Pride is a protest dressed as a party
By Michael Tull
Letter to the Editor
Obviously, Pride is altered this year. Perhaps that is a good thing. It may give us time to reflect and refocus.
Pride is a protest dressed as a party. I feel it is important to remember that fact. We have come a long way from the riots at Stonewall, or the other numerous events that preceded that event that kicked off the “first” Pride Parade 50 years ago.
We have come a long way, and that progress was won through unity. The status quo is never upended when the voices for change are not able to chant in unison.
Perhaps one place to start is to have reminders of our own protests. How many readers of this paper remember how 39th became our “safe” place? I mean a settlement in a Federal Lawsuit is not as sexy as drag queens throwing bricks in a riot, but why don’t we celebrate the 1983 victory that let 39th street thrive?
While we all want slightly different specifics, we all want the same thing, right? We all want to live in a world where we do not have to hide in the shadows just to be. Perhaps the primary stakeholders, the various organization’s leadership teams, the proprietors of restaurants and bars, can come together and find common grounds.
Pride can be a celebration, and family-friendly, and a protest. Let’s get together in some congress of minds to state goals of different groups and see what can be done to meet as many of those desires as possible.
If it is the general desire of all involved to dilute celebrations into various parts of the city, then we can do that, and in five years it will generally disappear. I hope that is not what happens.
Perhaps The Gayly can be part of this and distribute polling through your readership and through other means to ensure coverage to find out what is really wanted and needed not only for Pride season but all year long.
Let us all resist whitewashing the past and celebrate the rainbow.
Readers: Please send feedback to editor@gayly.com.