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Politics : To be a Liberal,you have to believe that..... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (2073)	9/13/1999 10:51:00 PM
From: DJB	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6418

<<The last couple of gay pride parades that I've seen on television news did not show gays in a good light. The clips showed nothing but a group of immature exhibitionists, seemingly inebriated, fawning all over each other with leather, chains and phallic "tools.">> The television news has a tendency to show the most unusual people at the parade. Yes there are immature exhibitionists, seemingly (actually they are) inebriated, fawning all over each other with leather, chains and phallic "tools." but believe me this is the minority not the majority. <<The display seemed to be designed to mock traditional heterosexual lifestyles.>> I never felt that way. I think it is more a brandishing of their own life styles. Remember you can display your heterosexuality 365 days a year. A gay person even if he is out must hide his homosexuality in many ways. For example a straight person will put a picture of their spouse on their desk at work. Gays are usually not allowed that luxury because it acceptable to be gay as long as you don't act gay. So normally a gay will not put a picture of their partner on their desk. Another example is kissing your spouse in public - fine for straights, frowned upon for gays. Now comes the gay pride parade. This is the one day that a gay can do what he wants in public and no one is going to judge him. So some just go wild with wild drag outfits, wearing leather and carrying phallic symbols. Again this is not the majority but a small minority. <<You marched in that?>> I would not miss it for the world. We parents march together in a PFLAG group. We had approximately 100 marchers last June. Each year the number seems to grow a little. At the Chicago parade there were 250,000 spectators and over 200 floats in the parade. PFLAG is well known in the gay community and we get the largest applause of any group in the parade. Sometimes the cheering gets so loud it actually hurts my ears. I like to walk along the edge of the street so I can shake hands and look into the eyes of the people in the crowd. Many have tears in their eyes and you know that they are having difficulties with their own families. Some run out of the crowd and hug us and thank us for being supportive. One gay man came out of the crowd and hugged me and thanked me. He said his dad was in Houston and was going to PFLAG and they had a good relationship as a result. It is a very emotional day and I go from sadness when I see people crying to euphoria when strangers are screaming thank you and applauding for us. As long as I am alive I will be in that parade even if I must do it in a wheel chair.