The gay community has made great strides...does the flamboyent gay pride detract from that?

Question

it seems like gay pride parades would take away from the respect the gay community has earned over the past couple decades...?

wouldnt such a flamboyent parade strengthen the seperation between gay and straight? make people more discriminatory?

Answer 1

Have you ever been to the Sydney Mardi Gras? There are more straight people there than Gays. No body seems to mind they are all having too much fun

Answer 2

gay pride parades are only likely to turn off:
a) the same people who were turned off by the civil rights marches
b) those who live along th eparade routes and have to face the mess after until it is cleaned up
c) those who are gay and wish they were out enough to join in the parade
d) those who are afraid they might be gay because the parade makes them face thier own sexuality
e) people who just generally hate parades.

Sure some straight people don't like the parades but some don't like circuses and others don't like concerts. Fact is the parade does keep the need for equality for all in the forefront of everyones mind thus make sit hard for people to say that the gay population doesn't exist or is pretty small thus not deserving of attention in the battle for equality.

Answer 3

Actually as a straight person I think you need more of them and they need to be more flamboyant then they are.

I've never seen one. I've only heard about them.

Until recently I was totally unaware of the issues that gay people encounter and I KNOW I'm not the only straight person that is.

The only time we become aware of any of the issues you have to face is in passing when some gay celebrity gets married or something like that.

We all think that you were all OK getting on with your lives quietly minding your own business, bothering no-one and we actually can't understand why you need to have these parades at all about your sexuality. I mean we heteros don't go round parading about our sexuality do we?

Or rather that is how I thought until I've recently been forced to re-evaluate. Over the past few weeks I've been asking lots of questions (some of which weren't welcome) trying to understand the world from your perspective.

I've now witnessed first hand the abuse you have to suffer on here. I've seen questions and answers posted that show it's not just verbal abuse you have to suffer either, and some of the rights that straight people take for granted you haven't got.

Quite frankly I'm disgusted by the behaviour of some of the straight people you come into contact with, and it makes me ashamed to be lumped together in the same classification as them. (I will say don't label all straights the same. We're not all like that).

In my view (and I could be worng but I don't think I am) the majority of people would be as horrified as I am if they knew what is still going on in a society that is supposed to be civilised.

At least if you take to the streets it raises awareness. Straight people may not understand immediately why you are doing it, but when they express an opinion even a wrong one it will give people like me a chance to help them to understand and be more accepting.

So go and do it and be as 'in ya face' as you can be.

I for one will be backing you every step of the way.

Answer 4

The gay pride parade participants and those watching it from the sidelines are made up of all different kinds of people. Not everyone is flamboyent. The purpose of the parade is to show pride in the way you are, the way you were created by God.

As long as there are gay people in our society who do not feel comfortable and safe in accepting their sexual orientation, the gay pride is necessary, I feel.

Do you think if we stop all the gay pride parades that people who dislike gays are suddenly going to see us in a different light? No. People who don't like gays, don't like gays. The parade may be an excuse, but it's not the reason.

Answer 5

In Oklahoma City this is becoming an issue. A lot of people are wanting to bring their kids, but the occasional near nudity prevents it. Unfortunately some of the biggest sponsers are the gay clubs. Until OKC pride doesn't depend on that money the flamboyent element will be there.

Answer 6

We recently had the gay pride parade in London where it has been renamed simply as "Pride" - yet the L&G community is totally let down by those stupid animals (men!) that have to dress like women and camp it up so grossly that it becomes offensive even to other gays. That let's EVERYBODY down and I'm surprised that the organisers allow it (the camp displays) any more. These aren't gay men - they're cheap exhibitionists ! - !

Answer 7

I think it does. Gay people have been trying to convey to the rest of society that they are just regular people like everyone else. But when you have parades where people are wearing outrageous things and dressed in leather with their butts showing it just gives straight middle America more ammunition to say "see, they are deviants". If we want to break gay stereotypes then don't feed into them.

Answer 8

Parades are one thing, but my father (who is sensitive, loving, etc) gets hit on by gays. I don't think he minds except the ones who seem to be so insecure they can't take "no" for an answer, or they feel the need to get in your face about "who they are".

There's pride and then there's evangelism :P

Answer 9

Most gay people are just like anybody else. I doubt you can tell most gay people are gay. Unfortunately, many people equate the flamboyant people with all gays. This is as much of a mistake as any other stereotype.

Answer 10

I think its great to show pride, but there is a difference between being proud and hubris. Just like we dont like the Christian-right shoving it in our faces, they don't like having it paraded in front of them either.