I recently sent out a simple question involving Pride to about 23 friends via email. It was an easy, uncomplicated question and yet of those 23, only four initially responded to it. I didn't understand the hesitation at first. I had always been under the impression that the very first day of June marked the beginning of a month-long celebration of what it meant to be Gay.
So why was it that this one itty bitty little inquiry was being, seemingly, avoided?
The question?
"If you could build a float for the Gay Pride Parade that best represented YOUR pride, what would it be?"
Only four responses. Four. I made a few phone calls to those who had not replied to find out what the problem was. One friend told me that the question was simple enough, therefore not the problem. It was the answer that took some effort. Another friend suggested that for the younger generations Gay Pride was no longer about Pride, but rather one big street party and that this may be the reason the answer to my question was so difficult to come up with.
Is this true? Could it be that Pride has become our Gay Christmas? Have we become those automatons always ready to put up the decorations and wish everyone a Happy Holiday without really thinking about how the Holiday got started in the first place? Have we really lost a sense of how far we've come amid the sashaying drag queens, resplendent lesbians on shaky floats throwing miniature versions of their sponsors' products at an appetent crowd while half-naked men squirt water guns at the same?
I know what you're thinking. Yeah, yeah. Every June someone always makes it a point to remind everyone what Pride really stands for ( Stonewall and all ) , and preaches to the masses that there is more to being gay than just throwing a kick-ass party. But I'm not one to preach. All I'm saying is this.
I emailed one little simple question to 23 homosexuals. Only four initially responded. It was only after delivering some diminutive harassment on my part that I was able to wrench out a few more responses. So here it is, the Pride of our city. Maybe yours is in here somewhere too.
"I would build a float with a base of Astroturf. On this I would put a few small houses with picket fences and trees and a dog or two. Something that would resemble a simple, peaceful neighborhood. Something that looked like someplace to be free, happy and at peace; to be whomever I wanted to be. The banner along the side of the float would read 'Free to Just Be'" — Claude, 40 yrs, www.twotightshoes.net
"I would build an island and I would have women from different cultures, backgrounds of employment ( i.e. models, journalists, carpenters, strippers, lawyers, policewomen, firefighters, construction's women, photographers, flight attendants, pilots, singers, comedians, writers, physicians, RN's, etc. ) , all ages. And the theme I would call it would be 'Our Own Island Where You Can Be Who You Would Like to Be' or The Pride Women's Island." — Juanita "Juicy," 40 yrs well lived, Chicago
"I think in this type of situation, for my float, I would be forced to express Pride through my ethnicity. Being of Puerto Rican descent, I would have a group of Latinos and Latinas dancing to a salsa or merengue rhythm. The actual float would have to be colorful like my people, palm trees & a live orchestra would be a must. All in all, I think that I would emphasize on the Puerto Rican culture in our homosexual community." — Jose, 21 yrs, Chicago
"A Purple Peterbilt with a flatbed trailer with the Alabama state flag and the Pride flag on it, draped with kudzu and Spanish moss, decorated with magnolias made of steel and smiley faces and that plays songs by southern women. Oh yeah, and shoots fireworks from it and has lots of lawn chairs to lounge on!" — Joy and Jeanelle, 33 yrs, Alabama & Chicago
"If you want to know, I would line up men of all shapes and sizes: bears, drag queens, butch, professionals and plain joes, each representing the diversity among 'our kind.' I would pair them up as oddly as possible. Say, a doudy downtown big corporate yes-man bending over for a vivacious drag queen to show the gay community's need to stop discrimination among ourselves. Oh yeah, and a big butch naked hottie for a femme like myself. That's just to show me a good time!" — Mario, 48 yrs, Chicago
"Wow, I never really thought about it. But if I had to build a float, I would just have a platform loaded with my friends, family, coworkers and any other person who has touched my life and made me the strong individual I am today." — Julie Oberlin, 28 yrs, Chicago
"A float of dildos and erections and juicy assholes" — Israel Wright, 46 yrs, Chicago
"If I could design and ride my own float, I think I would have to go with a collage. My float would represent how far my Gay Pride has evolved since I came out at 19, 18 yrs. It would represent all the straight, bi, transgendered and gay and lesbian people who have touched my life. It would include my nieces & nephews who have learned from society that gay is bad and I am sick. It would include the 4 sisters and 3 brothers who love me dearly and have extended their families to mine by including me as a godparent. It would include the out lesbians and gay men who were brave enough to come out before I discovered my identity. It would also include the many gay and lesbian friends that I have who remain in the closet and haven't discovered their own homophobia. It would include my parents who don't judge me for my sexuality and have learned to vote to help protect my rights. It would include the artists and political activists who are out and working every day to help secure my rights. It would also include the homophobic, right-wing activists who keep me conscious of their activities and raring to fight against them. It would include all my straight friends who have to be reminded that I'm discriminated against every day and the ones who speak up for me when they hear my cause being slighted. It would include all the young gay men and lesbians who don't know their own gay history, have never heard of the ACLU, or Lambda Legal Defense Fund, HRC, etc., and all the older gay men and lesbians who stood at Stonewall and marched in the first March on D.C. It would include all my lesbian friends who have lost custody of their children for coming out and all the ones who remain in the closet to keep their children. All of these people have helped me reach my own sense of security in my lesbian identity. I'm lucky to have all these people in my life and to have learned from all the events that have taken place over the last 18 years. I hope to survive at least another 18 and keep myself out, vocal and active." — Lori Hannigan, Oak Park, Ill.
Raven Rodriguez is a columnist for En La Vida, and an employee of Lambda Publications.
