My (Sort of) Summer Vacation

[ase]

Last week I started working for a car-share program in San Francisco. It's nice to know I'm slowing down the savings hemorrhage, and the employee discount on vehicle use is a major perk, but being physically instead of mentally exhausted by 7 PM is a significant change in how things are done.

Since I was Safety Monitoring (no TM), I didn't get as many pics of the parade as, say, the Chroncle. Part of that was size: to get a real sense of the dykes on bikes women's motorcycle contingent impact, one would need to compose a shot covering the full 1.3 mile parade route. I am at a loss to convey the impact of three hours of rainbow themed floats, men in dresses and platform heels (or very little, or LGBT-themed t-shirts), women in leather (or very little, or LGBT-themed t-shirts), the pre-parade safety team t-shirt mods, being on the side of the parade barricade getting thanked for sharing sunscreen and giving up part of a Sunday, and playing the "how many Lady Gaga songs will be clearly audible through my earplugs" game (three) all under blue skies, in perfect t-shirt weather, trying to balance cautions formed in the '80s, when this was a much rougher event, with the hordes of humanity who are watching contingents celebrating their lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, and bisexual identities striding cheek-by-jowl with corporate floats and political signs. (Gavin Newsom was totally working the parade-going gubernatorial voters on Market: I have a picture! I didn't get to shake hands with him: it's an election year, I'll find other chances.)



The sheer quantity of people was overwhelming, and I can see why parts of the LGBT community think Pride's getting institutional. It's hard to disagree with beads, rainbow-themed marketing handouts, and mostly-somewhat-clothed participants. I only saw one instance of simulated sex on the entire parade route! It's actually a 90% kid-appropriate event, what's up with that? I'm not sure if it's blase or voyeuristic to consider naked men and topless women a small and necessary component of large outdoor civic events, but that's the position I'm arriving at, as I push into Month Four in San Francisco. I am not disappointed I skipped the transgender and dyke marches this year, because if I had gone I would have moved right throught "eat Nutella for strength!" into "eat all the Nutella" exhaustion, but I really want to attend those marches next year.

I think I made a friend! We're hanging out tonight! I've been terrified that I'd get out here and discover all of my friend-making skills have atrophied, but apparently I have a few left.

Lilith Fair will be at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on July 5th. I'm tempted to nab a couple of $10 tickets, reserve a car (see "perks of working for carshare program") and fill up the car. Locals, anyone in? Lilith Fair trip canceled on account of missing the window for $10 tickets. Whoops!

Comments

[morineko]

Not finding that it's that much of a problem that most of Pride is kid-appropriate. Queer people have kids too. The corporate thing is another deal entirely, and I wouldn't argue that Pride events all across the US aren't more corporate than they were a decade ago. (I'm not sure if my employer did something in Minneapolis for Pride this year but if the previous five are any indication, they bought a booth and did sales out of it again.)

[cleverthylacine]

Well, I kind of think that's a good thing too, in that it means that LBGT is an acknowledged group of real people with buying power and interests and not just, you know, a bunch of pervs.

[morineko]

It's not actually a complaint I have myself, it's a complaint I've heard, usually in the context of "it's getting too generic."

(I don't bother going to Pride because I work most weekends and it's usually either 90 degrees or raining and also everything is in Minneapolis, so I really shouldn't say anything at all)

[ase]

I think I made too much of the kid-appropriate, and not enough of the shift to corporate sponsorship. When Google and other major employers are in your parade, is it still in the spirit of the historical LGBT movement?

[cleverthylacine]

The historical LGBT movement was not about having sex in public or smashing capitalism; it was about LGBT people having the right to be themselves in public. The smashing things at Stonewall was because the police were beating people up for dancing and wearing drag, not because corporations are or aren't evil.

As long as Pride remains about the right of LGBTI people to be themselves in public, be happy about it, and live happy lives with the same rights as everyone else, it is doing just fine. The fact that corporations want to sell us things and advertise to us MEANS that we are winning.

If you want a worker's smash-capitalism holiday, try May Day.

Intersectionality is about the ways that various oppressions interact with each other. But Pride isn't about general progressive ideology or intersectionality; it's not about anti-racism, although anti-racist groups do, can and should participate affirming the rights of queer people of all ethnicities and the needs of non-white queer people, it's not about the war, it's not about smashing capitalism, and it's not about fucking Palestine, thank you ANSWER.

Have I mentioned lately how much I fucking hate Gay Shame for attacking marriage (yes, marriage HAS often historically been about patriarchy, no it doesn't HAVE to be, and as long as it exists it should be open to everyone) and the Pride events because they think we should all be communists, too?