sosgemini said:

you pick and chose what we want to represnt the community. if we chose to only see the racism that's all we see... if we chose to only see good things that's all we see.

i have a unique position in the gay community i can easily just fit in with the rest of the white twinkie boys, but i spend most of my time with the Leather crowd, so therefore i get looked down upon.

i could just focus on the negative side and feel sorry for myself for people treating me like a deviant. or i can just look at is my mission to educate. last year i had someone come up to me after a demo in the Leather Expo and tell me i opened their eyes to a lifestyle they didn't understand and would just make fun of. granted more people attend demos i'm in, but if i can reach one person and open their eyes. i've done my job.

why focus on just the negative.

Pride does do good things.

i celebrate my own self-pride.....everyday of my life...EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE- Dajae

superspaceboy said:

i understand that.....hence me commenting that i used to go to these events...but when you look at the collective of my experiences, i just dont see anything to "celebrate" about....

please..read and consider all of my statement..dont pick and choose...

in my initial post i said the following:



i would participate in this event if it had 1/10 of the tact, respect and purpose that the protests and marchs that my african american forefathers created and participated in...

but as it is, this is one big ho/dick-down.....and that is not something for me to participate in.....

to even try and say its something else is a sham....

expecially when the damn event is kicked off by woman with no tops on riding bikes..and always seems to end with naked men with body paint on..

what the does that have to do with fighting for equality? and when is perpetuating stereotypes good? im sorry...any good that comes out of these events are wasted by the negatives..

and btw: im only speaking about the SF Event here..its my understanding that other pride events around the world are much more tactful....
[Edited 6/13/05 19:03pm]

sosgemini said:

Awww. We're not that bad. Maybe you need a new collection of positive experiences. Ever think about volunteering at a gay teen awareness center and being a counselor for kids? Or something like that? Seeing gay people work together to accomplish something positive for our community is a wonderful thing. Heck, even being around a bunch a positive gay friends (easy to do when you are over 30) is a great thing.

I also think it helps knowing our history and how we are able to celebrate now that we don't have to hide. For me, that's enough reason to celebrate.

Being gay is much more than bars, drugs or sex. I think you know that...it just dosen't manifest itself that much...and certainly not in a city like ours. But one great thing about living here is that it's OK to be Gay. I was just in Chicago...pretty much in the liberal part of town and got shoved in the street by some homeless drunk. It wasn't that he shouved me, but that he called me a Fuckin Faggot that bothered me. A homeless (supposedly harmless) drunk! You'd never see that here, even the homeless have more respect than that.

And this comes from a gay male that really doesn't like most of the gay bars (I rarely go) and am pretty much tired of the "gay scene"....for the some of same reasons you are. But I find the places I can be comfortable...regular guy guy (and some girls...gotta have those) bars. I think we have more of an issue with gender association than we do with racism, but that's just me. I'm white, so I suppose I don't see it. But then again, rarely do I even have a barometer of race when I go out.

superspaceboy said:

i understand that....i know not all gay people are bad...however, what the Pride Event has come to represent is only the stereotypical negative aspects of being gay...so why support the event?

you can support gay pride and *not* support the event....this isnt a liptnes (sic?) test for being gay..

newsflash: you dont have to be a member of the NAACP to be black either..

sosgemini said:

it's cause we're gay. we dont' have to do things like everyone else.

it was Drag Queens and transvities that started StoneWall. come one now it is our nature to be outragous.

The Sisters of Perpetual Induglence put out the first AIDS info pamphlet.

The Imperial Court System is one of the largest fund rasising orginzations out there.

we are outragous. we are differnt. we are campy. why should we deny that part of ourselves?

we should celebrate the fact we are who we are. that's what Pride is is a celebration. I don't view pride as much of a politcal thing. i view it as a celebration. a way to see how far we've come and a way to state how much further we have to go.

superspaceboy said:

i understand that.....hence me commenting that i used to go to these events...but when you look at the collective of my experiences, i just dont see anything to "celebrate" about....

sosgemini said:

well, i am sorry to hear that, but would you mind not trying to destroy everyone else's sense of pride and fun?
yes, there is racism withing the gay community, just as there is in every damn community. no the gay community is not perfect and has their share of idiots and assholes, just like every other community. love ya, kee, but really, i believe the title of thread was "HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!" not "HEY EVERYBODY LET'S TURN THIS INTO A P&R THREAD!"

BCorgman said:

excuse me but when is sharing your own expriences tearing down others sense of pride?

oh wait...should i go stand in a closet to conform to what your perception of what "gay" and "gay pride" is..

is that what your asking for?

sosgemini said:

don't get pissy

was just asking to not turn it into a big huge political debate, but go on with your bad self. you're right, we should all stay at home and fume because there are a few racist assholes and idiots who don't act right. thank yo0u for the lesson.

BCorgman said:

i do stay away from this event..and i will continue to share my perspective about this event..notice *i* have not posted against anyone for participating...i have qualified each statement as how *i* feel about the issue....i have made sure to qualify everything as from my perspective....

respect is a two way streak....i am not debating other peoples choices..simply sharing my own....

and its not just i....less and less people who actually *live* in the bay area are attending these events....the bulk of the people are shipped in from around the world because they know its a "great party"...


and how funny you dismiss the racism that occurs within the gay community as "a few racist".....is that what you call compassion? once again..i attended this beast for years....this isnt about a few people.....


the times are a changing...and im positive as more people speak up against what this event has turned into it will either die out or it will become a more respectful event....and once more people speak up against the systematic racism, commercialism, anti-lesbian attitude within the gay community, things will change...

so hate me for trying to make a change...go enjoy your ball....make the forefathers of the gay movement proud...cause theres one dollar drink specials...

and *thats* an important cause....

sosgemini said:

uh, let's see? when did this thread even become about the event? ah, yes, when teacher briefly mentioned going to a parade and you verred the whole thing off on the subject. nowhere in the original post did miguel say a word about going to a parade.

and do tell, how do you try and "make a change" by making broad generalizations about how the gay community is "anti-lesbian", "racist" "people seemed more interested in "hooking up" then celebrating" and so on? where is the positive change in that?

and i didn't dismiss racism within the community. if you look back i said: "yes, there is racism withing the gay community, just as there is in every damn community. no the gay community is not perfect and has their share of idiots and assholes, just like every other community."

but tell me, which makes more of a positive change? telling uninformed straight people very generalized stereotypes or getting out there and presenting a positive image to combat those stereotypes?
[Edited 6/13/05 20:43pm]

notice *i* have not posted against anyone for participating...i have qualified each statement as how *i* feel about the issue....i have made sure to qualify everything as from my perspective....

BCorgman said:

ohh..so when the news channels report on these events and they only show naked people, people having sex out in public, drunk people and drag queens..thats postive representation of the community?

gee, thanks cborgman...now i see your point of view..

and actually, this isnt gay pride month...*thats* in feb....but this is gay pride event month...hence me discussing the events...

so how you like them apples?

nope...


do not celebrate.....and do not support the pride events that occur in San Francisco...

they are totally inappropriate...and until the gay community starts to treat "all" members of its so-called community as equals (ie, lesbians, trans-gendered and people of color) I will continue to speak out against these sexually perverse, drug heavy and tacky ass events...

now you want me to tell you all how i really feel?




i celebrate my own self-pride.....everyday of my life...EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE- Dajae
[Edited 6/13/05 14:06pm]

sosgemini said:

and by the way, *i* know the *i* here is infered but your first post started:

"do not celebrate.....and do not support the pride events that occur in San Francisco... "

so, *i* guess *i* missed those invisible *i*'s

and actually, this isnt gay pride month...*thats* in feb....but this is gay pride event month...hence me discussing the events...

so how you like them apples?

Pride month is an opportunity to celebrate diversity as well as support civil liberties and rights for all.
History of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
The origins of Gay and Lesbian Pride month can be traced back to a turbulent weekend in New York City in June of 1969.
On the night of June 27th of that year, the usual crowd gathered at the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village. New York Beverage Control Board agents and NYC police officers raided the bar to enforce an alcohol control law that was seldom enforced anywhere else in the city.

Raids on gay establishments, however, were common at the time and were conducted regularly with little or no resistance, as fearful gay patrons were physically forced out of their gathering places, sometimes beaten, and often arrested with no just cause. In fact, this raid was the second such raid at the Stonewall Inn that week.

On the night of June 27th, lesbians and gay men spontaneously fought back against police harassment for the first time. The crowd inside and outside the bar erupted into violent resistance against the officers as they singled out patrons to load into waiting paddy wagons. More police reinforcements were called in as local gays and lesbians united in enraged confrontation.

Word spread quickly about the confrontation and large, outraged crowds gathered on ensuing nights to protest the mistreatment historically inflicted on the gay community. These protests came to be known as the Stonewall Rebellion, and the uprising was the catalyst for the modern political movement for gay and lesbian liberation - calling for gay pride and action to secure their basic civil rights.

The event since then has been commemorated by an annual parade held each year in New York City and Los Angeles on the last Sunday in June, a tradition starting with marches on June 28,1970 marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion.

The Stonewall Inn was declared a national historical landmark in March 2000, cited as the birthplace of the modern gay and lesbian civil rights movement.

Now, Gay and Lesbian Pride events and parades are planned annually in the month of June all over the country as well as internationally. Gay and Lesbian Pride Month celebrate diversity and civil liberties and rights for all.

BCorgman said:

the above post was in responce to cborgman mispreresenting my statements in this post....

There's gay pride for ya.

TwinkleBitch said:

should my pride conform to yours?

cause we all want a good party...and well, we are all stereotypical charactures of what gay is anyways...we need to be able to purpetuate that...

ReturnOfDOOK said:

Gay pride right here.

TwinkleBitch said:

Pipe it down, Laurel!

should our pride conform to your general lack of pride other than a personal one?




says the man who is doing all of the stereotyping on this thread