I'm gay, so why do I find the LGBT community more offensive than supportive

[princealbertofb]

As I was saying, it's about visibility.... so what do we want to show??? sex toys? no. It's for us to change it, and ask for more respect.
While I agree that it wasn't the Pride Marches that brought us the respect we deserve, it was the courage of those first generations that got us those new rights and possibilities. These are all very new and could be taken back at any time, as you mentioned. We still have days here in France (and other places in Europe and around the world, I'm sure, where we celebrate the end of the world wars. These are important days to keep for remembrance too. If they look more dignified it's because they have another centre of interest, an idea : freedom. I don't attend those parades even if they've been going on for a hundred years or sixty odd years. But it doesn't mean that they are unimportant. It's too easy to dismiss the Pride Parades. If we want them to be more respectful, if we want them to be still visible but less gawdy and sexualised, it's for us to get in there and be counted.
In the meantime, look what's happening in Russia. They don't want the pride parade, ok, but they are even clamping down on every gay person and making it a total social taboo. That's what pride parades are for. It's not a carnival everywhere.

[princealbertofb]

And yes, Trywait. Give us their answers, whether we like them or not.

[bluefox4000]

I just want to say.....not that it matters. I get equally uncomfortable and put off if I happen to see straights groping and otherwise being IDIOTS....yes i said idiots.....in public. There's a room for ALL those things people. Just keep it da fuck out of my personal space. Just cause your gay not mean you have to be an asshole and a spectacle.

Mick

[Englishman]

In my eyes Prides hurt the gay community much much more than it helps now.
Yes, in the 80s and early 90s, it was designed as a political protest.
But we do not need that now, especially in Britain.
These events have turned into a sexual orgy for border line sex offenders in my view.
If I walked down the street today naked, I would be arrested.
Yet at gay pride it's fine, in front of children. Why?

People dressed in leather straps, gimp suits, naked.. you name it... how exactly is that 'normalising' the gay community?

I can completely understand the homophobic comments towards it, because the whole spectacle makes me border line homophobic, and I have been in a gay relationship more than half my life.

These people do not represent me at all, and I am ashamed and embarrassed at friends and family thinking may be like that in any way.

It is all about sex, purely and simply.
Middle aged men in gimp suits, teens dressed as fairies, men walking other men dressed as dogs.
Its perverse.
There is no other way to describe it.

[Tulloni]

My issue with pride is a little different. I can see both the pros and the cons of it. It isn't so much the fact that a lot of people dress up in skimpy outfits that's an issue for me. Its more the behaviour of some of the people attending Pride events.

I went to London Pride last year and hated it. I met some people I knew from work by chance as they happened to be demonstrating and they dragged me into the parade. Now I know I should've exercised my free will and just said 'no thank you, this isn't my kind of thing' but the fact is I was pressurised and I have issues with assertiveness so I decided to join their group. I had to stand around for around 1 hour before the parade even started moving due to some technical problem. Then I had to march slowly in front of thousands and thousands of people.

I am not used to being on display like that and felt nervous and pretty embarassed holding up the banner like that. I hated every minute of it. The problem with me though is I just can't say 'no' sometimes so I responded by caving in and I wish I hadn't because it was awful. Then there were taunts from immature twats in amongst the lines of spectators which I had to put up with too.

Later on I went to Trafalgar Square for one of the Pride parties there. The square was jam packed, it was so crowded I couldn't breathe let alone move. I went with the same friends though I don't know why I agreed to go along.

And what happened there? I came across some (excuse my language while I try to be as polite as possible) tart with her out of control kids, one of whom was throwing rubbish into the fountain there whilst her mate was budging me non-stop begging for my chocolate cookies (which weren't even that good so I don't know why she bothered).

While this was happening I was also being annoyed by some stupid drunk very loud American tourist who assumed me and my mate were an item. He was just loud and obnoxious and was seriously starting to piss me off. In the end I just had to leave alone because I was so sick of it.

And the year before that at Birmingham Pride some idiot threw an egg at one of my friends I was with from a car!

Anyway the point is you get so many immature pricks at these events and that's the issue I have with them. You can always be assured that there'll be a wanker there. Yes you do get some nice people there as well as some fun people but you also get quite a few morons who set out to ruin the day for you as well.