Does anyone else think pride parades go too far?

Exactly!

The media is only seeing one side of the spectrum.

Gay pride parades, gay porn, celebrity innuendos.

The media is simply stuck looking at us from a skewed and unintentionally unfair perspective.

 

Absolutely! The nudists and militant LGBT parade goers are what hurt the LGBT community. They often turn off people from our cause.

 

Then maybe the more of us lgbt folk who show up and take part in the pride march simply dressed nicely, according to how we would normally dress if going out somewhere, the better; it would counterbalance the more flamboyant elements in the march (having said that, I'm actually looking forward to seeing the flamboyant side as well, even though I will be much more reserved, myself).

Also, doesn't the straight community also have festivals where they go a bit crazy, dress up and exhibit the wilder side of their nature? I think they do...

 

No……they're not over the top

if we wanted to be seen as "normal" if I wanted be seen as "normal" then I WOULD NOT come out, that's how I feel about these topics

I have the right to share, and or express my opinion you have the same right to ignore it

 

Normality is an illness I was never really afflicted by to begin with :lol:

 

I completely agree with you!

 

Riiiiiight. I agree with Damien haha cx

Edit: I also agree with you ^^^

 

Pride parades have never been about marching 3/4 naked, and never will be about that.

Gay pride - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Normal is a fancy word for boring. I'm different, and I strive to be different, and not boring.

 

I don't think that it's the gay guy who chooses to dress in 1/4th clothing. Blame the straight people who ignorantly associate those small amount of people with everyone who is gay. In any other type of parade, you might see women, beauty models even, in scantilous amounts of clothing. Why is that condoned? Like someone stated, straight people will always find some reason to hate on us. Something. We like My Little Pony too much, we hold hands with the same gender, we're (gasp!) different! The guy who chooses to wear undies and only undies has the same amount rights (or should) as a straight beauty model in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Be proud of who you are and don't let society change that. That's what Pride is all about.

 

^^ This. So much this.

 

Keep in mind that pride parades aren't educational seminars meant for the education of straight people. They're meant for non-straight and cis people to celebrate and have a good time in ways they may not ordinarily be comfortable doing.

Straight people using pride parades to educate themselves about the LGBT community is like a gay person using Mardi Gras (which I consider to be a straight pride parade) to generalize about straight people. Attendees of Mardi Gras shouldn't have to hold back on having fun because some idiots may generalize about straight people because of their behavior.

 

Being seen as normal is what the gay pride events should be about, and it's what they are about. Showing people that LGBT members should not be put down on the social hierarchy. Trying to promote LGBT as not being normal is kinda what the big problem is.

 

Pride parades are about pride, not normality. Being normal isn't always a good thing. Sometimes uniqueness is a good thing.

Arguably, pride parades would be better with less skin being shown. But that would be to make pride more family friendy, not because of normality.

 

Being normal is boring, and mainstream. Why are you insisting on being normal? I just never got why people strive to be normal? You say pride parades are "over the top" but I guess that's how some of us are. Some members of the LGBT+ are boring or mainstream, others don't try to be anything and are themselves, those are the people who I think the heterosexual community should get to know, I am ashamed of those who strive to be normal. But that's just how I feel I know that a lot of people won't agree with me, but I also know that NOT EVERYONE will agree with me all the time

 

There's a very thin difference between normality and blind conforming.

The point is showing the world that being gay is okay, it's a natural and normal thing to be.

---------- Post added 17th Aug 2014 at 03:18 PM ----------

Wanting to be unique is okay, nothing wrong with it.

But whenever someone gay does something that the world perceives as weird, it affects the public opinion and attitude towards *all* gays.

Some of us want nothing more than to just be a normal person and move on with our lives, without our orientation defining us.

And flamboyant actions from one person opens all of us to criticism and prejudice.

 

*grows up with watching countless commercials, TV, movies, vidya, etc. with severe innundo and nudity* eh cool

*happyy men in rainbow speedo walking down street* HOLY SHIT fuckin queers!!!!!!!!!

 

But being normal does not equal being okay. Bigotry is normal, but it's not okay. Being an LGBT person is not statistically normal (meaning that most people aren't LGBT), but it is okay.

 

That doesn't necessarily define being normal as bad, either.

That's one point of view when defining normality.

 

The fault for that lies on those drawing generlizations from pride parades. Many who the general public perceives to be over the top at pride parades are using pride as an outlet.

Although I'm not an ostentatious person who likes to participate in pride parades, it seems very unfair to me for others to demand that they tone it down because others who dislike the human body, effeminacy in men, or whatever they object to might make generalizations about LGBT persons.

 

I am myself, and I am normal. I don't try to be normal, I just am. Everyone is normal, and that's the point. The second people try to do something because they feel it's not normal is the second that they start doing something which they are changing themselves to do. People don't change to become normal, it's within everyone, gay, straight, bisexual, you name it. Your idea of normal seems to feel a lot like identical-ism however being normal isn't about what everyone else sees, it's about how you feel as a person. If someone does something and they feel it is normal to them, then it is normal. It is not defined by social perception.

That's the reason I don't agree with people feeling they don't want to be normal, it's because they don't want to be themselves. For some reason people believe normal is something to do with not expressing themselves, however being normal to yourself is being just the way you are and not letting people change you, or changing yourself to meet other people's standards or expectations.

It leads back to my first post on this topic as to why I don't agree with the idea of pride parades, because it makes it feel like something that isn't normal, and something that divides us from everyone else. In actual fact being gay is normal, it's a factor in our lives and shouldn't be used as a separation tool.

I'd rather have a world where everyone can accept all sexuality as being normal and justified, rather that a world where people feel the need to ostracize themselves from everyone else in an attempt to 'not be normal'.