I've always had a mixed reaction to the whole notion of gay pride. Why is it necessary to be proud of which gender you fall in love with? Everybody loves a parade, but is this deserving of such a show of glitter and thumping bass lines?
It's gay pride weekend in San Francisco, a kind of artifact of a certain time, an antiquated gesture. This is to say it's nostalgic, as is so much else in San Francisco.
But that doesn't make it any less fun. I mean, I too am nostalgic! I wish I could have seen the San Francisco of the late 70's. As gay culture becomes more and more the norm, it's harder to find anything close to that kind of idealism and experimentation. And really, that era was much more innocent than we are as a culture now.
Pride weekend is a big excuse to party, and let's be thankful for that. But it doesn't push the "community" agenda. And really, all the boys streaming around town in their too-little clothing and flip-flops are one of the best things about the event; the eye candy is a treat. But I can't help but look forward to a time when events like Gay Shame or Gay Pride are just a part of the history books, and we can just get on with living our faggoty lives.
update: I should quit being so cynical about these things, it actually is probably a great thing that it's happening and I'm actually kind of excited about checking out Pink Saturday and a bunch of other events. I should stop being so Waldorf & Statler about it.
