GAY PRIDE OR GAY SHAME?
By David Vance On July 30th, 2011It’s a carnival of carnal desires? It’s a parade of fun for all the family except maybe mind the children? It’s an abhorrence to any sober homosexual? Just WHAT is Gay Pride – which takes place in Belfast today?
An MLA has praised Belfast’s largest cross-community carnival for “tackling prejudice” as the parade takes to the streets today.
Gay Pride 2011, which adopts a funfair theme this year, kicks off from Custom House Square at 2pm. Numbers are expected to surpass last year’s crowds, which saw 15,000 walk alongside floats on the official route – up Royal Avenue, around the City Hall, down Castle Place and back to a family area at its starting point. Alliance leader David Ford has given the event his full backing and congratulated organisers on the festival’s success, which has seen several gay-themed events held across the city in the run-up.
He said: “Belfast Pride is an exciting event and I want to wish everyone who is taking part well. ”Belfast Pride and groups associated with the event help greatly in tackling prejudice and this is essential to help build the genuinely shared society that Northern Ireland needs and deserves. It promotes respect and ensures diversity is celebrated.” Lord Mayor Niall O Donnghaille will join the parade around the City Hall
First, let’s dismiss the opportunistic liberal trash from Ford. If he believes in the “shared society” dross he drones on about, does he not see the exclusionist nature of “gay-themed” events? Second, where is the pride in this? How does this “tackle prejudice”?
Listen, I take the view that a persons sexuality is THEIR private business. I have no desire to intrude or be judgmental. However I see this troupe going through Belfast as undignified and as in the instance above, clearly offensive. I do not understand WHY a section of those who are gay need to display it. I see no need for a Straight Pride parade nor do I see a need for a Gay Pride parade. I know it plays well in liberal circles to indulge this – hence Ford’s commentary. Well, let him dress up as per below and I might take him…as seriously as I do at the moment.
Tolerance is the key to a decent society. Gay people are protected under the law and if anything this minority is given greater rights than heterosexual people. (See under persecution of Bed and Breakfast Hotel owners). I do not OBJECT to the parade, it is a free society but I think it is bizarre and do not understand how it makes gay people feel better. Have they some sort of inner guilt that makes them flaunt their sexuality in this way, for example? Or, is this just evidence that gay people are as capable of public inanity as straight people? As a poor Christian, I accept we are all flawed and sinning. I am not judging anyone who attends this Parade, they will be answerable to a higher judge than me.
“Have they some sort of inner guilt that makes them flaunt their sexuality in this way, for example? Or, is this just evidence that gay people are as capable of public inanity as straight people?”
Exactly so, David.
Which is why the rush and pressure for official organisations, churches, police forces fire services and political parties to prove their “Gay friendly PC” credentials is so utterly misguided.
It is “mob rule”, it is an insidious form of bullying that seems to be taking hold across society.
WHY dress up like this in public? WHY should little kids and impressionable teens be confronted with this particular form of sexuality?
WHY should a homosexual in drag carry a poster saying “Jesus is a Fag” ?
Mightn’t these things be offensive to other groups, or don’t those groups matter?
Come on David. They just want to be equal like everyone else, treated the same as everyone else.
If garnishing your freak parade with blasphemous banners isn’t clear evidence of that I don’t know what is.
I don’t care if your a fruit, but all the clowns that do parades like this on both sides of the pond are fruitcakes….
Peter,
Was that said “tongue in cheek”?
(Yeeeukkk!)
Here, the freak show cross-dressing and outlandish spectacles at the heart of such parades are completely de-emphasized when they’re reported on by the major TV stations, or by newspapers such as the NY Times.
It’s all spin.
It is just a freak show and why? Let them be homosexual if they want to be but why force it on everyone else. Like Agit8ed has written it is a form of bullying on the rest of society to force us to accept. Of course, we don’t but the law is even on their side. It is offensive to see those banners and there is nothing we can do about it. The ‘disease’ is spreading everywhere. Have any of you watched the soaps recently? (those of you who will admit to it!). It now appears mandatory to include gays, lesbians, cross dressers, weirdos etc., ad infinitum, and in doing so attempt to influence the mindless masses that these things are the norm.
You aren’t juding them, but “they will be answerable”. I see.
Whilst at sea the “homos” as they were then known used to have an open invitation party every Friday night. (Crew cabins held maximum of 12 people). They would dress up in their gowns, “falsies”, mascara and perfume, and get as many horny sailors as possible to come in and enjoy the fun….
Seeing stuff like that was a new experience for me, but fair enough, they didn’t harm anyone, and you accepted it.
Now 40 years later, I see the same kind of exhibitionism taking place on the streets here. So we have men liking men, and dressing up to look like women..
BUT, would they rather BE women or what?
Personally I would treat any gay person with respect, but I ain’t going to be forced to pretend that this kind of behaviour is either acceptable or desirable.
I was watching a tv drama set in the 50s or 60s. Only caught a bit of it. There was a gay club and the police were taking about sending in the vice squad just because they were gay. When I say gay club it was just a bar where obviously gay people could meet. But they permanently ran the risk of being arrested.
So perhaps that is why gay people want to parade. 40 years ago they could be arrested and jailed just for their sexuality. There will be people on that parade who remember that time.
Given that in Northern Ireland people still march about events that happened 300 years ago is it that hard to see why people would want to celebrate that?
“So perhaps that is why gay people want to parade. 40 years ago they could be arrested and jailed just for their sexuality. There will be people on that parade who remember that time.”
Geoff,
you may have a point there. I was 18 when I went to sea. I don’t remember what the laws were about homosexuality then. It wasn’t a hot topic, I don’t think. Wasn’t discussed much in our house.. I do agree that homosexuals have been appallingly treated, and that it is right that they should be treated with dignity and respect now.
I still have reservations about flaunting themselves in drag in [public. Just as I dislike militant organisations of any kind demonstrating in the streets, I still wonder what they are saying exactly.
If they should be free to express themselves, then so should other groups who might be diametrically opposed to homosexuality,
Do official bodies rush to show their support of them?
No.
When organisations and groups representing official organisations come and give their blessing to Gay Parades like this, then they are condoning this exhibitionism, no?
Or do they see Gay Parades as a tourist attraction, or what?
Otherwise, they could simply receive a delegation of conventionally dressed homosexuals, and express their support and acceptance of Gay people and their activities.
I dislike the way in which it seems that everyone must show their solidarity -or suffer disapprobium.
One hears this argument quite a lot. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever organised a “straight pride” but were there a demand then surely there would be one.
As for why people parade in the way they do, surely it comes back to the point about being forced to live in the shadows?
Agit8ed
I agree with you that no-one either in authority or elsewhere should be compelled to show a positive attitude to gay parades or festivals, it comes across to me as too obvious and patronising an act of vote grubbing.
As to the very reason for ‘Gay Pride’ parades, I see them as just another example of the tendency in society for people to simply enjoy assembling with other like minded people purely for a mixture of reasons ranging from political to just a fun day out with friends. It is the same reason we have St Patricks day and Orangemens parades, other religous gatherings and such events as the Notting Hill Carnival, Chinese New year festivities, and even events like Glastonbury. It all adds to the vibrancy of an open free society, and seeing such gatherings even if they annnoy others are a lot better than living in societies where people fear to express differences.
Colm,
Yes I see what you are saying, and in that light fair enough. I sometimes think that there is a mixture of wanting to show your PC credentials, feeling you’ve GOT to give approval, but still laughing or sneering behind their backs.
I get told off in my wider family because I make no secret of my opposition to gay “families”, two mums, two dads, whatever. I don’t hate Gays, but I have found that many that I have met come to dislike me because they feel that if I “like” them as people, I should approve of their lifestyle -and I don’t. I accept that’s what they do, but I don’t have to like it.
Equally, I find it difficult to understand the “drag” thing. Do those that do really want to be women or what is it?
A small minority of gay people dress up in drag. Actually a small minority of straight people also dress up in women’s clothes. Transvesiticism seems to be popular among a range of people. People get up to all sorts of things – there is nowt as queer as folk.
As for Colm’s point, I think that it is a good one. People like to associate with people with whom they feel comfortable.