This is such a conflict everywhere.
The problem is this. Some people believe that by "acting" like the straight people and "pleasing them" and by that I mean by making things family friendly, by not being wild, sexual, and strange, and by doing whatever straight people do and being normal that someday straights will see the light and decide to give us the ultimate gift of gay marriage and rights.
Well that's just bullshit. The Mattachine Society tried that. At the time they just wore boring old unforms like the heterosexuals wore and marched in an orderly and organized fashion and did not go "YEAH GO PRIDE, WE WANT RIDES" just did simple picket signs. It wasn't until younger guys actually showed the wild, sexiness, and loud side of gays and started the thing called "The Gay Movement" which eventually led to pride that people started to notice that we exist and that we are really everywhere and proud.
But unfortunately the dumb religious nuts also started to get political.
Pride was originally about showing one's sexuality, yes it was adult, and it was all about having fun and being wild. However, I don't believe it was all about sex parties. This is the line that pride can never cross. Becoming a sex party. And that's what people fear the most.
On sunday I saw a hot woofy man in a kilt made of ties. I thought about maybe peeking under his kilt. Than out of nowhere guys started trying to grope him and grab his ass and pull under his kilt. I just asked if he was wearing anything under and apparently he wasn't. But he was a nice guy.
Here is my view on that. What that man was wearing was very creative and very interesting. Yes it was sexual. But does him wearing that give people a right to grope him and molest him? No it does not because it's his body. I think people assume that if they see a twink boy in a jock or something that they can just touch all over. Now maybe some people like that but in general not everyone does.
As for sex shops. Fuck yeah there were sex shops in 2008 and fetish shops. I am sure that the guys in those booths did not allow little kids to go in there or just told them they were too young.
Interestingly enough at our leather booth mothers diddn't go "LITTLE JOHNNY GET AWAY FROM THOSE BIG SCARY LEATHER PERVERTS". We were advertising education of the leather community and support groups.
However, there were often at times bears or kinky people around the booth who would kinda flirt with some of the guys and sometimes there was a little fondling and groping. However it was consensual. The farthest it went to was dry humping.
I also witnessed guys in the park hugging, kissing, and holding hands. I think everyone's limit of how much public affection should be shown and what actually borders sex varies. I have seen some pictures of things such as decadence and folsolm where guys do have sex in the streets. And I'm sure that's the biggest fear of GLBT people, GLBT people who wanna be straight acting, and families.
However, the display of affection such as kissing, hugging, groping, and so forth. As long as it's consensual between the people involved and it's done in the right place than I don't think it's bad. I diddn't want to go around walking and seeing guys wrestling and kissing on the path that everyone walked on. However, if people walked to the grass area or went somewhere more quiet than I think that's a little better.
As for the kids. I am actually sick of hearing that shit. "DRAG QUEEN FOR KIDS". LOL. Let's play the
Dildo TOSS. Oh wait but it's family friendly. WE NOW HAVE THE DILDOS WITH CONDOMS ON TOSS. To be more appropriate and safe for families.
XD.
I don't want to see Pride become nothing more than fucking and sucking. And at the same time I was dissapointed that men in my both were acting like some sex driven drunks and sort of took away what I was trying to accomplish. However, I made notes of everyone and everything that happened and that will not happen next year.
I think if a kid walks around the park and sees guys kissing, holding hands, groping a little, people selling dildos, butt plugs, and sees guys in drag, shirtless guys, and leather guys than oh well.
The parents should be more responsible for their own damn kids. Plus depending on kids they won't remember much at their age. I mean when I went to pride when I was a baby and when I saw all the hots guys and the spirit of pride.
That had nothing to do with me becoming gay and going back to pride ;O
I have very mixed feelings about the adult area and family area. I think that's a horrible idea. With an adult area I think that will offer people more freedom however it sort of groups them in a certain area and labels them as "Adults, perverts" and etc. And than they might be more likely to have sex and fuck around. Even if they are away from the little kids who are doing drag, doing karaoke, and playing the condom
Dildo toss.
Yes sex does happen at pride. But generally it's somewhere FAR away from everyone else, porto potties where it's not out in the open.
The purpose of Pride should not be to go "Oh hell mr. and ms. heterosexual we have made our event and what represents our lifestyles and us as a gay community more friendly so everyone can join in. But we understand if you never give us rights and always treat us like second class citizens and feel that your god condemns us to hell."
FUCK THAT.
The purpose of pride is to be loud, sexy, drag, leather, wearing next to nothing, going around shirtless, wearing beads, holding hands, kissing, having fun, living, and celebrating.
If families want to bring their kids to pride than so fucking be it. But if the families and kids can't handle seeing guys running around shirtless, drag queens, fetish or sex shops at pride than GET THE FUCK OUT.
Another purpose of pride is to show everyone that despite our gayness and our wild, sexual, or kinky side we still work in an office, work as a doctor to help people, and that we still contribute to the community. But this is another side of us that we refuse to fucking hide and if you don't accept us than that's too bad. Because there are so many more people who are coming out of the closet and so many people who aren't afraid to be out because the world is slowly changing and becoming more accepting.
Plus. Pride has free shit and it's free. Pride should stay the way it is with families and heterosexuals coming in if they choose. But realizing that it's our day and we will (to the extent of the law and pride regulations) do whatever the fuck we want and we will have fun and be so pretty, witty, and gay.
