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Gay Pride
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With Pride season among us, I've been inevitably hit with the question "Why do gay people need a parade? Aren't you guys looking for equality?" This has come from a very heterosexual friend of mine that I've known for about 15 years.
While not homophobic at all, he's actually surprisingly accepting, he does have a way to go in understanding.
Sometimes homophobia and ignorance don't necessarily go hand in hand, as evidenced by my friend. He would have my back in a fight any day, he would stand up for me if people were attacking me because of being gay, he's met my other gay friends and gets along well with them.
He just doesn't understand the need for Pride week.
I told him that things are absolutely better for gays now than they were decades ago, but there are still things that need to change. While it may seem like the parade is a bunch of hedonistic men and women dancing around, I told him to look again. It's full of politicians, police men and women, youth groups, church leaders. Things that are important. These are people and organizations that we need to know are there. We need to show everyone that they are there. There is still a lot of hate in the world towards gay and lesbian (when I say gay and lesbian, please assume I mean all minority sexual identities) people.
Is the parade shoving something down other people's throats? Maybe. But no more than Cariwest for people of carribean culture, the St. Patricks Day parade for the Irish, Easter and Christmas for the Christians. Every group that has something to celebrate in society gets a day to parade down the street for an afternoon. The pride parade is no different.
He came with me to the Edmonton Pride Parade, he saw that the crowd was largely families. He changed his tone. He said he had a great time. At the beer gardens, he made some great new friends and enjoyed drinking beer at 2pm.
"So, you guys are just celebrating?", my friend asked.
Sort of.
I'm part of a generation of gays where what we are afforded has been built on the backs of gays gone by. So, yes, it is a celebration, but it's more than that. It's a chance to show the world that there are all sorts of gay people in the world, that we look just as diverse as any other group.
My friend learned something this weekend. I like to think that he's a little less ignorant about why there is Gay Pride now than he was before. Hopefully he can help spread the word.
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Monday, Jun. 14, 2010 - 11:33 a.m.
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older entries
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DDB Canada - Tuesday, Apr. 12, 2011
Epiphany - Thursday, Apr. 07, 2011
Chair and Stool - Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
To the Grave - Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010
The Boy I Facebook Creep - Tuesday, Aug. 03, 2010
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