Pride Parade!

well! it's that time again! at least in toronto.... the pride parade is this sunday, and i'm looking forward to being able to dust off my chainmail bra and flaunt my hairy underarms without getting too many funny looks
i know they have them in other places around at different times of year? anyone else head out regularly? any one ever marched in one? i'm just gonna watch this year myself with my best friend and maybe pick up some cute women
and to toss in the interesting question: if you were to be a part of a parade, which section would you most likely be marching/riding in?:
a)leather lovers
b)dykes on bikes
c)drag queen's royal party
d)the fire man's float
e)flower power float
f)other
aj the femme

i have gone to the sna fransisco gay pride parad since i was 9 years old its this weekend and its the first year ill miss it. My parents are awsome liberalists they thught exsposure to an alternative coulture woud be benificial for me. my father being an aids councilor and my mother a long time friend to drag queens {my first nany was a drag queen}. ahh well im in san diego and im with my friends so i am happy regarless.
-phil-
id be on the aids funraising float like i have been for the last 3 years.
[ 28 June 2002: Message edited by: liquidphil1 ]

I paraded this year in Sydney's Mardi Gras (sydney, australia!) 1st time as a participant and i have to say it sure beats being a spectator! Never thought i'd enjoy having a few hundred thousand people staring at me but i LOVED it.
also hooked up with my beautiful sexy girl at the after party and have been madly in love with her ever since! :D
have fun!
~lgd

I wholeheartedly support alternate sexual orientations. What I don't support is the flagrant exhibitionism that seems to permeate from that event every year. It's one thing to be proud of your sexuality, it's another to rub people's faces in it.
But I still luv you aj.

Pride Fest was about 2 weeks ago, they take over part of the city here, put up rainbow flags, etc.
To me, it's like the Adult Video Awards in Vegas, it's just as bad and just as blatant.
They seem like a big Stereotype Magnet. Sure, it's cool that these people want to do this and are proud of their individuality. But Kyk said it right, it's kinda like having it rubbed in your face.
Don't loose sight of your drink, or they'll stuff ruffies in it, I hear.

This will be my 9th Pride Parade!
I've marched several times, but usually I just watch. At this point I've seen it all. I mainly go for political reasons. Oh! And, of course I make it to all the parties.

I go regularly.. i work there handing out pamplets and flyers and shit. i actually march for 3 different causes...
GALY (a gay support group in my area)
NYCLesbiansFun.com (wonderful group of gals.. for older lesbians really. but everyone is welcomed)
and Kurfew (gay club)
I have SO MUCH fun everyyear thruout June attending all the gay events. the main parade (whish is sunday June 30) is always the best finisher of the month tho!
I am so excited.. i might be skating the parade this year. Seeing everyone i know all happy and proud, and the drag queens doing their thing, and the people *tryin* to stop us (preach on.. lol).. i love it.. i'm so excited already
-- PS.. i also wanted to say what BLY said.. we wouldn't have to have a parade and march around and speak up if everyone just excepted everything about life and moved on...
[ 28 June 2002: Message edited by: Bi KaNd*E* RaVeR ]

I have heard that Pride parades in some places get a bit excessive with the shock value display of sexual openness. I have to say that Long Beach Pride, San Diego Pride and LA Pride parades have a small amount of that stuff, but the large majority are church groups, political groups, politicians, marching bands, AIDS support groups, PFLAG groups and a bunch of other participants that are not sexual in any way whatsoever.
So, I have to say that most people I know who make a big deal about "flaunting" and "rubbing it in" are only looking at a small part of what takes place at Pride. Either that, or they don't even watch the parade. They just go off of what they see in the media coverage, which of course is limited to the sensational footage.
The first parade I ever saw after coming out was Long Beach Pride. I had gone through SOOOOOOO much in the previous year dealing with ending my life as a married pentecostal minister and beginning my life as a gay divorced man with no clue what being gay meant. As I stood there with the throngs of people on Ocean Blvd waiting for the parade to start, I didn't know what to expect.
The opening of the parade was the local contingent of Dykes on Bikes and scores of chicks on huge hogs came barrelling down the blvd circling around each other in all sorts of intricate patterns and making all sorts of noise with their bikes and the people erupted in cheers that actually competed with the sound of the bikes. I had never seen so many gay people/supporters in one place in my life and the spirit of pride hit me and tears began to flow freely down my face. It was one of the most joyous, cathartic and fulfilling moments in my life on account of the hell I had recently gone through.
I believe in Pride, I believe in the parade, and I believe that anyone who can't handle a few taboo breakers flaunting lurid sexuality interspersed between group after group of affirming and life-enriching organizations...should either reorder their priorities or just check out for a while and check back in when the dust has cleared.

yep, pride's gonna be in san francisco this sunday. but, like phil, will have to miss it.
if they had a tweeked-out twinkie section, you can count me in that area.

damn, i didn't realize it was pride weekend in san francisco this weekend until i read this post.
(reason # 9459852 why i love bluelight )
so yeah, now that i have rejoined civilization, i will be in the parade on sunday. i'm going to be rockin it with the hapa/asian/pacific islander group.
werd.

Femme Fatal>>Last year I marched in it and handed out condoms. It was such a blast.
Unfortunately I'm gonna be away for T.O.'s pride parade this weekend *sob*...but if I was here I'd most definetly be spinning fire with ma crew...keep your eyes out for them cause they put on a gewd show :D ...and have tons o fun :D

I just think that if every minority group were to shut down major city blocks and intersections at interspersed times of the year, it would be seen less as an act of pride and more as a traffic violation and public disturbance.
Don't defend gay pride. I don't think that there is a reasonable person on this board who will condemn someone for their sexuality.
Nobody is trying to stop you, just understand that people have places to go in their automobiles. Luckily, the parade (in Toronto) recieves enough exploitation, coverage and gleeful shrieks of happiness that the city has enough sense to make (unreasonably long and annoying) detours.
I think that there is just enough hysteria and ruthless chanting to make the parade look more like a retaliation than a procession. To me, it's just another segregationist approach whose ethos focuses on integration. To encourage safe sex and awareness of disease is incredibly important as long as it is not overshadowed by the 'pride' of simply being who you already are.
We won't tolerate your intolerance is circular logic that propagates our disparities and keeps the wheel of intolerance turning.
I'm sure that the parade is fun; it's a parade! I'm just interested in waxing philosophical in regards to the motives behind it and the sociological repercussions.
I have no intention of bastardizing aj's post, but I see it as a catalyst for an interesting discussion. I trust that the good people in this forum can effectively mix their happy experiences and apprehensions with a little grey-area discussion.

beachboy - due to an admitted lack of practical experience with these events, it occurs to me that some other groups that you had mentioned would take this parade as an opportunity to advertise their respective causes.
My post is focusing on the concept of 'gay pride' and the floats that represent this sexuality and nothing more.
It does, however strike me as ironic that media would only cover the lurid and sensationalistic portions each year. You'd think they would take their responsibility of reaching millions of viewers seriously and focus on the campaigns geared towards harm-prevention and awareness.

To me, it is all rather simple;
Pride is a big family get together.

in philadelphia, just about every minority group DOES have a parade and they DO shut down many streets/intersections.
i don't think the irish are 'rubbing it my face' that they are irish, or hispanics, german-americans, polish-americans, etc etc that all have parades.

^^^
word
and besides, id rather a gay pride parade over a thanksgiving day parade any day :D

I couldnt imagine the Sydney Mardi Gras not being on.... Its just so huge, everyone talks about it, everyone watches it.. It means that all the main streets in the city are closed and there area bout a million people eveywhere... but it doesnt matter, everyone is in such good spirits..
I think its great...