It’s Pride time again. The parade, the bare-chested men with muscles and jockstraps, the bare-chested women with muscles and jockstraps, towers of hair, screamers in tacky drag, love-filled Christians condemning us all to the deepest depths of hell, etc. Ho hum. Been there. Done that. I thought.
I had only seen Pride events on newscasts focusing on the most sensational, stereotypical participants geared to outrage all but the most dedicated gay supporters. What a surprise when I saw my first Pride parade in San Diego. Yes, the aforementioned were there, but also proud parents, college and high school clubs, Christian and Jewish groups, firefighters and police (my heart be still) and we-love-everybody politicians. How thrilling to see the crowd, except one small group praying for us, having a good time supporting The Family. Screams and shouts arose as people recognized friends and co-workers. The masks were off. The TV coverage amazed me. The whole proud gay spectrum, city worthies, celebs, gorgeous drags and well-made floats.
Then on to the festival grounds, filled with booths and events promoting the acceptance of gay and lesbian lifestyles. What a shock when I saw a police recruiting booth. The shock doubled when I noticed it was across from an SM “training tent.” What hath God wrought?
More such positive events will bring an end to the haters and their vitriolic rhetoric. But not without the help of all members of the community. Get out next week, cheer on the marchers and spend some time at the festival. There will be much to see, buy and ogle.
Come on, seniors. Maybe you can’t march, shake your thang in a drag conga line or party until three as of old, but you can still support Pride next week and at all times the many gay-oriented businesses, theater, music and sports events. Speak up when you hear an anti-gay remark, answer questions about gay life when asked, go back to the class reunion with your partner, etc. These positive, meaningful actions can and did bring change. Think of the far fewer, but far braver marchers a generation ago. They changed the parade into what it is today. We must continue to make it even better tomorrow.
Let Pride cometh before the fall of bigotry and hate.
