Gay Pride

[TotallyOz]

Show your pride guys! Gay Pride is the hallmark of the modern gay right's movement. It means that we won't take shit from homophobes, straight boys or closet cases anymore!

In other words, "We're here! We're queer! Get used to it!"

The essential premise of gay pride is that you can't choose your sexual orientation and that sexual diversity is a gift to society. In parades, posters and rallies, gay pride is symbolized by the rainbow flag and the Greek lambda symbol.

Some gay rights organizations also use black or pink triangles as symbols, although that is going out of style – if for no other reason than it's so hard to choose an outfit when nothing really goes with pink!

The gay rights movement started in 1969 with the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village, New York City. For years the government and the police had been suppressing and abusing homosexuals with complete impunity. Gays and lesbians were essentially second-class citizens.

A year after the riots lesbian activist Brenda Howard organized the first official gay pride festival.

Thousands and thousands of gay pride activists, led by the Gay Liberation Front marched from The Stonewall Inn to Central Park in celebration of their fagulous form and dykealiciousness.

That year similar parades were held in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The main idea of the parades was that many straight people did not realize quite how many of their friends, neighbors and co-workers were gay or lesbian. The theory was that when they did realize they might treat them more like human beings.

Of course, no fight is won overnight and the gay pride movement continues to strive for equality and advances to this day.

Originally the parades were called "Gay Freedom Day" or "Gay Liberation Day." That changed in the 1980s however as the advent of AIDS turbo charged the gay rights movement.

When AIDS raised its ugly head, gays started to realize that homophobia was not merely a minor annoyance. Because homophobia extended to government and the medical community, AIDS lacked proper research and funding.

Led by groups like ACT UP – The Aids Coalition To Unleash Power, the name of the parades and the movement became known as Gay Pride.

ACT UP became famous early on for fighting to fund AIDS research and to educate the public that HIV did not only effect the gay community.

Within a few short years their slogan "Silence = Death" became commonplace in the inner cities. The slogan was meant to imply that people were dying of HIV simply because people refused to honestly discuss the disease or how to prevent and treat AIDS.

While the idea of Gay Pride seems simple, it is not without controversy both in and out of the gay community.

Some prominent gay leaders argue that the quickest path to acceptance is to make the straight community realize that gays are no different than straight people. Therefore, they believe that parading around in leather or drag once a year actually hurts the quest for gay rights.

Another argument within the gay community is that sexual orientation should not define who someone is as a person. By fighting for gay pride, they argue, you are giving the straight community more reasons to fear gays, lesbians and transsexuals.

Religious fundamentalists often protest at gay pride events – arguing that people should not be advocating their defiance of the Bible in public or subjecting children to the reality of homosexuality in their community.

Other straight groups argue that if gays want to be accepted as part of the mainstream community they need to act more mainstream and not celebrate their diversity or "stick it in our faces."

Not that that will ever stop your fabulous divaliciousness! The truth is that being gay is fabulous and you have every right to dress up and shout out how proud you are to admit you are gay and find yourself a hot stud muffin!

Over the years gay pride events have spread throughout the world. Nearly every major city has a gay pride event in the summer.

My first introduction to Gay Pride Parade was as a member of a fundamentalist church in the Bible Belt. I remember the minister talking about the event and disgusted at how gay people can actually march together and be proud to be gay. He said that is what happens in New York City and San Francisco and other liberal cities and we were lucky not to have that in my hometown. Luckily, he introduced me to the events and even though I was too young to get on a bus and go to one, the thoughts were always in my head.

My first Gay Pride event was in New York City and I was on Christopher Street and watched the parade from beginning to end. The enthusiasm from the crowd was amazing. The Divas from every corner of the world were there in full attire. I had never seen anything quite like it and make sure I go every year to not only remember how far we have come put to push to go ever further. Several years I marched with groups from the Gay and Lesbian Center in New York and being in the parade was an amazing experience. Whether you march or watch, get into the action and get your sweet little ass to the events closest to you. Or, pick out a fabulous place you want to visit and put your high heels in your suitcase and fly away.

I've attended events in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Thailand and Amsterdam. I have more places I want to go and experience. What will be your next event?

More often these days gay pride events last for a full week with progressively more fabulous leading up to the parade itself on the final day. In New York and other major cities Gay Pride events have become big moneymakers for local businesses.

While Gay Pride was once simply a dream, today's gay rights activists have made it a reality.

Gay Pride parades and events are here – and the straight public is just going to have to deal with it!

Madam Ovary aka Oz

cc Drag.com