On a gay forum that I go to there are often talks about Pride parades. A topic will spawn every now and then, and there are always two sides. Those who are for the parades, and those who are against.
Personally I am against Pride parades. I believe those parades are fast becoming irrelevant in today's day and age. Do not get me wrong. This is not an attempt to silence minority groups. Rather, I believe the commercialized, sexually obsessed culture of these parades are doing more harm than they do good. I will compile my responses there into this entry:
Firstly, the parades have the over-the-top rebellious attitude. They feel impulsive. How can you tell yourself you are normal if you are driving your sexuality to such extremes? Basically the parades are the perfect example of "turning gay to shock the mainstream." Fact: There is no "turning gay." You either are gay or you are not. Either way it is fine. You do not need the parade to tell you it is okay to be you. You just need to be yourself every day of the year.
Secondly, if one is to look for acceptance, it would make more sense to minimize discord, which is the exact opposite of what the parades achieve. To that end I think these Pride parades are again a step backwards in the gay rights movement. While I agree that the parade has roots in stonewall and as such deserve recognition, the vibe these parades are setting off is becoming irrelevant. I can see these in-your-face flamboyant shows as a valid response to the public shunning of gays back in the days. However, in a day and age (and place) where people realize that homosexual people are actual people, the parade does nothing but to hammer, in an extremely exaggerated manner, the most deviant of gays into the most discriminatory eyes. No wonder people still think homosexuality is perverse.
Thirdly, (I guess I cannot speak for everyone, but) people who happen to have same sex partners would most likely pursue a life not drastically different from their heterosexual counterparts. Do Pride parades promote that image? No, they do not. They promote fetishism. The parades confuse young gay men as much as they confuse straight people. Many gay teenagers have to put up with discrimination and hatred directed at them on a day to day basis. They are struggling with their own sexuality and self-worth. Many of them have no where to turn to. The only sort of role model that they can see is unfortunately from these sex parades, and many of them become sexuality active before they are prepared, often leading to devastating results, including but not limited to drug abuse and sexually transmitted diseases.
Many gay activist bloggers had harped on the fact that religious people are stupid bigots. In many walks of life they may be one, but there is one place where they showed true wisdom. That is their agenda against homosexuality. No, they do not schedule annual parades with Jesus on it. They do so via propaganda in mass media, lobbying in the jurisdiction(s), educational systems, and even congress. Over the years they had succeeded in banning books that tell the truth about homosexuality, effectively banishing the whole topic from classrooms, passing numerous discriminatory laws and policies, and instilling hatred among millions around the world. Of course, the pride parades, besides giving them a target for violence in countries where that is not against the law, are also targeted by the propaganda. How can people understand homosexual people if all they see are these party men dancing themselves silly in expensive floats?
Yet, not enough is spent on helping individuals who are struggling against homophobia of their peers in school, at work, or in their community. I still remember when I was in high school, there was a guest speaker of some sort that came in for sex education. Guess what did his first sentence end with? I remember quite vividly it was "don't be gay." You can imagine at that time the entire class looked my way showering me with winks. I was one of those sissy types (I guess I still am) who basically do not need to tell anyone and they will know I am gay anyway. It was quite an awkward moment. My only regret was that I did not manage a retort. The pressure was more than I could handle at that time, but I will not make the same mistake again.
Finally, though I personally do not "hate" the parades per se, I firmly believe that they have out-lived their usefulness. It is not enough to be a marginalized but loud minority. Now is the time to move pass that, and to be part of the majority. People had for a long time see sexuality as too big of a deal. I can see the message the parades give as being useful when people did not know what being homosexual is about, and homophobia was taken for granted. However, people know what being gay is about now. In places where the people choose not to know, the parades do not help. To illustrate the point further, in places where homosexuality is illegal, or else considered non-existent, where these parades would actually serve a purpose, they are illegal and cannot be held. See the irony? Today, beside letting people forget about themselves for a day or two, the parades are only continuing for the sake of continuing (or for the revenue from tourism).
Back when homosexuality was part of the norm (In ancient Greece and ancient China, for example), sexuality was not headline news. It is but only a small piece of a large puzzle of what we call life. There is much more to gay people than gayness. I think it is long past due that we gays should see ourselves as full human beings.
