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Disliking the parades does not automatically mean a person is intolerant of homosexuality. I know homosexuals who also do not agree with these pride parades. They are tired of being associated with events that paint them with an image of sex-crazed lunatics having no self-control.

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I am from San Francisco, and have attended a number of LGBT Pride Parades. In addition to a celebratory display of homosexuality, and this does entail flamboyant costumes, dancing, etc., that seems to offend you, there are a number of people that represent themselves as what you would call normal. For example, LGBT police officers march in uniform and families with same-sex parents march with their children in strollers. Clearly you have never been to a pride parade. Perhaps you should take your issues up with the media outlets that choose to show only the provocative aspects of the parade. Better yet, as a reporter, attend one for yourself and report on the many diverse aspects of the parade. That said, pride parades aren’t a meant to be an intellectual debate about what it means to be human. They are meant to be a celebration of a very diverse community in which many members are proud of their sexuality and want to display this very aspect of their identity that they have been marginalized for.

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Gay culture back in 60s, 70s, and 80s used to be about freedom and exploration. But as gay culture became more and more incorporated into the mainstream, it was forced to adopt the rules of the mainstream. Homosexual relationships must be monogamous, partners must be of the same race, both partners must be successful, contributing members of society, etc.

I advocate more outlandish behavior at gay pride parades. Keep it about freedom, not about acceptance.

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Jamie: All gay pride parades are registered as fundraisers, and historically, raising money for AIDS awareness and treatment/prevention have been strongly linked to gay pride parades. Maybe it’s not the only purpose, but it’s definitely one of them (as I mention in the article, along with promoting awareness and acceptance of the community), and very, very few parades (if any) don’t have a fundraiser associated with AIDS.

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Please read my reply to David again. It’s not that I personally care about what they do, but that I can’t take them seriously on an intellectual level because their message (a valid one: that society should accept differences in sexual orientation) comes packaged with things that undermine the point they’re trying to convey. Perhaps my word choice of saying “offensive sexuality” was amiss (I was trying to get at the notion that it offends my intellectual sensibilities), but regardless I think the tone and thrust of my article is clear enough that nitpicking at one word in the entire article is pretty trivial (along with the fact that I mention multiple times in the article that I am not anti-gay, nor am I offended by homosexuality).

I did write that it’s a terrible idea to shock and offend those very same people you wish to persuade and support you. That doesn’t mean me – they don’t need to persuade me, I’m already on their face – it means a large part of the general public at large that are offended by the behavior at gay pride parades. I’m not offended because I know and have worked with gay people and understand that there’s more to them than what goes on in the parades. A lot of people, on the other hand, have never done so (either because of ignorance or homophobia), and only see what’s on TV, leading them to conclude that what’s on TV is the whole picture. Frankly, I don’t see how anybody can think that it is.

I’m not really offended by what goes on in gay pride parades (I’ve seen far worse; 2 minutes on 2girls1cup took care of that), but you ask me “then why not watch the parade?” The answer to that question is the whole point of my article, which you missed in your attempt to pigeonhole me into being anti-gay. The reason I don’t watch the parades is because I think they’re counterproductive – I’d rather see a gay pride parade where they showed the sexual side, but not only the sexual side. I’d like to see informed, intellectual debate that takes into account all aspects of what it means to be a human being – straight or gay, white or black, man or woman. One thing that is worth mentioning is that it’s not just me saying this – people within the gay community espouse similar views to mine (something I found out after writing the article, and something I was glad to find).

If you would like to continue this discussion, please e-mail me at asundar@wustl.edu. Thanks for the comment.

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obviously aids is a super important and pressing issue, but as an lgbt activist, i’m pretty uncomfortable with people always putting aids and gay together. we’re trying to fix that.

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