Gay Pride

[fluffybiscuits]

This weekend marks Dublin's gay pride and it's well into its older years having started out in the early 80's when several members of the gay community started it up and since then it has grown into a phenomenal success. Pride itself has its origins in the gay rights movement starting in the summer of '69 when police forced members of the LGBT community to disband from gay bars in New York in the Greenwich area, one of these bars , the Stonewall Inn, later became one of the flashpoints. Fast forward forty odd years later and now Dublin is holding its pride but who does it represent?

My fellow members of the LGBT community have taken it upon themselves to throw one hell of a party and what a party it is. This is one thing that can be done brilliantly is have a party but marching for rights? The world is a whole lot different than it was forty years ago we must admit. As per the Barons discussion with myself in the gay rights threads, his lesbian friends and I and others in the gay community cringe at the thoughts of glitter and Kylie representing us as is proclaimed by a wide section of the LGBT community. From skinny lads beat into jeans to bears pretending to be butch and everything in between, Pride has become synonomous with silliness as much as it has become to represent gay rights. Pride , it could be argued sets us back in society. The gay community seeks so much acceptance yet a march that seeks to only appeal to a minority and not the majority will never do that. Creating a bad impression of people like myself and others whom are quite happy to admit are gay but for whom being gay is only one of many aspects of our life. Straight people do not have straight pride do they?

I propose gay pride bring itself bang up to date and seek to change its attitude and mature itself. Gay marriage will not be achieved by waving glow sticks and endless amounts of Kylie are not going to bring us equal inheritance rights. By all means have the marches, I have joined you all in the past but this is a plea, take a look at the bigger picture. Become a part of active political and social life. Money spent on the parade could be used to fund a hostel for young LGBT people fleeing life from torture or persecution, it could be used to get more LGBT reps into the Dail, it could be used to open the gay switchboard for longer. Every pride I find myself repairing damage from the image portrayed which while fun makes life that little bit harder for me. Pride they say is about embracing our inner gay and being secure to do so but is it not stemming from an insecurity that we must show we are here and queer? Why not throw a concert and invite everyone from civic leaders to community organisations? We can gain acceptance more so through engagement on a more mature level.

[C. Flower]

Great post. Stonewall was more than just a fight for the right to party.

Perhaps introducing some more serious stuff in to the parade might get people thinking ?

But there is a time for glow sticks and Kylie too perhaps ?

Was just posting on "Stonewall Uprising" that has been showing on RTE this evening.

http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=9641

[fluffybiscuits]

Great post. Stonewall was more than just a fight for the right to party.

Perhaps introducing some more serious stuff in to the parade might get people thinking ?

But there is a time for glow sticks and Kylie too perhaps ?

Was just posting on "Stonewall Uprising" that has been showing on RTE this evening.

http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=9641

The reaction on facebook was not good, I got told I was suffering from internalised homophobia because I dared to challenge the status quo. This was mainly froma few people who knew that comments such as acting butch or femenine and being false was how they are. In private a few people agreed with me , more so than those who responded. There is very little engagement of the gay community outside of the major cities but this is changing slowly thanks to excellent work of organisations like Belong To and other community based. However there is still very little for vunerable gay people in the suburbs or very remote backwaters in Ireland. An engagement of people through political parties, setting upof groups in other urban and rural areas etc. Kylie and glow sticks do have their part to play but not in normalising relations, in having a good time. I have taken part in all aspects of gay life and have done some voluntary work so know the lay of the land in regards of the gay community. What I suggested could move us forward. If gay pride took itself a bit more serious that could be a bit of a compromise. One lad suggested we are already politically engaged because Sinn Fein LGBT and Labour LGBT march with us!

[Saoirse go Deo]

I'm probably going to march in it with my party, I'm not gay but I want to show support for the LGBT community.

If you think that the parade is counter productive then what alternatives would you suggest to make a visual show of support of the LGBT community? Obviously there is a lot of behind the scenes things and policies etc, but marching together with the community clearly demonstrates solidarity and support in a very concrete way. (imo)

Thats my perspective on marching in the parade as a straight person.

[eamo]

This weekend marks Dublin's gay pride and it's well into its older years having started out in the early 80's when several members of the gay community started it up and since then it has grown into a phenomenal success. Pride itself has its origins in the gay rights movement starting in the summer of '69 when police forced members of the LGBT community to disband from gay bars in New York in the Greenwich area, one of these bars , the Stonewall Inn, later became one of the flashpoints. Fast forward forty odd years later and now Dublin is holding its pride but who does it represent?

My fellow members of the LGBT community have taken it upon themselves to throw one hell of a party and what a party it is. This is one thing that can be done brilliantly is have a party but marching for rights? The world is a whole lot different than it was forty years ago we must admit. As per the Barons discussion with myself in the gay rights threads, his lesbian friends and I and others in the gay community cringe at the thoughts of glitter and Kylie representing us as is proclaimed by a wide section of the LGBT community. From skinny lads beat into jeans to bears pretending to be butch and everything in between, Pride has become synonomous with silliness as much as it has become to represent gay rights. Pride , it could be argued sets us back in society. The gay community seeks so much acceptance yet a march that seeks to only appeal to a minority and not the majority will never do that. Creating a bad impression of people like myself and others whom are quite happy to admit are gay but for whom being gay is only one of many aspects of our life. Straight people do not have straight pride do they?

I propose gay pride bring itself bang up to date and seek to change its attitude and mature itself. Gay marriage will not be achieved by waving glow sticks and endless amounts of Kylie are not going to bring us equal inheritance rights. By all means have the marches, I have joined you all in the past but this is a plea, take a look at the bigger picture. Become a part of active political and social life. Money spent on the parade could be used to fund a hostel for young LGBT people fleeing life from torture or persecution, it could be used to get more LGBT reps into the Dail, it could be used to open the gay switchboard for longer. Every pride I find myself repairing damage from the image portrayed which while fun makes life that little bit harder for me. Pride they say is about embracing our inner gay and being secure to do so but is it not stemming from an insecurity that we must show we are here and queer? Why not throw a concert and invite everyone from civic leaders to community organisations? We can gain acceptance more so through engagement on a more mature level.

+100%

I think there should be a major effort over the Gay Pride weekend to highlight the plight of those LGBT people suffering terrible persecution in many parts of the world. That is not to diminish the challenges faced by Gay people here, but the persecution of LGBT people in some parts of the world is of a different, more brutal and often state endorsed nature.
Obviously too late for this year but maybe next year?
What about large banners leading the parade with the pics. of people imprisoned or executed for their sexuality.


Nice to see the rainbow flag flying all along the Liffey. The flag was first flown in San Francisco in 1978, was hand made, was gigantic, and had eight colors.
How it evolved into the present six color rainbow flag is told here:

http://www.gayprideneworleans.com/articles/002.htm

[bernadette]

A good post!

I watched the documentary centred on the Stonewall club. It was interesting almost a different time it showed how far not just gay but also individual rights have come.

I'm not sure about the gay pride marches now. Everything has its day and perhaps its time to move on but it must be to move on not to fall back thinking everything is now safe.

[eamo]

A good post!

I watched the documentary centred on the Stonewall club. It was interesting almost a different time it showed how far not just gay but also individual rights have come.

I'm not sure about the gay pride marches now. Everything has its day and perhaps its time to move on but it must be to move on not to fall back thinking everything is now safe.

dead right
we are on the verg of going into reverse in many aspects of human development.

[bernadette]

dead right
we are on the verg of going into reverse in many aspects of human development.

Completely agree. I think there is a very powerful element that would like to take us back to a kind of 1950s environment where we all knew our place and did as we were told.

[fluffybiscuits]

I'm probably going to march in it with my party, I'm not gay but I want to show support for the LGBT community.

If you think that the parade is counter productive then what alternatives would you suggest to make a visual show of support of the LGBT community? Obviously there is a lot of behind the scenes things and policies etc, but marching together with the community clearly demonstrates solidarity and support in a very concrete way. (imo)

Thats my perspective on marching in the parade as a straight person.

And I admire you all the more for it. My mother has just berated me on the phone for the post I put up "let them celebrate their sexuality and have their party!" but where is the mention of rights from them? We forget about our fellow LGBT members in Iran? We forget about those in Russia? We forget about those whom are suffering in Ireland and not out. The parade is great for solidarity for those that are out and supports that with good people like yourself showing solidarity but for those not out it reinforces stereotypes. There is no gay group for people in Tallaght or out the south side. Same applies to North side. There is a grass root movement in Kildare but this is just basic . Pride does not help these in anyway!

PS Fair play to SF for their support of gay rights, could not speak higher of them in that respect.

+100%

I think there should be a major effort over the Gay Pride weekend to highlight the plight of those LGBT people suffering terrible persecution in many parts of the world. That is not to diminish the challenges faced by Gay people here, but the persecution of LGBT people in some parts of the world is of a different, more brutal and often state endorsed nature.
Obviously too late for this year but maybe next year?
What about large banners leading the parade with the pics. of people imprisoned or executed for their sexuality.


Nice to see the rainbow flag flying all along the Liffey. The flag was first flown in San Francisco in 1978, was hand made, was gigantic, and had eight colors.
How it evolved into the present six color rainbow flag is told here:

http://www.gayprideneworleans.com/articles/002.htm

Thanks for the info mate ! Agree with you, the party can go on but must focus on other areas of LGBT life

A good post!

I watched the documentary centred on the Stonewall club. It was interesting almost a different time it showed how far not just gay but also individual rights have come.

I'm not sure about the gay pride marches now. Everything has its day and perhaps its time to move on but it must be to move on not to fall back thinking everything is now safe.

Plus 10000000. We need to progress. We are at a plateau now but we seem incapable of moving on. There is still some issues with public sector being homophobic (speaking from personal experience and from others) and from other sectors of society. We need to keep moving forward

[Dr. FIVE]

Nice to see the rainbow flag flying all along the Liffey.

Not least as the Vatican flag was flying only a week ago.

Suzy Byrne has a good round up of the Garda Commissioner/Uniform issue http://www.mamanpoulet.com/commissio...ai-in-uniform/

Goodluck to all this weekend anyway. An important event regardless of perceptions of how it should or should shouldn't be imo.
Shows the diversity within diversity which is what it's all about I suppose.

[fluffybiscuits]

Not least as the Vatican flag was flying only a week ago.

Suzy Byrne has a good round up of the Garda Commissioner/Uniform issue http://www.mamanpoulet.com/commissio...ai-in-uniform/

Goodluck to all this weekend anyway. An important event regardless of perceptions of how it should or should shouldn't be imo.
Shows the diversity within diversity which is what it's all about I suppose.

Ironic isnt it, the Vatican flag one week and gay pride the next lol! Hope everyone has a safe pride anyways regardless of views

[bernadette]

Ironic isnt it, the Vatican flag one week and gay pride the next lol! Hope everyone has a safe pride anyways regardless of views

I hope the weather is dry and that everyone remembers that the RCC is one of those sections that would withdraw the rights people worked so hard to achieve, and, of course that the only sexual orientation the RCC allows is paedophelia...

Have a good one

[Baron von Biffo]

Ironic isnt it, the Vatican flag one week and gay pride the next lol! Hope everyone has a safe pride anyways regardless of views

Two weeks in a row of men in frocks taking to the streets.

[fluffybiscuits]

Two weeks in a row of men in frocks taking to the streets.