Do you care about Pride?

[baristajedi]

Do you usually march in Pride? Does it mean a lot to you? Is it too commercial where you live? Too small or nonexistent?

Pride is really meaningful to me, and I can't wait for this year's Pride. Last year, marching in Pride was like my last kick to say I'm gay and decide to separate from my ex husband. (rather than what I'd been saying for the year before that - bi but strongly preferring women). I'm also lucky because our Pride is just the right size, not massive but not too small, and we have a really warm thriving community here, which truly feels like family, so it's a wonderful experience.

Last year when I marched in Pride, I was totally alone in the city, I knew almost no one in the LGBT community and didn't have any real close friends in my city, and my family is across the ocean. This year, I'm going to Pride with my girlfriend (soon to be my live-in partner), and I'm leading a bunch of newbies on the march (I lead a support group in my city for people just coming out at a bit of a later stage, and I'm organising the whole day, the march, drinks, dancing...). I feel enormous joy about where I am in my life.

Here's part of what I'm wearing (attaching pic)... maybe I'll make that pic my profile pic....hmmm


Tell me your experiences or thoughts on Pride.

[baristajedi]

Pic didn't work...meh nevermind

[Alvin]

I was told we had PrideFest in Shanghai, but I never found out where and when. Bummer.

I am pretty sure some of my friends won't join the pride event even if I ask them out. On the one hand, people of my age are much more queer-inclusive. On the other hand, they don't explicitly support LGBT rights. Here in China, sexual minorities remain to be further marginalized since traditional values of having a heterosexual family have been deeply rooted in our culture. Most of us are concerned about the consequence if other less-close colleges, friends, schoolmates find out that we, either gay, straight, bi, or whatever, voluntarily talk about queer communities.

PrideFest is indeed something powerful. It's carnivalesque that subverts and liberates the assumptions of the dominant regime through humor and, if you would allow me to say so, chaos.
"I don't care if you're one of us. All I care about is if you will party with us" -- something like that.

Nice pic by the way. I love that.

[Pyromancer]

No, I don't attend Pride.

Maybe I have a different perspective because I've pretty much always been out, so there's no major emotion attached to coming out for me.

I don't consider being gay as my identity...it's just one piece of many parts of who I am. I've only lived in this town for a short time and actually only know a couple other gays...lol when you're a single dad, your friends tend to be moms at the playground.

IDK...you're making me think here. I'd have to say I'm neither proud nor ashamed of being gay...just like I'm neither proud nor ashamed of being a man instead of a woman, Hispanic instead of French, brown haired instead of blond. I kind of take those things for granted.

I also tend to shy away from public displays of anything...I don't march, protest or celebrate in the streets.

Lol just another boring small town guy...

[Emiliano]

I haven't been to the parade in a while because I usually am working, but I do care that pride events happen. I think it's important that people take time to reflect. To think about and honor the history, the generations that came before, how far we've come, what still needs to be done, and to inspire other people around the world to assert themselves too. I absolutely support people celebrating their identity.

[Pyromancer]

I haven't been to the parade in a while because I usually am working, but I do care that pride events happen. I think it's important that people take time to reflect. To think about and honor the history, the generations that came before, how far we've come, what still needs to be done, and to inspire other people around the world to assert themselves too. I absolutely support people celebrating their identity.

Thank you for posting this...you've given me a different perspective on Pride. I guess I've always thought of it in a more superficial way...but what you're saying about reflecting on history and looking ahead to what still needs to be done resonates with me. I traveled around a bit before settling here, and I've personally experienced the discrimination and bigotry that still exist in some parts of the country.

You've given me something to think about.

[cormeum]

No, I don't. First, because I'm in the closet and second, even though these parades happen in St. Petersburg or Moscow, it's dangerous to attend them, as they're usually attacked due to the homophobia of Russia. Pride is not a fun thing here.

[TigerLover]

Never been. A friend asked me to go to Birmingham pride. But apparently it's bonkers expensive.

Seems like a glorified waste of time and money to me.

But then again I'm not the target demographic. I've never experienced homophobic abuse nor have I ever felt alone in my sexuality. Maybe those who have get something out of pride that I wouldn't.

[sillyboy86]

Never went to a pride, cause I'm in the closet and cause I don't live in a city (and when I was living in a city I was working that day). Also it's not my kind of thing, I don't attend this kind of event in general mostly cause it's boring etc.
But I think pride is still useful, we still live in a homophobic society.

[Senpaija]

I have never been to a pride event, and don't feel like doing it, unless my friends go too. I haven't heard about it happening in my country, but if it did exist nearby, I would go just to try it.
However it doesn't feel important to me at all. It is like hearing news from another planet.