Huge Turnout for the Pride Parade
Parade Spectators
“Can you imagine if this many people turned out for the police brutality protest in February?”, I asked my friend.
“Yeah, Birk would have been prosecuted. Cobane too. We’d probably have a new police chief right now”, she said.
As I stood on 4th Avenue watching the Gay Pride Parade, I realized that what she said was true.
I’ve been to many Gay Pride Parades over the years, but my enthusiasm has been waning as of late. While watching the people go by, I realized that the parade has become a commercial. A three hour advertisement. It’s become so … corporate. Especially Seattle’s. Perhaps they have always been this way, or perhaps I am just noticing it more now that the economy is once again circling the toilet.
Take, for example, the Group Health contingent:
Gay Pride Parade - Group Health
This month, Group Health increased my rates, cut my benefits, and awarded its president a 33% pay increase. And they’re a “co-op”. A non-profit. An entity that supposedly cares. Here they were, smiling and waving in my face to show support for gay people.
No offense, Group Health, but I’d just as soon you hate gay people and concentrate on, you know, not screwing your members. I think your gay members would prefer it too.
Then, here comes Amazon, a company that tried to suppress a government whistleblower. I’m supposed to forget about this because they like gay people?
Gay Pride Parade - Amazon Danbo
Amazon Box People
Amazon Danbo
Gay Pride Parade - Alaska Airlines
Gay Pride Parade - Orbitz
Gay Pride Parade - Microsoft
Gay Pride Parade - Microsoft
Gay Pride Parade - Verizon
Gay Pride Parade - Verizon and Orbitz
As long as Corporate America is politically correct, all is forgiven. They get cheers and high fives and their image gets a PR boost.
I can’t get down with it anymore. I just can’t. I watched the Gay Pride Parade for two hours today, and I realized that I have changed over the years. Every time I saw a big sponsor go by, I felt sad.
Why didn’t Microsoft send a representative down to Westlake Park during the police brutality protests? Why didn’t Amazon show solidarity? I may have missed it, but I also didn’t see an “Alaska Airlines condemns police brutality” banner either.
So, why do big corporations line up year after year after year to march in the Gay Pride Parade?
It’s simple. Gay people have money. They are one of the most economically-advantaged subgroups in the USA. Folks who get stomped on in city streets generally don’t have disposable income.
The other reason Corporate America marches in gay pride events is because it is no longer controversial. Companies marching for gay rights in 1950’s Alabama would have been brave. Those same companies marching in 2011 Seattle are just following the cash.
At this point in time, gay people actually have it better than a lot of other groups. Economically and socially, they have it pretty well. Yet, here we are, year after year, pretending that it’s somehow edgy, enlightening, or brave to show our support for the gay community. The problem is, it hasn’t been edgy, enlightening, or brave for a long time. It’s just another in a long line of street parties where product placement and a good time masquerades as social cause.
Now, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy the parade on some level. I did. I like watching the colorful characters and I enjoy listening to the music.
The Gay Pride Flag
The Gay Pride Flag
Gay Pride Parade
Balloon People
Pride Parade Participants
Great Spot for Watching the Parade
Gay Pride Attendees
Seattle Pride Parade
Nude Bicyclist
Parade Float
Can Can Float
Gay Pride Parade
Gay Pride Parade
Gay Pride Parade
Getting Mooned
Belly Dancers
The Scarf Dancer
Showing Their Pride
Dykes on Bikes
Dykes on Bikes
Watching the Parade
All Trans Air Float
Belly Pride
The Naked Bicyclists
Parade Float
Spectator Waving to Parade Crowd
Police Directing Parade Traffic
Parade Float
Showing Their Pride
Showing Their Pride
Nude Cyclists Riding to the Parade
Walking to the Parade
Huge Turnout for the Pride Parade
Parade Crowd
Parade Spectators
Amazon Danbo at the Parade
Huge Turnout for the Pride Parade
On a larger level, though, I’m just not feeling it anymore. When I stand on the sidelines of these things, I feel like we are all fiddling while Rome burns.
Corporate greed has bankrupted America, and the working class is staring down a coming depression the likes of which we’ve never before seen. For most people, “the recovery” is never going to come. Inflation is decimating wealth as wages shrink and the gap between rich and poor accelerates. This has all been brought to us by corrupt Corporate America bribing off our hopelessly corrupt government.
Yet, here I am, standing here waving and smiling at these corporate shmucks because they think moneyed gay people are a-ok in 2011?
It’s getting harder to do.
I’m glad that gay people have made advances in civil rights. I’m glad they make a decent living. I’m glad that society as a whole has become more accepting.
What about everthing else, though? Why can’t we get this kind of turnout and this level of corporate sponsorship for people who are losing their homes or their health care? I guarantee you that if I tried to organize an event to protest corporate greed or government corruption, I’d get 100, maybe 200 people if the weather was good. I would never, ever, ever be able to pull Gay Pride’s numbers, because corporate greed is nowhere near as sexy as men in ass-less chaps and drag queens belting out Madonna tunes.
It’s something that I could not stop thinking about today.
I think I’ve become to cynical for these events.
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Excellent blog post. Corporate greed and well off Gays. A perfect match.
You’re right…The coming financial depression is going to make many of us very poor.
“A working class hero is something to be…”
It is just as corporate as any other parade.
The thing I like/dislike is the sexual fetish side of these things. In a puritan based country it is unusual to have these corporate sponsors in a parade with nudity and the BDSM. My dislike is that it uses “the cause” as an excuse for the acceptance. No other group of people could openly do something like this and not get charged for indecency. This is of course a generalization as some cities are cool with letting people express themselves.
Chuck, you obviously didnt watch the parade. the only nudity were the bike riders and most of them were paint covered. And to Heather, at least you are able to marry and have anniversaries. If you would have been here in a couple months you would have encountered the sea fair parade with all the breeders out, drunk, and causing trouble. Would that been any better for you? And yeah there is a gay agenda. To be treated equally, allowed to love freely, and not be murdered by people like you. The nerve of us, huh?
Except for the right to marry, how is the gay community repressed by the government? Hell more more states are finally coming around to allowing gay marriage.
I really don’t see the gay community being treated any worse then any other community. Sure plenty of people dislike the gay community but that goes for any segment of the population, I know people that dislike me for being white and a “breeder”, the nerve of me for being born this way.
I don’t think it helps a cause or agenda to live up to a stereotype. For example, Middle America sees the gay community as nothing but drag queens, leather daddy’s and so on. This parade reaffirms that image verses showing them the standard day to day life of the people. Heather might not be exposed to “normal” gay life and therefore does not get the fun and enjoyment the gay community and their supporters get from these events.
Instead of bashing people you should say “Hey we were having fun, sorry you did not have a good time. What offended you and how could we make it better?” Then take that back to parade people and see about improving things for some of the general population.
I agree with Chukreis. There is not reason a corporation should support such an event that is really debased and offensive to everyone, including gay people. I was in Seattle for my anniversary, which was adversly affected by the event. Instead of being able to enjoy the city with my husband, we were confronted by disrespectful and disterbing people who pervaded the entire city and just couldn’t be avoided. If you are going to being in a city when a parade like that occurs, you have not choice but to be exposed to degrading images of people. It is beyond belief that a city would support an envent like that. I guess the police get a day off because they seem to just let people do whatever they want. My husband compared it to the hippie events, but did they behave that way in public streets? I was upset that I couldn’t enjoy the city, and sad that a city would support such a negative event. Laws and a common decency were not adhered too at all. It promoted disrespect for the gay agenda.
I don’t take quite as harsh a view toward the event. There were some crime problems the night before the parade (blamed on “anarchists”), but everyone I encountered on Sunday was pretty cool. I’m nearly impossible to offend, and the debauchery surrounding Gay Pride doesn’t really phase me personally. Seattle is actually quite mild and tame compared to other cities.
That being said …
I can at least see how other people might be put off. In the last two weeks I’ve seen more exposed penises on public streets than I care to see for the rest of my life. On Sunday, my kids were exposed to the wangs of dozens of strange men as well. In any other context, this would be indecent exposure.
I wasn’t thrilled about all the flying penises, but I couldn’t really complain since it was my option to go or not to go. I’ve been around the block a few times, and I know what to expect at Gay Pride.
Then again, what in the hell does indecent exposure have to do with homosexuality? Does this not play into all kinds of horrible stereotypes?
Like I said, while I don’t really take issue with the behavior of Gay Pride Weekend (although less swinging dick would be nice), I can see how others might.
I did not say there is no reason a corporation should not support such a thing, I just find it surprising and unusual.
There is a huge double standard in the gay community being allowed to be more open sexually than the straight community in a lot of locations.
I personally don’t care either way. If I don’t like something I see I turn away. At this point in my life I have pretty much seen every part of the male and female body.
I do think this helps support a stereotype of the gay community which is incorrect, as most gay people I know are “normal”. I spent an hour and a half with my wife in a bar that I later found out was a hangout for the gay community. I didn’t even notice.
I can very much see people being offended and not wanting to see the event. Personally I don’t like Christmas Parades much but they keep putting them on.
Heather,
If you thought this parade was degrading and disturbing then we don’t want you to enjoy our city so do us a favor and plunk your ass back on the greyhound to whatever red square state I imagine your from. Thanks,
The People of Seattle
“Murdered by ‘people like you”
Those are some pretty strong accusations on one’s character.
It’s a pretty general statement since I’m sure you don’t know what Chuck is “like” at all aside from what he’s written here.
It makes me wonder if I’m “like” that also? Can you tell me where I can find someone who can judge me based on my writings and lumps me into a group that is “like” murderers?
Sounds to me like a judgment on your part. And isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid? Judgement? Murder?
Please.
To be fair to Chuck, he’s cut way down on his gay-murdering.
Does he still go on a gay killing spree every now and then? Well, of course. Who doesn’t?
For the most part, though, he restrains himself.
Ever since I got stabby on what I thought was a lesbian but turned out to be a man with bad fashion sense I decided to stop all together.
I mean I might go on a little bit of self loathing closeted homosexual rampage from tie to time but the murder thing is out.
Wow! And Tristan is now known as the “people of Seattle”?
Tristan that’s some awesome responsibility, speaking on behalf of a major metropolis. With all the beaurocracy around here I have to wonder just how long did it take for you to earn that title? Or was the an underground vote that Tristan speaks on behalf of Seattle? Or is it just the gays of Seattle that you represent? No, that can’t be right. It clearly says the people of Seattle.
The gay people are far more judgemental than I ever imagined, and I do appreciate you showing us all of your true colors in the way that you respond to intelligint posts about a relevent issue.