
jasentylar
@martinbakman: As long as no one is actually having sex in the parade, they can simulate whatever they want. Be yourself. Let your freak flag fly. I love the community for this reason. Don’t forget how this country forced many of us to stay hidden and out of the conversation as if we didn’t exist. 1 in 10 people are LGBTQ. I may not agree on every type of PRIDE display, but I’m happy that we have the opportunity to show it. Quit it with the self hatred. We’ve come too far and still have a ways to go.
dean089
Comparing Pride to Mardi Gras/Carnivale is an apples to oranges comparison. Mardi Gras/Carnivale specifically ARE celebrations of excess, getting it all out of the system prior to Lent, a time of abstinence. If people don’t understand the connection between celebrations like Mardi Gras and Lent they should probably just avoid the conversation altogether.
As for the second photo, sure, go ahead, let your freak flag fly — but don’t complain when the rest of us don’t bother with Pride events. It’s funny that this article uses this as an example of inclusion. Is there someone who feels the pretty boys aren’t being included enough? Hah! Too many people mistakenly think that pretty boys are the bulk of the gay population, including too many of the so-called ‘leaders’ in the gay community. Funny, though, that when these ‘leaders’ are trying to sell tickets to their $1,000/table events it’s us older, not so pretty guys who get hit up.
ShaunNJ
I don’t think the people who protest against us and try to enact laws opposing us care if we march in a “respectful, conservative and clothed manner” or letting it all hang out. In most parades, you’ll see both as gay people are a varied crowd.
That being said, at NY’s Pride event, walking along Hudson St past the vendors I saw two beautiful young men lying next to a booth, ass up. They were beautiful plump asses – not in jocks or thongs, just naked ass. I was only slightly taken aback and certainly didn’t mind myself – but there were others walking around even with kids. It’s just an ass – something you’d see as easily in a locker room or beach as in a porn film – but here there was a sexual nature. I’m no prude but it was mildly embarrassing. In Europe it would be no big deal to see bareass in the city parks. On a sidewalk – even in NYC – a bit different. Thoughts?
ShaunNJ
Oh, and to the aforementioned men letting it all hang out brazenly and shamelessly on Hudson St – and you know who you are – hit me up!
JessPH
Gay men and women in the 70s and 80s attended Pride marches so that gays can live without persecution and be free from discrimination. They didn’t march so that gay men in the 21s century can hump in public and parade their fetishes and other sexual proclivities.
Dave Downunder
@JessPH: Amen to that Jess.
mattydean
“The walk would occur in silence. Required dress on men was jackets and ties; for women, only dresses. We were supposed to be unthreatening.”
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/1970-a-first-person-account-of-the-first-gay-pride-march-6429338
That’s a quote from an article about one of the first Pride marches in NYC, 1970. The whole idea was to look as straight and normal as possible and to be quiet, polite and “unthreatening.” If that’s how you still want to live your life, then fine. But the rest of us won’t. Deal with it and bring on the go-go boys.
mattydean
@JessPH: @JessPH: Really, because I know people that marched in the 70s and I’ve been told “We are so lucky we can do this now. I couldn’t then.”
Ander
The upper photograph was taken at NYC pride on June 25, 1972. The woman in front with the sign is the late Jeanne Manford. She was a school teacher, and a co-founder of PFLAG.
Bob LaBlah
Pride parades across the country amount to nothing more than scantily clad, no rhythm muscle Mary’s dancing and prancing on floats. Were than an agenda it would be a march instead of a parade but todays young’uns have no idea of just what agenda means.
The religious right can’t afford to have Pride parades cancelled. That is about the only thing holding them together.
scotshot
@Alistair Wiseman: @cabe:
Feel free to dress however you wish.
Some of us have had to live under oppression – and still do in many cases – I’ll dress as I wish.
Funny the all-inclusive Pride Parades of today are growing larger every year.
Do the Log Cabin Republicans celebrate Pride? Or they sit in a dark room and tell each other how they passed as str8 today?
Gabriel
@Ander: Thank you for pointing this out. The author of this piece really needs to learn some history.
surreal33
Thank you, to whoever created the meme for speaking truth to power!!
As a gay man I beyond tired of half-naked, fem-bots, simulating sex in public and calling it gay pride. Being a gay man is more than prancing around in your underwear acting prissy. There is more than one time of gay male despite what the gay media panders to us.
surreal33
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN, I am with you 150%!!!
Alistair Wiseman
@scotshot:
As usual, you didn’t answer my question.
To answer your question, in my city of Los Angeles, Log Cabin Republicans have had a visual presence at Pride for many, many years.
I love it when inclusive, diversity-loving automatons show their ignorance about anything outside of their groupthink.
Dave Downunder
I am seeing a lot of comments here like ‘scantily clad’ and ‘underwear wearing’ and ‘acting prissy’. I don’t think that these are the issues here. I think that pride means pride in your strong body or pride is your flamboyant dress sense or pride in your prissy fabulousness as much as it means pride in any other aspect of the gay community conservative or otherwise.
I feel the issue lies more with with over sexualised displays like simulated sex and grinding up against each other. Those things are great in the clubs and bars etc but not at events that are supposed to be open for people from the greater community to come and celebrate our gay pride with us. The bottom line is if it’s something you wouldn’t want your own kids or parents or siblings or nieces or nephews seeing then it’s probably just a tad to much for the parade. Save it for the after party.
Don’t discount someone else’s interpretation of what Pride means to them with your comments but instead encourage people to keep it ‘relatively’ family friendly and inclusive, after all inclusion and acceptance is what we have been fighting for since the 60’s.
trell
@thisisnotreal:
It’s OK – one picture in itself does not represent the entire day, or the type of person that goes to a Pride march. If you are judging what a few thousand diverse people look like from one single snapshot, you have misjudged what Pride is all about.
Give it a try, and if you do see the lewd dry-humping twinks at your Pride event, just walk away and find a different group more to your liking.
highestbidder
Not sure what this writer is all worked up about, that meme raises a valid point. It might be time for us as a community to put on our big boy pants and enter society as respected equals, the way we demanded when I marched in Pride during the 80s. Yes, writer, reasonable people do have the right to define Pride in a manner you may disagree with.
rmarin776
I have to agree with most of the commenters here.
The sad thing is that many in the gay community are into sexual performance, though not actually sex positive. We have loads of guys who want to be validated for their bodies, but can’t find a relationship or adequate sexual partner because they have these long lists of criteria around body type, dick size, etc etc.
I would welcome a celebration of sexuality but displays of narcissism do make me feel a little bit annoyed. this isn’t self love or inspiring. it’s just lame.
jdboston617
@JessPH: Oh come on. Obviously, you were never at a pride parade in the 70’s, 80’s, 90, or present. Pride parades have always had a fair share of shirtless men and or women dancing, parading, celebrating. That’s part of every Pride parade I’ve ever been to (period). The pictures juxtaposed together are not in any way fair comparisons and are only spliced together to insult and further divide the LGBT community.
Respectfully, PLEASE – DON’T DRINK THE KOOL AIDE!
Neville
Just a reminder to the writer of this article and others: http://torontoist.com/2016/06/why-lgbtq-torontonians-choose-private-prides-over-the-parade/