What is Gay Pride...read below. Don't respond with I must be curios cause I'm not, I just have a question or 2

Question

What is evolved in being a proud homosexual? What are you really proud of?
Some Gays have said they don't mind holding hands but anything else needs to be behind closed doors. Some gay folks actually said it's nothing to be proud of.

Others say it's their life and they were behind closed doors for so long because of society so now they should be proud to express themselves with their partner in public?

When I have a GF we hold hands she may rub my head or something but I don't need to show anyone that hey I'm with a girl I got over that in high school. (Talking about me and my gf is my way of trying to relate to the situation)

Sometimes I get the feeling that's what homo pride is, one showing off the fact that they have a same sex mate. My first response, who cares! That’s like bragging about going to McDonald’s.

So what exactly are you proud of, can this pride be misguided and blown out of proportion? Talk to mw people I'm at work and I ain't going no where.

Tab your right, I do because I was raised to believe it's wrong and I'm trying to understand.

Instead of judgeing

Randy More Gay people need to read that man seriously?

I'm trying to find a way to not let this be see wierd when I'm around it. I really get put off by it more so by women then men thats cause of my Moms, that a different story all together. It sounds like if the sh** comes off as wierd to me now it always will. You people are always going to be a massive mystery as long as I don't see it I'm fine I guess

Answer 1

I respect you H2O I know you have had a lot of anger and blame toward us because of your mom but I agree with you being gay is not something to be proud of and the parades are usually full of stereotypical behaviors that we do not need to promote let alone put out before the straight community. You can not take a child to the gay pride parades for fear of what bass activity they might observe very much like you can not take a child to the parades in New Orleans. I think the gay community does itself major harm with most of the activities that are pushed before the masses at these events.


To Quote Gay Radio Personality Steve Yuhas
(who is a conservative & highly critical of the gay community's antics): ''
As your streets are closed off this summer to make way for men in dresses and dykes on bikes along with the men in thongs contorting themselves into odd poses on floats – keep in mind that gays are doing this on their own and painting their own community with the stereotypes that they are demanding so many pretend are just slander by religious people and those “out of the mainstream.” Remind them that you saw it in their parade, at their rally and during the time when they were in the spotlight in a festival that they created and generated for themselves and the world to see. That won’t shut them up or stop them from complaining, but it may give them cause to think a little bit about the consequences of their behavior.

What an interesting world we live in – gays keep the stereotypes of gayness going and normal people get disciplined for endorsing them. Typically parades and protests are meant to change minds: marches against abortion are used to stop abortion, marches against taxes are used to stop the increase of taxes, but only in the world of fags, dykes and queers are marches used to put on display the stereotypes of being gay demanding legislation against exactly the same thing: Political Science 101 – if you want someone to stop calling you a fag – stop calling yourself one first.

“Watch my parade, endorse the political positions on my signs, but forget what I’m actually doing or what I look like because if you don’t – you’re an intolerant bigot.” Only gays could get away with that and luckily, since they’ve been doing the same thing for 30 years without success in their cause, most people in the real world understand the hypocrisy and ignore it. ''

- Steve Yuhas is a GAY columnist and radio talk show host on KOGO AM 600 based in San Diego. He may be reached at [e-mail] or www.steveyuhas.com

Answer 2

I think "pride" might be the wrong word, but I don't really have another word that accurately describes what it's about. For some people, it is a literal pride that they've overcome adversity, and can now live a relatively happy life despite an entire society against them. For me, it's more about ...being happy with myself. Not necessarily "pride", so much as the absence of a socially-perpetuated shame. Can it be misguided and blown out of proportion? Oh yes. As can ANYTHING really. As for there being a pride in showing off a same-sex mate: Once it's not a big deal anymore, people can't do that anymore can they? The point is that it shouldn't be a big deal.

Answer 3

Gay pride is not one showing off the fact that we have a same sex mate, but showing the fact that we are not ashamed of it either. I agree that in most circumstances overt PDA is not appropriate regardless of your sexual preferences. I find m2m, f2f and m2f displays of PDA equally inappropriate in most public settings. At the same time, I should not have to worry about where I am or who is watching if I want to hold my partners hand in public either.

The Stonewall riots (June 1969) are generally considered to be the beginning of the modern gay rights/gay pride movement, as it was the first time in modern history that a significant body of GLBT people resisted arrest, when a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City.

The gay rights pride campaign movement has three main premises: 1) that people should not be ashamed of who and what they are, 2) that sexual diversity is a gift, and 3) that sexual orientation and/or gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered.

Many the gay community reject the notion of gay pride celebrations, perceiving it's main focus is on sexual orientation and a lack of discretion and modesty to the detriment of either public morals or the cause of gay rights. Yes... often times gays keep the stereotypes of gayness going and as with any movement can be it's own worst enemy in the process of trying to achieve it's ultimate goal.

Pride = People Rejoicing In Diversity Everywhere.

Answer 4

Gay Pride is to the GLBT Community what the Civil Rights Marches were to the African-American Community in the '60's. A way for suppressed and abused people to step forth and express that (1 We will not be made to feel sub-human anymore, and (2 A methodolgy for gaining Human Rights and Justice in a society that wants to deny them.

Answer 5

I read your additional comment to where you said you were trying to understand. I don't think it's possible for you to understand and I dont say that in a derrogatory way. Just like we can't comprehend the straight lifestyle! Homosexuality makes no sense to you just like being straight makes no sense to me. I LIVED the straight life for years and years. I was totally incapable of bonding with a man in that unconditional love kind of way. It just never happened. Even when I got married I never bonded with my husand. EVER! Lord knows I tried. But when my partner came into my life....it all made sense! I am not one to go around yelling about gay pride. I'm ok with who I am and I don't need to shout it from a parade and be on TV to prove it. Do I support gay pride? Absolutely! There are people out there who have been through hell and back because of being gay. I say heck yes!!! Stand tall and don't hide anymore.

Answer 6

anything can be blown out of proportion.

You may well have gotten over showing off your girlfriend when you were in H/S -- that is to your credit. Many straight males do NOT get over showing off their g/fs not in H/S, College, or the first 10 years of "outside" life. Regardless. How many gay bois do you think have the OPPORTUNITY to show off their b/f in H/S? Would you say 100% -- 10% -- maybe 0%, or close to it, if you are honest?

I'd put it close to 0%. There are exceptions. My life-partner is several years younger than I, and back when I was working retail in NYC and we lived in a good section of Brownstone Brooklyn (Cobble Hill). He would come and pick me up from work, and we would walk, hand in hand, down from midtown to 14th street, and then take the subway. So he got to show off when he was a senior in H/S and sometimes while he was in college that he had a male lover -- the same as you did at McDonalds with your g/f. Most gay people, do not. Most gay people end up trying to wind through all the emotional traps you encountered at 14, when they finally deal with their sexuality in their 20s. (and sometimes in their 30s ) after cringingly hiding in their little closets until then, pretending to be just like you and not feeling a thing for the people they are with because they want same gender partners -- so from a purely psychological perspective, the constructs differ significantly.

As for pride beyond that. Inviting colleagues to dinner and not pretending that we are roomates. Letting family know, rather than lying to them. Having a picture of us together in my office. Jonathan has one in his too. Receiving invitations from our straight friends and cards addressed to Reynolds and Jonathan -- rather than awkwardly getting different cards even though we have been a couple longer than any straight couple we know. Sending joint cards and buying joint gifts for other couples and for friends (we buy bigger ones than either of us would alone -- but they are from both of us). Being on the same health insurance. Holding hands in the car. Having joint investment accounts. Knowing that no longer can some distant relative that I've never met challenge my will (my lifespan is likely to be much shorter than his, my family's average is 40 years shorter than his family's average) and that no longer can they force him into court and steal the half-million dollars in life insurance I have for him. Knowing (after this I will stop, I'm starting to tear up, I'm sorry) knowing that in NY they can no longer discard our medical proxies and make us wards at the state, just because we are gay not straight.

I hope that helps you understand.

Be well,


Reyn
.

Now nearly 15 years later, we have a home upstate and we both work up in this area. I very much doubt

Answer 7

Gay pride (specifically the parades etc.) is actually what you said, celebrating that we are no longer beaten (and often raped) by cops, sneered at on the streets, and chased out of town. It is celebrating who we are, and taking pride in our community. It's the same thing as an Irish, Italian, or Puerto-Rican festival celebrating their heritage, culture, and identity.

As for everyday - I don't consider it to be "gay pride" to kiss my wife or hold her hand. It's the same as when a straight man kisses his wife. It's a show of affection to let her know how much I love her - if someone happens to see and they are bothered, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to show off, I'm not trying to rub it in your face, and I'm not going to stop - we are in love, and our love has nothing to do with anyone else.

Answer 8

Lemme make this really easy for you to understand. All we're doing is saying: Hey we overcame all the shame heaped upon us at an age when we really couldnt understand it and we came out OK. We're saying: Hey all the dogma you shoved down our throats about God this and God that and let's hate everybody different than ourselves.... well we reject that and we came out OK. It's about saying as America moves closer to a theocracy and imposes the restrictions of America's Taliban that we'll still be OK and we'll overcome that too. That because we live in a country where the electorate is so stupid they care more about two boys kissing then their sons and daughters dying in Iraq.... well that's OK, we'll overcome that and do it all far more stylishly than straight people ever could. That's what pride is about.

Answer 9

I guess it's just showing people who you are, without being ashamed of it. Personally I don't care if people know or not, whatever. I do feel good when people that I care of know about me, and they support me...but other than that, I don't give a damn. And just for the record, I would never march in those "pride" parades, I'm not an activist or anything like that. And like the person above said, they're just full of stereotypes.

Answer 10

Sorry, I was just being smart... To tell you the truth I went to my 1st pride in Providence last month. Don't really like it. As I may be gay, I'm not the one that likes to be overly involved with it sometimes. But pride is everyone coming out and not hiding and celebrating who they are, because everyone is different and deserved to be treated equally. Is that better? Sorry for being rude.

Answer 11

It means that gay people aren't ashamed of being gay, so they say they're proud. But, I don't think it's pride like, "my kid got into harvard and I'm so proud of their accomplishment" because being gay isn't an accomplishment it's a lifestyle. People don't work hard to become gay. They just are. It's like, they're happy to be gay and they don't feel the need to appologize.