The fight for LGBTQ people to be recognized as equal by mainstream society has often been stylized as a fight about what’s “normal” (e.g., loving someone regardless of your and their gender is a normal thing and should be accepted). While fighting about the merit of nipple clamps on parade can seem facetious, especially compared with more serious issues facing LGBTQ communities, it’s actually part of an older and ongoing tension that revolves around sexual identity and mainstream acceptance. People are fighting over whether kink and fetish have a place at Pride marches. This year, the most vocal fight isn’t so much about the government’s role in justice or equality, but a debate about harnesses, leather suits, ball gags, and furries. Now, 51 years later, the fight looks a lot different. The first Pride march was held the next year and became a symbol of resistance as well as a demand for LGBTQ lives to be recognized as equal. Pride began as a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City - after being subjected to relentless police brutality, arrests, and raids on gay bars, nightclubs, and bathhouses, LGBTQ people stood up and fought back.
FUCK GAY PRIDE MONTH SERIES
LGBTQ Pride Month, like clockwork, will always be preceded by a fight over who comes to Pride, and what they look like.įighting is ingrained in the DNA of Pride, which refers to both the month of June, when the US celebrates LGBTQ rights, and to a series of events in specific cities. New Year’s Eve sucks, and if yours is great, you’ve done something terribly wrong.Īnd June, a.k.a. Memorial Day, the first “summer” holiday, is almost always accompanied by bad weather.
Thanksgiving will almost always involve a dry turkey. Every big American holiday is accompanied by unspoken, terrible traditions that make us feel like we’re celebrating them right.