A great rant about Pride by Joe.My.God, which he wrote back in 2005 after watching a NYC Pride Parade:
Because even if Pride doesn’t change many minds in the outside world, it’s our PARTY, darlings. It’s our Christmas, our New Year’s, our Carnival. It’s the one day of the year that all the crazy contingents of the gay world actually come face to face on the street and blow each other air kisses. And wish each other “Happy Pride!” Saying “Happy Pride!” is really just a shorter, easier way of saying “Congratulations on not being driven completely batshit insane! Way to go for not taking a rifle into a tower and taking out half the town! Well done, being YOURSELF!”
I’m not worried what the outside world thinks about the drag queens, the topless bulldaggers, or the nearly naked leatherfolk. It’s OUR party, bitches. If you think that straight America would finally pull its homokinder to its star-spangled bosom once we put down that glitter gun, then you are seriously deluding yourself. Next year, if one of the Christian camera crews that show up to film our “debauched” celebrations happen to train their cameras on you, stop dancing. And start PRANCING.
It seemed a great way to end Pride Month.
You know the “Christians” film this ’cause they secretly want to be in the parade themselves! Otherwise why would they bother? 🙂
While I love his reply – and agree with his view – it’s increasingly common that Pride events are “withering on the vine” as it were. It’s something I noticed 3 years back way up here in the northeast, and is being actively studied by other anthropology types.
The question is: why? Why, after so many decades of abuse, torment, marginalization etc. is the one seminal event of the year in more than a few places around the U.S. fading away? I take a cue fro the work of John D’Emilio, and suggest that the increasing instances of “mainstreaming” – marriage being one of the more obvious cases – are making it less pressing in a number of places to have the event at all.
I do, though, lament it’s passing.
Thanks so much for linking this. I had not seen it before. It’s simply fab.