Is it time for gay pride parades to take it down a notch in general?

[Bodi]

well, when it comes to assless chaps, and full frontal nudity on a public thoroughfares... i have zero problem telling them to sit quietly and behave themselves.

a dude up like a Vegas showgirl and strutting around... meh, I don't give a ****.

in any event, these parades are no places for children....well, unless the parent is really into teaching their children that public sexual objectification and overt sexualization is a somehow a virtue.

Perhaps for the first time... AGREED!

Gay Pride does not need the show of over the top sexuality and partial nudity. Homosexuals can display pride and get their point across without all that. I have been to San Frans Gay Pride Parade a few times, (not to it but I lived there and saw it) and even in my younger party days I thought much of it was pretty classless.

 

[Bodi]

You have envy twice though.

That brings WRATH to my heart!! It is time to eat a ton of food as I ponder that error... Gluttony!

 

[tererun]

I think the nudity was probably a dramatic way to make a point about not being ashamed. A point that they may feel it is no longer necessary to make in that way. I personally feel like they should do whatever the hell they want and those who want to play can go. Americans are way too uptight about sexuality and sexual play. I would much rather my kids say a naked gay man on a float then a psycho gunning down 20 dudes in a movie. Who fricken cares...it's just a penis. Personally I would rather teach my children tolerance and acceptance and that seeing someone act out who they are in a harmless playful way is not harmful and has no impact on who THEY are.

So for you it falls under the larger umbrella of where is the censor line for public indecency. If I am getting it straight? Which I am totally cool with and not arguing against.

 

[Bodi]

An identification tag doesn't necessarily rise to the level of pride, so get a new dog.

Yeah... right. It is not a badge or patch on a uniform you have to wear. You uploaded it to your avatar because you see yourself as a Conservative Patriot. You are proud of that. You can only lie to yourself little buddy.

...and I love my dog. Why do I have to get a new one?

And I see that you are not addressing the fact that I am not being politically correct. :lol:

 

[Thrilla]

Perhaps for the first time... AGREED!

Gay Pride does not need the show of over the top sexuality and partial nudity. Homosexuals can display pride and get their point across without all that. I have been to San Frans Gay Pride Parade a few times, (not to it but I lived there and saw it) and even in my younger party days I thought much of it was pretty classless.

we've never agreed on anything else?..... well ****.. that ain't right.

we'll have to talk more someday... if you're not an extreme partisan assbag i'd wager we have lots of common ground that just hasn't been discovered yet.



i've only seen the parades in Vegas... classless would be putting it mildly.
i'm far from prudish, but that sort of stuff in public doesn't sit well with me.. hell, 3/4 the of the **** i do wouldn't sit well with me if i did it in public.:lol:

 

[ChrisL]

I know this is going to sound mean, but doesn't anyone just ever want to say, I don't care if you're gay. Keep it to yourself. :lol:

It doesn't really seem to be about rights but more about prancing about half naked.

 

[ChrisL]

Or maybe it's more about, I'm here, I'm queer get used to it? Or trying to shove it down your throat, pun intended. :mrgreen:

 

[CLAX1911]

The kind of "pretty" you're referring to here is ultimately non-masculine. That's why it disturbs straight men.

I've hung out with a couple of gay guys before. I can tell you from personal experience that it is beyond disconcerting when they exhibit behaviors that are typically associated with women.

For instance, my buddies and I were watching football with a gay guy we were deployed with once, and he didn't know a lot about the game. This lead him to start asking questions. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. However, the issue in this particular case was that he didn't do so in the way that you would expect a man to do.

He did so in basically the same manner that you might expect a somewhat prissy woman to do. The same tone of voice, the same casually silly disinterest, etca.

It was weird.

I have a certain degree of patience for that kind of thing from women simply because it provides an opportunity to show off a bit and possibly flirt.

From a guy? Yea, not so much.

I just found myself thinking, "Dude, figure it the Hell out. You're a grown man, act like it."

It was the same way when he got his feelings hurt over something. He'd basically start giving you the "silent treatment" and you'd have to kind of gradually coax him out of it.

I'm sure that not all gay guys are like that. However, the more "flamboyant" among them certainly are.

I am sorry, a guys body is completely different from a woman's body and short of completely cross dressing and a bit of surgery it's impossible to be pretty like a women if you are a man.

But then again i dint think of gay men as trying to be like women. The things I find pretty is the larger chest, Adams apple, lower waist line, larger frame. Basically the things that make them men. But hey I am gay that is what i like.

You are likely finding some characteristics about them attractive, you repeatedly compared gay men to women. This is the thing about that. If a dude is attempting to be "girly" than he is playing at the things you like. You have made these behaviors feminine and those masculine. You may be confused by the behavior. He wants to be a sexual object. Best thing for you to do to alleviate any discomfort is to accept that there is no such thing as feminine behavior but behavior indicative of sometime who wishes to attract males. Forget about the dudes crotch and treat him like the girl you don't want to date or have sex with.

 

[chromium]

Well, if you're defending gay pride and gay sexual relations you're right smack dab in the middle of a politically correct position.

Yes because political correctness is the only reason one would support these things :roll:

 

[ChrisL]

Yes because political correctness is the only reason one would support these things :roll:

I support their right to equality, but I don't support any gay pride parades. What's the point of it anyway?

 

[chromium]

What I don't get is what is there to be "proud" of? I'm not "proud" to be a heterosexual, it just is what it is.

If that was already covered, sorry, I haven't read the thread.

In a definitional sense, of course you're right, but it's more a reaction to attempts to shame them. There has to be an attempt to come out and disavow the stigma, or else it just never goes away. Others would tell you that they've endured a lot on account of their sexuality, so they are proud to have made it to a point they've survived, embraced it and can do something like this in public.

 

[ChrisL]

In a definitional sense, of course you're right, but it's more a reaction to attempts to shame them. There has to be an attempt to come out and disavow the stigma, or else it just never goes away. Others would tell you that they've endured a lot on account of their sexuality, so they are proud to have made it to a point they've survived, embraced it and can do something like this in public.

Okay but there comes a time when they have to realize that certain actions are going to harm more than help their message IMO.

 

[chromium]

I support their right to equality, but I don't support any gay pride parades. What's the point of it anyway?

As i said, i don't think there will be a point in the near future, in most cities anyway. It's not something to get terribly upset about either though.

 

[Gathomas88]

I am sorry, a guys body is completely different from a woman's body and short of completely cross dressing and a bit of surgery it's impossible to be pretty like a women if you are a man.

It is certainly possible to do a close approximation of it.

"Skinny jeans" and other such fashions only make it that much easier.

Best thing for you to do to alleviate any discomfort is to accept that there is no such thing as feminine behavior but behavior indicative of sometime who wishes to attract males.

I wouldn't go that far. There are some behaviors which are innate to either men or women.

Given the fact that the brains of at least some gay men have been shown to be rather similar to those of women in a number of neurological studies, it does make a certain amount of sense that some gay men might act a bit like them in terms of temperament and behavior.

I would, however; agree that the more superficial aspects of the persona are undoubtedly something artificially adopted to in order to attract men, as you suggested.

Forget about the dudes crotch and treat him like the girl you don't want to date or have sex with.

Which is basically what I did. :lol:

It worked in a vaguely awkward sort of way. However, that doesn't make it any less strange from a straight guy's perspective.

It's like he's a guy, but not really a guy. Needless to say, it gets to be somewhat confusing. lol

You can't really cut loose or joke around in the same way that you would with one of your regular buddies.

 

[ChrisL]

As i said, i don't think there will be a point in the near future, in most cities anyway. It's not something to get terribly upset about either though.

Well I'm not terribly upset, just wondering why there is such a thing as a gay pride parade.

 

[CLAX1911]

I know this is going to sound mean, but doesn't anyone just ever want to say, I don't care if you're gay. Keep it to yourself. :lol:

It doesn't really seem to be about rights but more about prancing about half naked.

I don't think bring gay should be a big deal. My parents made it a big deal when I came out, which made me self conscious. But my friends said, "well i guess that explains why you dint date any women" so I didn't think about it with them. My parents when i would go out to dinner with them they would take me to hooters so i didn't check out a male waiter. The would always tell me it's okay if I decide to switch back to women, blah blah blah. So it made it an issue. It's Monday other peoples discomfort that makes my sexuality an issue. I just don't tell people. I talked to my husband the other day when i was in three squad car with someone I rarely work with and he asked me if i was married. "not technically" i said,
"are you ever going to be?" He asked.
"depends on the state" i replied.
"what does the state have to do with it?"
"they won't let me marry a man as of yet."
"holy crap you are gay?!" At this point I an laughing because he has just swallowed his taco and is coughing hard.
"yep."
"go **** I am sorry about all those gay jokes the other night man no offense!"
"it's okay, I think they are funny."

At the end of the shift he said that he respected me for just putting it out there, also said i was the coolest gay guy he knew.

I don't need a parade.

And the haft naked dude thing, I think that is a bit sexiest. it's not vulgar or "too much" when ladies are seen in public in tiny shorts and short tee shirts. Any time I ever see guys prancing around showing off skin they are wearing those shorts that 14 year old girls wear to work out in.

 

[chromium]

Well I'm not terribly upset, just wondering why there is such a thing as a gay pride parade.

The first in the US was in 1970, after the Stonewall riots. I think that's a pretty valid reason to hold a parade, when faced with such hostility that they were hunted down by cops. Back then, it was all about visibility and fighting back. Then it just kind of became an annual thing that can't be gotten rid of i guess.

I've never been to one, but reading some comments here, apparently they are getting to be less obscene and more of a community thing.

 

[ChrisL]

I don't think bring gay should be a big deal. My parents made it a big deal when I came out, which made me self conscious. But my friends said, "well i guess that explains why you dint date any women" so I didn't think about it with them. My parents when i would go out to dinner with them they would take me to hooters so i didn't check out a male waiter. The would always tell me it's okay if I decide to switch back to women, blah blah blah. So it made it an issue. It's Monday other peoples discomfort that makes my sexuality an issue. I just don't tell people. I talked to my husband the other day when i was in three squad car with someone I rarely work with and he asked me if i was married. "not technically" i said,
"are you ever going to be?" He asked.
"depends on the state" i replied.
"what does the state have to do with it?"
"they won't let me marry a man as of yet."
"holy crap you are gay?!" At this point I an laughing because he has just swallowed his taco and is coughing hard.
"yep."
"go **** I am sorry about all those gay jokes the other night man no offense!"
"it's okay, I think they are funny."

At the end of the shift he said that he respected me for just putting it out there, also said i was the coolest gay guy he knew.

I don't need a parade.

And the haft naked dude thing, I think that is a bit sexiest. it's not vulgar or "too much" when ladies are seen in public in tiny shorts and short tee shirts. Any time I ever see guys prancing around showing off skin they are wearing those shorts that 14 year old girls wear to work out in.

Not everyone is as reasonable as you are though. But anyway, my point is that these types of displays might just attract more negative than positive attention and give some people the wrong impression.

 

[Gathomas88]

And the haft naked dude thing, I think that is a bit sexiest. it's not vulgar or "too much" when ladies are seen in public in tiny shorts and short tee shirts. Any time I ever see guys prancing around showing off skin they are wearing those shorts that 14 year old girls wear to work out in.

Again though, they are ultimately objectifying themselves in such a way as to be appealing to other men. Heterosexual men seek to appeal to women.

Therein lies the innate difference here. Women go after men who exude confidence, dignity, and a certain degree of dominance.

Men are just looking for a piece of ass to bag, tag, and carry home with them. :lol:

As such, the "objectifying" manner in which gay men dress simply strikes many heterosexuals as being "off."

It doesn't appeal to women, as it seems to show a less than dominant and dignified public demeanor. Men simply find it confusing, as you're not supposed to look at other men that way.

 

[ChrisL]

The first in the US was in 1970, after the Stonewall riots. I think that's a pretty valid reason to hold a parade, when faced with such hostility that they were hunted down by cops. Back then, it was all about visibility and fighting back. Then it just kind of became an annual thing that can't be gotten rid of i guess.

I've never been to one, but reading some comments here, apparently they are getting to be less obscene and more of a community thing.

I've never been to one either. Maybe they aren't so bad, but that's not what I've heard. From what I hear, they can get kind of raunchy.

 

[chromium]

The kind of "pretty" you're referring to here is ultimately non-masculine. That's why it disturbs straight men.

I've hung out with a couple of gay guys before. I can tell you from personal experience that it is beyond disconcerting when they exhibit behaviors that are typically associated with women.

For instance, my buddies and I were watching football with a gay guy we were deployed with once, and he didn't know a lot about the game. This lead him to start asking questions. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. However, the issue in this particular case was that he didn't do so in the way that you would expect a man to do.

He did so in basically the same manner that you might expect a somewhat prissy woman to do. The same tone of voice, the same casually silly disinterest, etca.

It was weird.

I have a certain degree of patience for that kind of thing from women simply because it provides an opportunity to show off a bit and possibly flirt.

From a guy? Yea, not so much.

I just found myself thinking, "Dude, figure it the Hell out. You're a grown man, act like it."

It was the same way when he got his feelings hurt over something. He'd basically start giving you the "silent treatment" and you'd have to kind of gradually coax him out of it.

I'm sure that not all gay guys are like that. However, the more "flamboyant" among them certainly are.

Maybe he is just being himself? A lot of gay guys are like this from a very young age.

 

[Gathomas88]

Maybe he is just being himself? A lot of gay guys are like this from a very young age.

Exactly. It's like he was a girl in a guy's body, basically.

I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with it, necessarily. It was just a bit odd to deal with.

On both a cultural and instinctive basis, men and women are viewed and treated in different ways. You basically have to come up with a completely different set of rules on the fly when it comes to homosexuals.

 

[CLAX1911]

It is certainly possible to do a close approximation of it.

"Skinny jeans" and other such fashions only make it that much easier.

This is actually a disconnect between you and the younger generation. The skinny jeans are really a straight guy fashion, always was, now it's getting to be really high cut shorts are a straight guy thing. I think they look fantastic on the right guy but was thrown for a loop the first time i met a dude wearing them. I received the wrong message. My husband is quite younger than me so he explained. Oh, cool boys aren't self conscious about crap like that any longer, good.

I associated it it with gay also because of a disconnect.

It isn't girly to wear skinny jeans. I have a teenaged boy his friends all were this stuff. Good for them, my homophobic child hood seems a forgotten relic.

I wouldn't go that far. There are some behaviors which are innate to either men or women.

Given the fact the brains of at least some gay men have been shown to be rather similar to those of women in a number of neurological studies, it does make a certain amount of sense that gay men might act a bit like them in terms of temperament and behavior.

This kind of proves my point. If it was feminine to behave and have this brain structure than men being that they are masculine wouldn't have that.

It's more about attracting men than ones groin.

I would, however; agree that the more superficial aspects of the persona are undoubtedly something artificially adopted to attract men, as you suggested.

Men do it to attract men, men alter their behavior to attract women if they are straight. Normally the prissy guys are looking for a guy like me, manly masculine in the dating circles referred to as "straight acting."

Which is basically what I did. :lol:

It worked in a vaguely awkward sort of way. However, that doesn't make it any less strange from a straight guy's perspective.

It's like he's a guy, but not really a guy. Needless to say, it gets to be somewhat confusing. lol

I understand that but the only reason it's getting confusing us that you are associating mannerisms with gender, I worked with a last cop, tough as iron and twice as ugly, she could chew chain and spit nails, I never felt unmatched with her, she was a put bull, straight as an arrow, everybody thought she was gay. She acted like a guy, she had to she was a cop in the 80s.

You can't really cut loose or joke around in the same way that you would with one of your regular buddies.

I never let that stop me. I am a bro, all my guy friends are straight we are hunting buddies, there are always jokes about me and sleep on your back if you share a tent with claxon, don't take your coveralls off, on and on. But that is the kind of guy i am. I have met straight dudes that don't get down with that kind of humor.it's awkward around them.

 

[CLAX1911]

Exactly. It's like he was a girl in a guy's body, basically.

I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with it, necessarily. It was just a bit odd to deal with.

On both a cultural and instinctive basis, men and women are viewed and treated in different ways. You basically have to come up with a completely different set of rules on the fly when it comes to homosexuals.

No you don't. Just be yourself, lots of gay guys get offended by you telling gay jokes, but I am normally the one telling them.

It's around effeminate men, sexuality really doesn't matter.

 

[chromium]

Exactly. It's like he was a girl in a guy's body, basically.

I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with it, necessarily. It was just a bit odd to deal with.

On both a cultural and instinctive basis, men and women are viewed and treated in different ways. You basically have to come up with a completely different set of rules on the fly when it comes to homosexuals.

Yeah, but if you're around it a lot, you get used to it and even learn to play along. It's all about familiarity.