The Pride Parade takes place towards the end of June every year, celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion. Ideally, this is where the community comes together and celebrates “being out and proud.” There are Pride marches in almost all of the major cities: from cities on the east coast, like NYC and Washington DC, to cities like Los Angles, located on the west coast. However, some members of the LGBTQ community are debating whether pride is a place for LGBTQ people, or whether the activities have been taken over by the corporate society and straights. In her article, Is Pride Still for Queer People like Me?, Krista Burton believes that straight people and corporations have taken over “Pride.”
In her article, Burton remarks that everywhere you look, there are “small children with rainbows painted on their cheeks… gay people holding hands, kissing. Drag queens [waving] from vintage cars… Dykes on Bikes [roaring] past. The riders were topless. Pride was a party, a huge gay party, and [she] had never been so excited to be invited, or felt so instantly welcome, anywhere” (Burton 2017, 2). Despite all this excitement, this welcoming feeling, Burton believes it is a downfall of Pride. She believes that Pride is now a place for straight white people to feel welcome, despite being welcomed everywhere else. Burton thinks that Pride should only be for people who are not straight. She believes it is supposed to be a celebration for Queers and their partners, so they can feel welcome in a place when they might not feel welcome at home. She believes that if everyone were to ask their “friendly local queer if they are going to the parade… [they’ll] get a “nope,” followed by an ‘it’s too corporate’ or ‘it’s too white’ or ‘it’s too cis.’ Not radical enough, too hot, parking is terrible” (Burton 2017, 2).
However, in my opinion, I believe it is time for people like this to understand that Pride is no longer about protests and anger. Pride is supposed to be a celebration of who you are. While there are still issues plaguing the Gay Community and the American society as a whole, this is not the time to angerly shout and rave about things. In my opinion, I believe that parents bringing their child to Pride will expose them to a group of people that are very similar to them. Having straight people show up, and show their support, can be a good thing for the community. Pride is a time to celebrate the work that advocates have done for the community. There is a time for us to continue the struggle, but that one weekend in June is not it.
