Butch Femme Planet - View Single Post - Pride, the month, the holiday...what does it mean to you?

EnderD_503 · 07-10-2012, 02:54 PM

No I don't. Every year I look forward to Pride, and then every year I'm reminded of way there is so much fucked up about Pride. This year I seem more cynical than usual, though.

Its become a recent tradition here that the week before Pride begins, political queers organise a march that speaks out against the corporate, often exclusive and anti-political nature of Pride. This year was the pre-Pride Night March which was great and definitely successful. Given the problems Pride has had with the city since Ford was elected, I think a focus on political, unsanctioned marches that are pointedly inclusive are really important.

Really made important by the nature of the sanctioned Trans March this year, which was really disappointing and completely disrespectful. The unsanctioned march was just really hard to find at its starting point since it began after the sanctioned one instead of at the same time.

And the general attendance seems every year more frequented by straight couples monopolizing the space and straight cis guys desperately attempting to pick up queer women. Really sickening. I think "my Pride" began and ended with the Night March, I don't want much to do with the sanctioned, hetero/cis-"appropriate" party party Pride.

The one positive thing about this year's Pride, though, is organisers didn't heed city hall's attempts to ban QUAIA from participating in Pride again. Probably the only group that is both present in the unsanctioned activities and also managing to reinsert politics back into Pride.

07-10-2012, 02:54 PM	#19
EnderD_503 Member How Do You Identify?: Queer, trans guy, butch Preferred Pronoun?: Male pronouns Relationship Status: Relationship Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 1,329 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,090 Thanked 3,907 Times in 1,032 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	No I don't. Every year I look forward to Pride, and then every year I'm reminded of way there is so much fucked up about Pride. This year I seem more cynical than usual, though. Its become a recent tradition here that the week before Pride begins, political queers organise a march that speaks out against the corporate, often exclusive and anti-political nature of Pride. This year was the pre-Pride Night March which was great and definitely successful. Given the problems Pride has had with the city since Ford was elected, I think a focus on political, unsanctioned marches that are pointedly inclusive are really important. Really made important by the nature of the sanctioned Trans March this year, which was really disappointing and completely disrespectful. The unsanctioned march was just really hard to find at its starting point since it began after the sanctioned one instead of at the same time. And the general attendance seems every year more frequented by straight couples monopolizing the space and straight cis guys desperately attempting to pick up queer women. Really sickening. I think "my Pride" began and ended with the Night March, I don't want much to do with the sanctioned, hetero/cis-"appropriate" party party Pride. The one positive thing about this year's Pride, though, is organisers didn't heed city hall's attempts to ban QUAIA from participating in Pride again. Probably the only group that is both present in the unsanctioned activities and also managing to reinsert politics back into Pride.