Does anybody else dislike Pride?

[coulditbeme2323]

Does anybody else dislike Pride?

We have one in our town for the second year running, and it's just really off.

Now before I get the "don't be homophobic comments" I am very much live and let live.

It's just that it can be very adult in the middle of the day.

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/pride-in-london-has-announced-its-2026-theme-and-music-lineup-heres-what-you-need-to-know-060926

'Co-founder of Stonewall and LGBTQ+ activist Lisa Power MBE said: ‘Right now, we have a government and institutions meant to defend our rights that are attacking trans people’s rights, and the rest of ours will follow. '

What rights do they think are being attacked?

Good to see this in PIL's Code of Conduct:

'Nudity, obscenity, indecent exposure or sexual acts in public by parade particpants or stall holders is not allowed in the parade form up area, along the parade route or any other event space managed by Pride in London. As a guidance, ‘swimsuit coverage’ is the minimum requirement.'

Unfortunately, they've got the protected characteristics a bit wrong:

'Pride celebrates diversity and will not tolerate any individual or group engaged in offensive behaviour, or any signage targeting another individual’s:

• Sexuality
• Gender
• Gender identity '

And:

'The London LGBT Community Pride CIC (LLCP), which holds the licence to deliver Pride in London, has been engaged in a complex process to regain control of key organisational systems from Christopher Joell-Deshields, who has been on a leave of absence since the 29th of August.

Regaining control of these systems has unfortunately been a long and protracted exercise, including obtaining a mandatory injunction granted by a High Court judge against Mr Joell-Deshields on 12th September, requiring the return of control of operational systems and bank accounts to the organisation.

The Board has also been taking necessary steps to independently investigate a number of allegations raised to the Board of Directors against Mr Joell-Deshields.'

Still, maybe this year after the change of leadership from CJD they will sort things out a bit. That would be refreshing.

This year, PrideinLondon is brought to you by TESCOs. Training courses are available and gold membership means you will be able to buy a place on the parade to show off your committment to diversity and equality! Ask us about corporate plans! Special discounts apply!

(I paraphrase, but roughly this is accurate)

prideinlondon.org/

The clothes worn on a beach are nothing like those seen at a Pride event.

I might be going this year with my friend funny enough lol never been

No, true. Even bondage gear covers more than a thong.

I've been to a Pride even once and loved it.

Somehow though, I've managed to navigate most of my life without being near where a Pride event takes place. Guess I'm just not on the lookout for something to be outraged by!

A lot of you MUST realise how anti Lesbian/ mysogynistic some of these events can be.
Just because the ones in your area are fun doesn't mean that they all are.

It's amazing how people forget the past. London pride especially has always accepted the kink scene with groups like SM gays and SM dykes playing a prominent part, pride, especially in the 80s and early 90s was predominantly a protest and especially in the early 90s spanner played a large part in that.
I'm addition drag artists and trans people were prominent in the original matches, not just a phenomenon of the 2000s. Please do not rewrite our history this is not a modern phenomena, but part of the collective history of fighting for equal rights. You might not like some of the queer subcultures but don't minimise the part they played in liberation movement. Learn about it's history and the struggles people went through.
'Rebel Dykes' & The Untold Story Of Renegade S&M Lesbians In London - GO Magazine share.google/5cONDHcpVQh9JJN4K

Operation Spanner is an interesting one. Whether extreme sadism/masochism should be legal is still very far from being accepted as part of the 'liberation' movement.

The Eunuch maker et al being a recent news case. And this chap:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yvpx20le2o

I suppose at some point those who want to campaign against homophobia and for acceptance of LGB people may well diverge from those who want to campaign for liberalising extreme sexual practises.

Noting that Spanner participants, and the Eunuchs, are all men.

'The kink scene' could cover anything from a little mild dress-up right through to the very extreme end of castration fetish. There are women on the kink scene, but often women supporting sexual liberation are being used by men with more extreme agendas.

That's one sick fuck amputating your own legs.

Yes. Given as a surgeon he also amputated other people's legs, it raises some worrying questions.

I think the whole concept of pride has had its day. When gay people were oppressed it was good to see them being out and proud. Now the trans movement has taken over and I have no sympathy for men cosplaying as women. I find it highly offensive. I cannot see any difference between transwomen and people who reach for the boot polish and claim to be black.

I also think it’s quite patronising to say that we need to not be homophobic. I don’t know anyone that is. Most people are nice, open minded people.

Except that the trans organisations of the time like the Beaumont Society were quite explicit that they wanted no associations with homosexuality and wouldn’t allow them to join them.

One of the founders of Stonewall confirmed that no ‘trans’ people were involved in the organisation or marches.

They also strongly rejected being called ‘queer’ as it was so often used against them as a slur.

It is you that are rewriting history - your claims are wrong.

LOL, yes walking about dressed as a Gimp is just needy attention seeking.

It's amazing how people don't bother finding out about the past, preferring to squint through a lens supplied by someone with an agenda.

1994 was a big turning point for London Lesbian And Gay Pride (not LGBT, the acronym was and should remain LGB!) It was the first truly festival-style Pride, the first to feature a Bi Tent, and the first to showcase drag acts.

It was also the first time gay men paraded in the type of exhibitionist outfits they usually wore at gay clubs. It wasn't scary shit, though. Just flashy.

Have a read of the official magazine, you'll enjoy it!
⬇
https://bishopsgate-inst.files.svdcdn.com/production/Pride-1994.pdf?dm=1656352832

You'll notice the interviews make no attempt to 'trans' the drag performers. When referring to the performer himself, the pronoun is 'he'. His character's called 'she'. This is entirely in keeping with the long-standing British tradition of drag (or female impersonation) which, by 1994, was part of regular prime-time TV programming.

used to go to it years ago and it was just about gay and lesbians wanting equality gay marriage etc and was a lovely vibe. now its been taken over by the gender ideology brigade most people avoid

Btw, @Bobbingtons, I knew some of the women Rebel Dykes is supposedly about. Not well, we didn't like each other, but we had friends in common.

While lecturing us on our own history, you forgot to mention this important detail from the article you linked: The origins of the “rebel” dykes go back to the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. As it says, some women joined Greenham not for political reasons, but to hook up. It caused quite a bit of bad feeling - which the 'rebel dykes' chose to interpret as moralistic oppression, of course.

This isn't the thread for in-depth discussion of those particular issues, but thanks for the link. Siobhan Fahey (not the Bananarama one) sounds quite a character. I'll try to see her other work.

100%.

The assumption that everyone is homophobic is insulting and disingenuous.

I too think Pride has had its day - especially in the way it's developed, which is a far cry from its perfectly reasonable and positive origins.

It now seems to thrive on controversy and divisiveness.

For me, the worst thing about the trans rights activists taking over Pride, is how homophobic some of them are - screaming at women who want exclusively female lesbian spaces, insisting it is ‘transphobic’ not to have penetrative sex with a male who has decided he is a ‘trans lesbian’ and that his penis is actually female.

I support lesbians who believe that they are exclusively single sex attracted, and who want single sex groups and spaces.

The people in the photos are just trying too hard, it is ridiculous, the greatest fear they have is not discrimination, it is people being indifferent or ignoring them.

You can read people's minds? That's amazing! What am I thinking right now?

Ok I can"t read their mind, but that is about "look at me" not about "Gay rights".

So you can't read their minds but nevertheless you know that they're not worried about discrimination or rights but instead they're just wanting attention.

How do you know this? Do you know these people personally? Or are you just looking at some pictures, making stuff up in your head, and then criticising them for what you're imagining?

What is it you think they are doing?