When the general straight public thinks "Gay Pride" They think something like this...
...and the way the media shows it
across the planet, you'd think that's all it is. But the reality is, in DC, the media has to search HI and LOW for this kind of shot at the actual street festival. Now, the Pride parade the day before is another story--it looks like that but, HELLO--it's a PARADE! It's supposed to be floats, dancers, marching to music and over the top costumes. That's how any parade is. I didn't even go to the parade this year missing the fun since, I had other things that needed doing that day. But over the top parade floats are not a part of the Pride street festival the following day. Which looks like this...
...Which is pretty normal. Yes, there are a few guys in underwear, rainbows, a handful of drag queens but, the vast majority of the thousands of people who attend look like you and me, and everyone else. The last few Prides have even had a family section, with moon bouncing, face painting and all the fun for the kids...like any community summer festival would have. It's really just music, food, local service shilling their wares, people with pets, booths for social and gay activism groups to become familiar with, and kids, teens, adults and general summer time fun...
...but the
TV news only uses the few "circus" types in attendance at Pride to paint us all as freaks, since that makes for better
TV, then showing regular people having a good time. Combining footage from the parade the day before with the few queens at the street festival to paint the picture they want to present to the straights at home. Ignoring the thousands of LGBT peeps in attendance being themselves. They only do this to us it seems. They never seem to show the straights this way. As if straight people aren't freaky too at events?! Has anyone ever seen
straighties topless at
Mardi Gras? Doing all kinds of nasty for beads? That never seems to make the news, just the floats and who the parade king is that year. Or how about straights partying at Spring Break? I can see the girls gone wild bus from here. Or Vegas? Or at any college event drunk off their ass? Or at any bar USA on any night of the week in a fist fight? Or at any sports event losing their minds in the parking lot? Or ever watched as they get themselves arrested? I could go on. Hell, my brother and his wife watched a fist fight and arrest take place right on the hood of their car, while they sat inside it at the end of a country music concert! Yep, just straight
dumb asses rolling back and forth on their car hood punching one another over who knows what. DC Pride each year has no drama. The police marvel every year that Pride is one of the few large people attended festivals in DC (which sees hundreds of large scale outdoor events, marches and organized protests) and each year, no drama at Pride. Nobody gets arrested or leaves by ambulance. While the other DC events it's a guarantee the
straighties are going to act up, and the police will be called. I read once how Orlando Florida business' were resistant when Disney first wanted to do Gay days in the Disney World theme park years ago. Now, the Orlando business' LOVE IT! Why? For the same reason, no drama. The gays get along, are polite, tip really good, and because it's well known it's gay week, the
straighties keep away. Now, the business' say they wish it was gay week every week. And for the police it's like going on vacation. And of course, it's no secret that gays in major cities revitalize real estate and property values. Gays looking for a place to call home, go into cheaper bad areas of the cities that nobody wants anything to do with, and give it a make over. Making it clean and beautiful, bringing in our own restaurants, business and nightlife. Which once the area is fixed, attracts the straights to the new "desired" location. And they move in. Which makes all the prices jump, since two incomes usually comes with straight families, and then young gays who can't afford the high prices start the process all over again in a new location of the city. In DC this has happened to the
Dupont Circle area of the city, which for 40 years has been the center of gay life. Now, it's shifting a few blocks away to another section of the city where prices are lower but crime is higher. Anyway, that's a story for another time. But gays in DC and everywhere are pretty normal and make great contributions to society in spite of the stereotypes we're regularly presented as. Even as a Nation we are on the verge of removing "Don't ask Don't tell" from our military, and marriage equality. But maybe it's easier to just give the public what it wants, gay guys in underwear. Which I love too, I just don't want people think that's all we have to offer. But let's all admit, we do the "dancing in underwear" thing very very well. Maybe they just want to study our moves :) Oh, and the celebs this year at Pride were singer Inaya Day and recent out of the closet country singer Chely Wright.
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...and the way the media shows it across the planet, you'd think that's all it is. But the reality is, in DC, the media has to search HI and LOW for this kind of shot at the actual street festival. Now, the Pride parade the day before is another story--it looks like that but, HELLO--it's a PARADE! It's supposed to be floats, dancers, marching to music and over the top costumes. That's how any parade is. I didn't even go to the parade this year missing the fun since, I had other things that needed doing that day. But over the top parade floats are not a part of the Pride street festival the following day. Which looks like this...
...Which is pretty normal. Yes, there are a few guys in underwear, rainbows, a handful of drag queens but, the vast majority of the thousands of people who attend look like you and me, and everyone else. The last few Prides have even had a family section, with moon bouncing, face painting and all the fun for the kids...like any community summer festival would have. It's really just music, food, local service shilling their wares, people with pets, booths for social and gay activism groups to become familiar with, and kids, teens, adults and general summer time fun...
...but the TV news only uses the few "circus" types in attendance at Pride to paint us all as freaks, since that makes for better TV, then showing regular people having a good time. Combining footage from the parade the day before with the few queens at the street festival to paint the picture they want to present to the straights at home. Ignoring the thousands of LGBT peeps in attendance being themselves. They only do this to us it seems. They never seem to show the straights this way. As if straight people aren't freaky too at events?! Has anyone ever seen straighties topless at Mardi Gras? Doing all kinds of nasty for beads? That never seems to make the news, just the floats and who the parade king is that year. Or how about straights partying at Spring Break? I can see the girls gone wild bus from here. Or Vegas? Or at any college event drunk off their ass? Or at any bar USA on any night of the week in a fist fight? Or at any sports event losing their minds in the parking lot? Or ever watched as they get themselves arrested? I could go on. Hell, my brother and his wife watched a fist fight and arrest take place right on the hood of their car, while they sat inside it at the end of a country music concert! Yep, just straight dumb asses rolling back and forth on their car hood punching one another over who knows what. DC Pride each year has no drama. The police marvel every year that Pride is one of the few large people attended festivals in DC (which sees hundreds of large scale outdoor events, marches and organized protests) and each year, no drama at Pride. Nobody gets arrested or leaves by ambulance. While the other DC events it's a guarantee the straighties are going to act up, and the police will be called. I read once how Orlando Florida business' were resistant when Disney first wanted to do Gay days in the Disney World theme park years ago. Now, the Orlando business' LOVE IT! Why? For the same reason, no drama. The gays get along, are polite, tip really good, and because it's well known it's gay week, the straighties keep away. Now, the business' say they wish it was gay week every week. And for the police it's like going on vacation. And of course, it's no secret that gays in major cities revitalize real estate and property values. Gays looking for a place to call home, go into cheaper bad areas of the cities that nobody wants anything to do with, and give it a make over. Making it clean and beautiful, bringing in our own restaurants, business and nightlife. Which once the area is fixed, attracts the straights to the new "desired" location. And they move in. Which makes all the prices jump, since two incomes usually comes with straight families, and then young gays who can't afford the high prices start the process all over again in a new location of the city. In DC this has happened to the Dupont Circle area of the city, which for 40 years has been the center of gay life. Now, it's shifting a few blocks away to another section of the city where prices are lower but crime is higher. Anyway, that's a story for another time. But gays in DC and everywhere are pretty normal and make great contributions to society in spite of the stereotypes we're regularly presented as. Even as a Nation we are on the verge of removing "Don't ask Don't tell" from our military, and marriage equality. But maybe it's easier to just give the public what it wants, gay guys in underwear. Which I love too, I just don't want people think that's all we have to offer. But let's all admit, we do the "dancing in underwear" thing very very well. Maybe they just want to study our moves :) Oh, and the celebs this year at Pride were singer Inaya Day and recent out of the closet country singer Chely Wright.
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