MonkeyPants

The Pride Parade!

Em and I went to see it today. It was hot, sweaty, crowded, glittery, bulgy, nipple-y, and disco-tastic!

One thing did baffle me, though. There was one float celebrating the fact that gays can now get married in Canada. And when it went past, no one cheered or clapped. I would have thought that it would have been one of the most popular floats, given that this has been a particularly long drawn out battle, and one the gay community has now, unequivocally, won.

This caused me to wonder: Who were the strangers in the crowd around me? Some were gay, some were straight. Were the straights actually anti-gay marriage? Is it possible that there are gays who are anti-gay marriage? Why? How could anyone be at the pride parade and not be excited that gays have finally gotten equal rights in this area?

It’s never been an issue for me, personally. Gay people love just as hard, have just as meaningful relationships, and are as capable of cherishing another human being as straight people. Why shouldn’t they get married? Why shouldn’t we celebrate it? When one human being finds another human being that they want to share their lives with, and commit to, that’s a cause for celebration. I’m not saying singledom is a howling, hostile wilderness to be avoided at all costs. But having someone there ‘no matter what’ is a pretty good deal.

Anyhow, on a lighter note, I thoroughly enjoyed the Oddysey float (human beauty never fails to move me. Actually, let’s cut the crap. They were hotties!), the handsome young guys running around the giant maypole (Hello, messing with traditional gender roles-PLUS phallic symbolism, how cool is that?), the Gay Pilots Association (running around in pink plane costumes, more phallic symbols), the Faery guy throwing glitter on the crowd, and the guy marching with the Aboriginal Two Spirit people, who stopped in the street, threw up his hands, and yelled, “Hey, everybody, it’s ME!” in tones of squealing delight.

I never really care about the floats for the radio stations. Nothing says Gay Pride like…the WX 1130AM van? That’s right, folks. Talk radio and homosexuality. They’re like peanut butter and jelly. (shrug) I know it’s good business to go in the parade, it just seems incongruous. Next year, if they could replace the radio station vans with, umm, maybe more guys in head-to-toe silver body paint, that would be cool.