Gay pride was once instrumental in
raising awareness for the social issues of homosexuality. However, now that the
need for gay civil rights has been established, the gay pride movement has
become detrimental to the gay rights movement. Actions of the gay pride
movement, namely gay pride parades, often reinforce stereotypes, only represent
a fraction of the LGBT community, and are outdated, serving little to no
productive function. Gay pride parades used to be part of an old gay-rights
tradition when gay pride was necessary. Gay pride was the gateway to gay
rights, but now is obsolete. Gay pride has become more of a spectacle than a
fight for basic human rights. The gay civil rights movement needed the gay
pride movement in order to gather momentum, but the goals and agendas of each
subgroup have diverged to a point where the gay pride movement is now detrimental
to the gay rights movement.
The gay pride movement was
essential as it identified an issue that was relatively overlooked and needed
attention. One of the first steps towards gaining leeway in the fight for gay
rights was to distinguish the gay community; gay pride was vital in doing so.
Affectionately dubbed “the Mayor of Castro Street,”[i]
Harvey Milk was an iconic politician from the heart of San Francisco’s gay
community. Having been elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1977,
he became “one of the first openly gay officials in the United States.”[ii]
Milk jump started the gay civil rights movement and was a political powerhouse
for the gay community. Milk’s early campaigns relied heavily on gay pride, the idea that homosexuals should not keep their sexuality secret and should be proud of it instead. Milk encouraged gays and lesbians to come
out of their closets, thus increasing their visibility.[iii]
John D’Emilio, a gay
historian, notes, “this cathartic act of coming out publicly—to one’s family
and friends, at work and on the streets—“quintessentially expressed the fusion
of the personal and political that the radicalism of the late 1960s exalted.”[iv]
Prior to this time, “the gays were attacked helplessly by crazy
people… now they were unified and they had a voice, a message, a mission.”[v]
Gay pride and the gay rights movement started out as one cohesive community.
Since then however, they have split into two different subgroups, each having
developed their own set of goals, agendas, and methods.
Despite two totally different
attitudes, those who practice and exercise gay pride are often perceived to
operate with the same objectives in mind as gay civil rights activists. Both
groups evolved from the same movement but are no longer as intertwined as they
used to be. Once the gay civil rights issue was evident, the campaign no longer
needed to gain visibility like it did before. The movement shifted its focus
from liberation to activism. Gay power, the organized political influence exerted by homosexuals
as a group, especially to ensure rights in employment, housing, and public
accommodation, was finally beginning to make some ground. This new type
of movement, though still embracing the objectives of the liberation movement,
proceeded to advance with a new set of goals in mind. Gay rights activists
pursued political reformation and “rather
than [trying] to destroy the old… they sought recognition and inclusion in
American society.”[vi]
The movement aimed to change government policies and hoped to end job
discrimination, media invisibility, and church and military discrimination.[vii]
The movement amassed greater visibility and new economic opportunities for
gay-oriented businesses all the while remaining polite, political, and
unobtrusive.
Gay rights activists are just as motivated and active today.
The emphasis of the gay and lesbian rights movement is no longer on coming out,
as it was in the 1960’s, but on equality, the demand that they no longer be
treated as second-class citizens because of their sexual orientation.[viii]
By trying to change legislation and pushing for progressive politics, the gay
rights movement has developed a political process in which they get things
done. For example, now more than “30 states and the District of Columbia allow
marriage for same-sex couples.”[ix] They
emphasize their similarities and down play their differences. At the end of the
day their goals are not only tangible, but also achievable.
The 1980’s saw a cultural shift in the gay
movement. Activists of a less radical nature began taking over the march
committees in different cities, and they dropped "Gay Liberation" and
"Gay Freedom" from the names, replacing them with "Gay
Pride."[x] Gay pride or LGBT pride is the positive stance against discrimination and
violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender people to promote their self-affirmation, dignity, and equal rights; And to increase
their visibility as a social group, build
community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance. In its efforts to proliferate the
acceptance and assimilation of homosexuals into society, gay pride uses and
embraces pride parades as a tool to celebrate their differences and bring about
social change. Gay pride parades, however, play into the idea of freakiness and
weirdness. They aim to promote acceptance by parading their differences. Though
pride is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements
around the world[xi], it
also proves to be detrimental, even damaging to the LGBT cause at times.
Gay pride parades continually
trigger debate and spark controversy. Gay pride parades have been applauded for
their ability to bring about awareness of discrimination, bigotry and violence.
They help the gay community gather and rally together. They increase visibility
and raise consciousness of AIDS. Gay
pride parades bring support and unity to the gay community, they let society
know that the gay community is not a force to be messed with or ignored. For many, “Pride parades are
a chance to come together and celebrate the community and how far it's come, to
remember and honor those who came before us, to support each other in our
continued efforts to achieve equal rights and to celebrate what it means to be
LGBT -- both personally and politically.”[xii]
The other side of the argument,
however, is that gay pride parades are no longer necessary. Andrew Sullivan is
“one of the world's most widely
read bloggers, is a former Atlantic senior editor, a political
commentator, and the author of five books.”[xiii] In the
1990’s, Sullivan became known
for being openly gay, and for championing issues such as gays in the military
and same-sex marriage.[xiv] In the
summer of 2000, Sullivan
founded The Dish, one of
the very first political blogs.[xv]
The Dish now has a readership of
around 1.2 million visitors with an average of around 8 million page views a
month from around the world.[xvi] Sullivan has made it clear that he is not particularly
fond of Pride events and has reservations regarding the whole Pride movement. In
a post titled, “Dismantling Gay Pride”, Sullivan says, “Pride events can be
great therapy and empowerment for those just coming to terms with being out,
but can end up enforcing some ghastly, single “gay identity” memes I don’t
really believe in. My hope has always been that as civil rights are extended
and formal equality achieved, we can move past gay and straight to human… The
gay pride thing is so … well, gay. It
was once a gateway; now it feels more like a holding pen.”[xvii]
Gay pride parades once served to push the gay community and the gay rights
movement forward. Now, they hold both the community and the movement back.
Similarly, others also argue that
gay pride backfires and being overtly flamboyant is harmful to the LGBT
reputation. In an online poll, City-Data.com asked its readers whether they
thought gay pride parades give a good or bad impression of homosexuals. Out of
one hundred-and-thirteen voters, sixteen percent said pride parades gave them
very good or mostly good impressions of homosexuals, twenty-six percent said
pride parades gave them neither good nor bad impressions of homosexuals, and a
staggering fifty-eight percent said pride parades gave them mostly bad or very
bad impressions of homosexuals.[xviii]
The negative effects of gay pride parades far outweigh the positive effects and
in turn cast a destructive shadow on the gay rights movement. Some
members of the LGBT community find fault with pride parades, arguing that the
parades provide foes
of the community “ammunition with which to disparage the movement. They cite
the often sex positive and flamboyant displays that are customarily part of the
parades as enforcing the stereotype that LGBT people are silly, gender bending,
sex-crazed freaks.”[xix]
They worry that the LGBT community “will never gain acceptance from the
mainstream if they continue to flaunt their "otherness."”[xx]
The Onion, a pseudo new source,
pointed this out in a parody, quoting fictional people on the streets. Allison
Weber, a 43 year-old marketing consultant, had her perceptions and assumptions
about gays challenged by the parade. She said, “My understanding was that gay people are just like
everybody else–decent, hard-working people who care about their communities and
have loving, committed relationships," Weber said. "But, after this
terrifying spectacle, I don't want them teaching my kids or living in my
neighborhood."[xxi]
Although this was written with the intent to make readers laugh, it also makes
them think. As comedic and light-hearted as this article is, the statements and
claims made are ironically correct. This comedic take on pride events rings
true, pride events can be and in fact are harmful to the gay rights movement.
Pride parades, regardless of their
intentions, often times reinforce stereotypes. Gay pride parades are
avant-garde, and outlandish displays of pride in one’s homosexuality held in
reverence to the Stonewall Riots, a period that had a lasting impact on the
country’s LGBT history. Parade goer’s range from old men in thongs, to polished
men with tight butts rocking S&M inspired outfits. The parades are seen as
overt displays of sexuality, and it’s participants as sexual deviants. Not only do they widen the gap of
separation between the gay community and the straight community, but they also
create more inequality amongst Americans. Pride parades are frequently
misinterpreted; not all gay men adorn themselves with glitter, boas and tassels
to parade their city’s streets just as not all lesbians cover their nipples
with electric tape to stress the importance of legalizing same-sex marriage.
But that is largely what the general public sees at these events and is what
they base their opinions off of. They provide evidence for and greatly support
the notion that all gay men are “overly eccentric individuals who prance around
acting fabulous,” as described by
one Reddit user.[xxii] These
large groups of inappropriately dressed men frolicking about are ammunition for
homophobic heterosexuals everywhere. Additionally, for those who are hesitant
in supporting the gay community, attending a gay pride parade would only prove
everything people falsely believe about the gay community to be true. Gay pride
parades promote ignorance and are harmful to the gay rights movement by
encouraging and reinforcing stereotypical behavior.
Also, gay pride parades only
represent a small fraction of the gay community. Pride parades become a
hindrance to the gay rights movement the moment people begin to assume all gays
to be the same. For every bikini-clad body that just wants to obnoxiously
assert its gayness, there is a gay man in a suit wanting to be paid the same
amount as his heterosexual co-worker, a lesbian woman wearing gym clothes
wanting to be recognized as part of American society, and a gay teen in jeans
struggling to come to terms with being out. There are many members of the gay
community not being accurately represented by the gay pride parades. The parades
make it more difficult for gays who do not participate to be fully accepted.
Not only are gay pride parades misleading, but also are the cause of
disagreement within the gay community; ever since the pride parades became
mainstream, family-friendly businesses, the gay community has had difficulty
agreeing on what sort of imagery the parades should present.[xxiii]
A blogger on www.abovetopsecret.com wrote, “If
you really want to get a message of equality and acceptance implemented, don't
make those who disagree with you nauseous with your indecent exposure. It's
like expecting Snookie to be a legitimate candidate for women's rights. If you
act like a sexual deviant, people will treat you as a sexual deviant. Don't
paint that picture for all of the gay community.”[xxiv]
He has a point. Gay pride parades send the wrong message and only represent a
small fraction of the gay community.
Finally, the parades are outdated and
lack any productive purpose. They are, nonetheless, parades, and not marches. Many
parades still have at least some of the original political or activist
character, especially in less accepting settings. The variation is largely
dependent on the political, economic and religious settings of the area.[xxv]
Parades have “evolved from radical marches into festive parades with
elaborate floats and notable participants including politicians and well-known
entertainers,”[xxvi]
serving a completely different purpose than before. Originating from the
Stonewall riots in New York, the parades used to gather support for the gay
community. To an extent, the parades are still a way in which the gay community
gathers support, but they are no longer what they used to be; Pride
parades are now seen as a spectacle and a freak show rather than a fight for
civil rights. An excerpt from A Straight Person’s Guide to Gay Pride on
gawker.com reads, “The
first Gay Pride parade was really a march through the streets of New York to
protest the unfair treatment of gay men by police at the Stonewall Inn in 1969.
We now mark the infamous Stonewall Riots every June with a parade through town.
It is no longer very political. It's mostly about corporations telling us that
they're "down with the gays" and an excuse for gay people to party.
Don't judge us.”[xxvii]
Gay pride parades have come so far from what they once were; other than an
excuse to celebrate, gay pride parades no longer serve any productive
functions.
There is much for the LGBT community to
celebrate. In 2013 alone, LGBT relationships were made legal, the president
became the first president in history to support gay marriage, and the Defense
of Marriage act began to look like the U.S. Supreme court could likely overturn
it.[xxviii]
Pride parades
have been crucial in bringing about LGBT rights all over the world. But their
initial purpose as a call for equality for all LGBT people has been abandoned.
Gay pride was once a means to an end but now it is distracting and detrimental.
It no longer enriches the gay rights movement rather it delegitimizes and weakens
the movement’s arguments. It plays to the stereotypes of the gay community, its
not all-inclusive, and it no longer adheres to its fundamental purpose.
[i] "Harvey
Milk," The Biography.com website, http://www.biography.com/people/harvey-milk-9408170 (accessed Apr 08 2015).
[iii] McCarthy, Patrick. "What Did Harvey Milk Do for Us?" Freedom
Requires Wings. May 23, 2012. Accessed April 08, 2015. http://www.freedomrequireswings.com/2012/05/what-did-harvey-milk-do-for-us.html.
[iv] Wolf, Sherry. "Stonewall: The Birth of Gay
Power." Stonewall: The Birth of Gay Power. Accessed April 24, 2015. http://isreview.org/issue/63/stonewall-birth-gay-power.
[vi] "History of Gay Rights Movement in U.S." History of Gay Rights
Movement in U.S. Accessed April 08, 2015. http://www.uky.edu/~lbarr2/gws250spring11_files/Page1186.htm.
[viii] Newton, David E. "Problems, Controversies, and
Solutions." In Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook, 35.
Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2009.
[x] "Pride Parade." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed
February 12, 2015. http://www.c1000veld.nl/web/browse.php?u=Oi8vZW4ubS53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kv
[xii] Michelson, Noah. "Pride Parades: Are They Good Or Bad
For The LGBT Community? Vote Now! (POLL)." The Huffington Post. Accessed
April 24, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/pride-parades-good-or-bad-for-lgbt-community_n_1560371.html.
[xiii] "Andrew Sullivan." The Atlantic. Accessed April
24, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/author/andrew-sullivan/.
[xv] Sullivan, Andrew. "About Us." The Dish
(blog), February 04, 2013. Accessed April 24, 2015. http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/about/.
[xvii] Sullivan, Andrew. "Dismantling Gay Pride." The
Dish (blog), June 08, 2011. Accessed April 24, 2015. http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2011/06/08/dismantling-gay-pride/.
[xviii] "Gay Pride Parades: Do They Give You a Good or Bad
Impression of Gays?" City-Data Forum. Accessed April 24, 2015. http://www.city-data.com/forum/politics-other-controversies/1016460-gay-pride-parades-do-they-give.html.
[xxiii] Wong, Curtis M. "Gay Pride Parades Spark Debate As
They Become More Corporate, Mainstream." The Huffington Post. September
16, 2013. Accessed April 09, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/gay-pride-parade-debate-_n_3936596.html.
[xxiv] "Gay Pride Parades Make Gays Look Bad. , Page 1."
AboveTopSecret.com. June 27, 2011. Accessed April 09, 2015. http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread721843/pg1.
[xxv] "Pride Parade." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed
February 12, 2015.
http://www.c1000veld.nl/web/browse.php?u=Oi8vZW4ubS53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kv
[xxvii] Moylan, Brian. "A Straight Person's Guide to Gay
Pride." Gawker. June 25, 2010. Accessed April 09, 2015. http://gawker.com/5573038/a-straight-persons-guide-to-gay-pride.
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