TarkatanDentist
Kombatant
OK, so the last LGBTQ-themed thread got locked, which was annoying, but I can see why it was done. Hopefully this time discussion will be more cordial. 
This post is also a lot shorter in case you thought the first one was too long! This time around the theme is – LGBTQ pride parades.
Maybe you’ve never been to one before, but at any rate you’ll almost certainly have heard about them at some point, seen a glimpse of one on TV, or maybe you have friends who have attended one. At any rate, it’s often seen as the perfect chance for people to don eccentric rainbow-coloured costumes, cover themselves with leather or whatever other outfit they feel like wearing, celebrate themselves and, most of all, have a good time whilst doing so. Now that’s all well and good, but considering the showy nature of such a parade, it’s bound to lead to questions such as “Why bother?”
Not too long ago, I was having a phone conversation with my mum, and at one point I mentioned that I was thinking of going to Pride London if I could find someone else to go with me, and her response was “Why would you want to go?” Bear in mind that I’ve yet to attend a LGBTQ pride parade – my logic was that it seemed like it could be fun. I assumed that this was all the reason I needed. Her response to that? “Yeah, but why would be fun?” I don’t recall having to ever give justifications as to why I’ve found things fun before. I’ve liked video games since I was six – not once has she ever asked why I enjoy them, she simply accepted that I do and left it at that. I also like off-colour adult animation such as South Park and Family Guy – again, she never asked why I enjoyed that. My guess is that this is because it’s ‘normal’ for an eighteen-year-old male to enjoy video games and offensive comedies, but seemingly not to associate with a group of people who, from some people’s point of view, are doing everything they can to separate themselves from the ‘norm’ of heterosexuality. The point where I realised that she seriously misunderstood the point of LGBTQ pride parades in the first place was when she said something along the lines of “I think that someone’s sexuality should be a private matter – I don’t see the point of parading your sexuality in public”
The thing is, that isn’t the point of pride parades. At all. And I firmly believe that a big reason why these events are misunderstood is because in the media they are frequently referred to as ‘gay pride parades’. If you read the last thread I posted here, or indeed many of my posts in the politics thread, you’ll notice that I never refer to same-sex marriage as ‘gay marriage’, because at the end of the day, not everyone who undertakes such a marriage will be gay. Likewise, I heavily dislike it when LGBTQ pride gets shortened to ‘gay pride’. Nitpicky? Possibly. But ‘gay’ is a very non-inclusive term, and LGBTQ encompasses far more than just homosexuality (although homosexuality of course makes up a sizeable chunk of it).
In fact, LGBTQ isn’t even solely about those who are attracted to the same gender – it includes anyone who is non-heterosexual (so those who are homosexual, bisexual etc.), transgendered people (both binary and non-binary identities alike), intersexed people, and anyone on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum, as well as any straight allies who support the LGBTQ community at large. Implicitly restricting this solely to those who are homosexual does not do the LGBTQ rights movement any favours (‘United we stand, divided we fall’ sums it up nicely)
So ultimately we’ve acknowledged that LGBTQ encompasses a very diverse range of minority groups, but what about the pride parades themselves? What is the point in doing them? Too often, people think that pride parades are about people being proud specifically of their sexual orientation/gender identity/asexuality/aromanticism. While it’s understandable where this thought process comes from, it’s not really true. Rather, it’s about people who happen to be part of the LGBTQ community being proud of who they are as a person. The reason they do this in the form of a parade? Because even in the most tolerant countries, there are too many people out there who want them to be anything but proud of who they are. There are people who want them to be deeply ashamed of their ‘affliction’, and to try and ‘atone’ themselves for something that doesn’t need atoning for. LGBTQ pride parades are basically a way of saying “Fuck you, bigots, I am who I am and I won’t let you bring me down!”
If you’re not a fan of pride parades, then that’s your opinion, and you’re entitled to it. But under no circumstance should a ‘gay pride parade’ be seen as ‘people showing off their sexuality’, or as a way of establishing ‘gay supremacy’. LGBTQ people don’t want special treatment – they only want to be treated equally. A pride parade is one of many ways of expressing that sentiment.
This post is also a lot shorter in case you thought the first one was too long! This time around the theme is – LGBTQ pride parades.Maybe you’ve never been to one before, but at any rate you’ll almost certainly have heard about them at some point, seen a glimpse of one on TV, or maybe you have friends who have attended one. At any rate, it’s often seen as the perfect chance for people to don eccentric rainbow-coloured costumes, cover themselves with leather or whatever other outfit they feel like wearing, celebrate themselves and, most of all, have a good time whilst doing so. Now that’s all well and good, but considering the showy nature of such a parade, it’s bound to lead to questions such as “Why bother?”
Not too long ago, I was having a phone conversation with my mum, and at one point I mentioned that I was thinking of going to Pride London if I could find someone else to go with me, and her response was “Why would you want to go?” Bear in mind that I’ve yet to attend a LGBTQ pride parade – my logic was that it seemed like it could be fun. I assumed that this was all the reason I needed. Her response to that? “Yeah, but why would be fun?” I don’t recall having to ever give justifications as to why I’ve found things fun before. I’ve liked video games since I was six – not once has she ever asked why I enjoy them, she simply accepted that I do and left it at that. I also like off-colour adult animation such as South Park and Family Guy – again, she never asked why I enjoyed that. My guess is that this is because it’s ‘normal’ for an eighteen-year-old male to enjoy video games and offensive comedies, but seemingly not to associate with a group of people who, from some people’s point of view, are doing everything they can to separate themselves from the ‘norm’ of heterosexuality. The point where I realised that she seriously misunderstood the point of LGBTQ pride parades in the first place was when she said something along the lines of “I think that someone’s sexuality should be a private matter – I don’t see the point of parading your sexuality in public”
The thing is, that isn’t the point of pride parades. At all. And I firmly believe that a big reason why these events are misunderstood is because in the media they are frequently referred to as ‘gay pride parades’. If you read the last thread I posted here, or indeed many of my posts in the politics thread, you’ll notice that I never refer to same-sex marriage as ‘gay marriage’, because at the end of the day, not everyone who undertakes such a marriage will be gay. Likewise, I heavily dislike it when LGBTQ pride gets shortened to ‘gay pride’. Nitpicky? Possibly. But ‘gay’ is a very non-inclusive term, and LGBTQ encompasses far more than just homosexuality (although homosexuality of course makes up a sizeable chunk of it).
In fact, LGBTQ isn’t even solely about those who are attracted to the same gender – it includes anyone who is non-heterosexual (so those who are homosexual, bisexual etc.), transgendered people (both binary and non-binary identities alike), intersexed people, and anyone on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum, as well as any straight allies who support the LGBTQ community at large. Implicitly restricting this solely to those who are homosexual does not do the LGBTQ rights movement any favours (‘United we stand, divided we fall’ sums it up nicely)
So ultimately we’ve acknowledged that LGBTQ encompasses a very diverse range of minority groups, but what about the pride parades themselves? What is the point in doing them? Too often, people think that pride parades are about people being proud specifically of their sexual orientation/gender identity/asexuality/aromanticism. While it’s understandable where this thought process comes from, it’s not really true. Rather, it’s about people who happen to be part of the LGBTQ community being proud of who they are as a person. The reason they do this in the form of a parade? Because even in the most tolerant countries, there are too many people out there who want them to be anything but proud of who they are. There are people who want them to be deeply ashamed of their ‘affliction’, and to try and ‘atone’ themselves for something that doesn’t need atoning for. LGBTQ pride parades are basically a way of saying “Fuck you, bigots, I am who I am and I won’t let you bring me down!”
If you’re not a fan of pride parades, then that’s your opinion, and you’re entitled to it. But under no circumstance should a ‘gay pride parade’ be seen as ‘people showing off their sexuality’, or as a way of establishing ‘gay supremacy’. LGBTQ people don’t want special treatment – they only want to be treated equally. A pride parade is one of many ways of expressing that sentiment.
