It's that time of year again, when thousands of baby dykes and twink homos gather together to drink themselves into a stupor in front of a parade of corporate sponsors who claim to be gay friendly as they have a float with some employee in badly done drag on it. Oh, and remember the beer will be overpriced, most of the people will be spectators who will gawk at you, and, in London, you have to keep your clothes on.

Yay!

Ok, so I sound bitter, and I am- gay pride has historically been shitty to trans people and queers, and they owe the existence OF gay pride to those very people they've ignored, displaced, and written out of gay history. Never mind that I'm against civil marriage for all, especially as it's quickly becoming one of the only ways to be able to immigrate and I think that's total bullshit. I totally agree- why should queer people fight to live lives like straight people, especially when that "normal" way of living oppresses many queer people? Why is it that white middle class men have become the voice of the gay movement? Why do we accept that like it's ok?

Gay Shame is a group that came about to fight all that bullshit, especially as it pertains to the consumerist, patriarchal crap that is often what Gay Pride has become. The SF branch, shown here photographed by Steve Rhodes, says this on their site: 


"We challenge not only the consumerism, complacency, and corporatization of gay people with power, but the ways in which a gay elite uses its newfound “success” to oppress less-privileged queers, homeless people, sex workers, people of color, and anyone else who might get in the way of gentrification. "


Fuck yes, right? Especially as London has been historically pretty shit at being respectful to trans people. 


I'll probably go. Hell, I might be organizing some kink pride group to march in the damn thing. But while it's a great costume party, please please remember as you're snogging some wasted stereotype on the pavement- there are countries that struggle to have a gay rights march, much less a pride parade. Spare a moment for them?