Why I'm Marching

[Huey_durden]

I'm marching because I'm scared.

I'm scared because people still feel that serial monogamy is better than polyamory.

I am scared because there are so many people in the LGBT community that are at each others throats.

I'm scared because I was only 4 blocks away when Kevin Aviance was attacked and if I have went west instead of east I might have saved him.

I'm scared because the general populace believes that bisexuality is a phase. be they straight or gay.

I'm scared because there are some gay people no...alot of gay people that are either ashamed or disgusted by effeminate men.

I'm scared because there is a young tranny that is taking street hormones or even worse.. staring at themselves crying with sissors in their hands cutting off something other than their hair.

I'm scared because people forget that FTM transgendered people need love too.

I'm scared becasue I actually stole something in the military in ordered to get discharged becasue I was afraid of what my brothers in arms or my family would say if they knew about me and I have been living that lie ever since.

I am scared because this is my first time marching and not seeing it on the side lines.....where it's safe.

I'm scared because even though we are marching for our rights here in New York City there are people that hear Stonewall and think a confederate general and not the sparks of freedom. that they have never seen a pride flag or never felt pride in themselves.

I am scared because most of my childhood and half of my teen years, I thought I was confused. Now I know that I am bisexual and it's ok regardless of what others might think, say, preach, or prescribe.

I'm scared because a single comic strip in my mid-teens was the barrier between survival till paycheck and medication at bedcheck.
(thanks so much, Allen, Glen, Nathan,Sky, and Soiree)

I am scared because I thought that I could never be in a committed relationship without somehow at some point in time cheat or chronically mate n break, I didn't know there was a choice c.

I'm scared because there are so many people that I love that I haven't met yet that might be at the march. and due to bashers, the religious reich (not a typo I ASSURE YOU), and other factors this could be my chance, my only and last chance to say hello and hopefully not good bye.

I'm scared because I am not the only one with the above thoughts.


I march because no one should have to think like that.

I march for those who wish they could but are afraid.

I march for those whose only possibility of viewing a pride flag is in a magazine hidden underneath another magazine which is hidden underneath their mattress.

I march not for myself but to help clear the path for the people after me.

I march because I don't want to be remembered for what I fight for but what I fight for to be remembered.



Happy Pride Everyone!!!

:bipride: :bipride:

[Azrael]

Hell yeah. 8 MORE DAYS, PEOPLE! i DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DRAG YOU PEOPLE!
www.stpetepride.com

[DiamondDog]

While marching in a pride parade can be nice it's the whole "Us vs. Them" thing that I don't like.

Would I march in a pride parade for fun? Sure. But I wouldn't actually expect it to do anything or accomplish anything.

If you've ever been in a war protest you know that they don't actually accomplish much or do anything.

Just look at the current Iraq war and how none of the protesting or anything has actually done anything and how a lot of it has made people turn against the idea of protesting or people who take extreme measures to try to end the iraq war that don't actually do anything.

I think one of the biggest problems with the gay community is that they tend to segregate themselves. This prevents a lot of straight people from seeing gays as part of their own community, thus making it easier for them to overlook these type of anti-gay laws even if they have nothing against gays.

Like it or not, pride parades do this and I do think that GLBT activists who try to shock heterosexuals into accepting GLBT people but they go about it the wrong way.

Shock fades, and the GLBT pride parade hasn't shocked anyone who matters in ages.

I also see pride parades (at least the ones in major cities such as NYC) as being huge cash cows and being very corporate.

Also what's all of this about people who want monogamous or closed/exclusive relationships saying that they're better than people who want open relationships?

I don't know anyone who is a serial monogamist who thinks this but I've met tons of people who are in or who prefer open relationships and they seem to think that they're more advanced than, more evolved, and transcend people who prefer monogamy or who are serial monogamists.

Personally I don't need a pride parade to be myself or to rally against the heterosexual majority, or anything like that.

Here's an article about pride parades that sums up people's current attitudes quite nicely.

www.observer.com/2007/goodbye-mr-chaps

[biwords]

I marched (strolled, really) after Toronto police raided and smashed up a bathhouse many years ago. But to march now because there are still some people who don't like homosexuality or polyamory? Why should I care? They're ENTITLED not to like it. The battles worth fighting have mostly been won and, as DD says, whatever remains to be done isn't going to be determined by marches. I also find the idea of a parade revolving around who one fucks and how to be, well, bizarre. Should there be Straight BDSM parades? Voyeur parades? Masturbation parades? Finally, marches tend to encourage a kind of superficial, sloganeering attitude towards complex issues. So, like the late, great Phil Och's, "I ain't a-marchin' anymore...."

On the other hand, marches have always been a good way to meet people and possibly get laid. Even in the days of the Vietnam War this was a big motivator for most people. No wonder those boomers get so misty about their old demos....

[The Cheshire Cat]

Congradulations to you Huey. For those who don't or cannot march, the simplest thing to do is to raise your children well.

[biwords]

Congradulations to you Huey. For those who don't or cannot march, the simplest thing to do is to raise your children well.

But that's so much more difficult than chanting slogans or signing petitions!

[Skater Boy]

I guess I'm kinda torn (as usual)... half of me would WANT to stand up and be counted. IMO a "Pride March" is more than just an "Us Vs. Them" thing. Perhaps its partly about saying "We're still here!". Many bisexuals and gay people don't make a big deal about outwardly displaying their sexuality on a day to day level... so its kind of a reminder to the whole city/country/etc that Gay and Bisexual people are alive and well in their home town. The only pride march of sorts that I've seen is the London Gay Mardi Gras, and from what I could tell, its much less political activism, and more of a fun day out. There are also plenty of STRAIGHT people hanging about just to watch the action.

At the same time, I believe in integration, where possible. I do understand that everyone is different, and that this should be celebrated. But ideally I don't want to be treated any differently than the next guy... whether he's straight or not. Marching is perhaps NOT the most effective way to change things politically. I think its best to change things FROM WITHIN, rather than from the OUTSIDE. To me, that means getting Bisexual (and Gay) people into positions of power through honest and deserved merit. That can be a business CEO, a politician, or even a multitude of lesser positions. IMO this sort of thing serves as a reminder to us all that such things are possible, and as an example. It also allows them to use their influence wisely and with respect for ALL social communities concerned.

I don't think marches will achieve much on a POLITICAL level. But I guess they do help to raise social awareness about homosexuality, and reassure other homosexuals that they are being represented (at least socially).

And for that reason, maybe Huey has nothing to lose by going. And potentially even something to gain... even if its only a few new friends made.

[the mage]

Too much fear.
Too much anguish.
Too much worry.
Pride is to celebrate.
Pride is to demand acceptance not ask for it.
Pride is to overcome the ignorance by informing it that we have been here all along and the world is not ended.
Pride is to be laughing in the midst of chaos, for that is all life is.

[Tygress75]

I wanted to go to this year's Pride Parade (this Sunday here in Chicago), but my darling husband decided to reschedule a belated father's day dinner with his dad & step-mom for the same day!

[biwords]

Pride is to demand acceptance not ask for it...
Pride is to be laughing in the midst of chaos, for that is all life is.

I don't know that there's much point in demanding acceptance. Fair treatment under the law, sure. But acceptance? It's like demanding that someone be your friend.

As for the last line, you worry me....sounds despairing!