Reclaiming Pride

[NonnyMouse1337]

I was wondering what it would be like to organise alternative Pride marches. One that celebrates same sex orientation and is inclusive of lesbians while being family friendly, so not a place for people to flaunt their fetish or alternative lifestyles. It would deliberately need to be on a different day from the standard pride marches.

There would be real benefits to these marches - lesbians, gays and bisexuals can highlight their same sex attraction and visibly participate without feeling excluded or intimidated as queer spaces no longer recognise sexual orientation. Those with families can attend without worrying about inappropriate clothing and behaviour by the adults that come along. And it will catch the interest of the general public who are largely unaware of sexual orientation being warped and redefined and lesbians being pushed out of LGBT spaces.

Such a march would provide a great example and role model to young LGB people who might be struggling with their same sex attraction against the queer theory any-genitalia-goes narrative.

Do you see this as being mainly something to accomplish the kind of social goal that people used to associate with Pride, or more as opposing or standing in contrast to Pride?

You might set it up a little differently depending on which you are thinking of.

Hmmm... both I guess? Homophobia is still rife, so it would be especially great to have gender conforming as well as gender non-conforming lesbians and gays feel they can participate.
And by explicitly highlighting that it's for same sex attracted LGB folk, it sends a clear message to the wider public who might initially wonder 'huh that's a no brainer' to 'wait, what's going on'....
Can't really be ignored by media either because people will take pictures.

I have no ability to actually organise one. Just throwing the idea out there to see what others think!

There's always been alternative Pride events / marches / picnics, I used to go on those in preference to the main one which has always been a corporate sausage-fest. They're mostly organised by very young very POMO people though.

I reckon you'll struggle to have any pride event that doesn't cater to "alternative lifestyles" when that phrase is mostly used to describe same sex families though

I get where you are coming from but, no chance.
The lgbT lobby would never let it go ahead. Accusations of "transphobia" would be flying and people like Stonewall would discredit it at every opportunity.
I had thought a lesbian only march could work but then I saw what happened when Jean Hatchet on twitter tried to organise a female only charity bike ride.
Some of these people just will not let females/lesbians do anything without pleading exclusion.
I think there is a trans day coming up and a non-binary day too. Heaven forbid anyone lets homosexual females do anything just for them.

I've only been out as bisexual for about 3-4 years. Clearly I have no idea where all the cool and non-corporate, non-sausage fest pride events take place!

There must be a way to name the event so it involves families and not people reenacting their kinks publicly!!!

It would be lovely to have talks / exhibitions recounting the accurate version of Stonewall, highlighting other LGB movements and events from around the world....
A space to encourage lesbians and gays to be as masculine or feminine as they want to be. Not conforming to gender stereotypes does not mean you have to change gender.
Maybe even a space for detransitioners who realised they are actually just lesbians and gays and not trans to be able to share their stories. Learning to accept your sexuality and love yourself as you are.
It would be so educational and inspirational....

Ok I'll stop daydreaming

What I am thinking is that a festival that was mainly about families with same-sex partners (with kids or not) would largely be a kind of small private sort of festival. Like a sort of family reunion, so not so much about making any kind of political statement. Something like that could stay relatively small and focused.

On the other hand if you want to make more of a political or wider cultural impact, you are going to need visibility in the wider community, and those people coming to the events. Which would change them I think. Like the difference between a festival promoting women - might be 50% men, and one that is for women only.

There's already a Trans Pride so I don't see they'd have a leg to stand on if they started objecting to any of the other break-away Prides.

Mainstream Pride is corporate, isn't it?

Aspley I realise there would be lots of pushback, but surely citizens have a right to organise marches? People won't be carrying placards saying trans people should die or anything genuinely transphobic. So on what grounds could the local authorities refuse LGB people from wanting to march? Surely that could be classed as homophobic in return?

There was another thread on how straight women could be allies to lesbians - straight women and men who are gender critical and who agree with same sex attraction could help with forming a circle / buffer around the march to stop people from harassing them etc.

I realise it's probably wishful thinking but trying to think of something positive for a change. :(

Pride is v corporate

My old company sponsored had some kind of signs or stand or whatever it is, visibility. And encouraged everyone to go including 'allies'.

Gay bloke I worked with thought it was all shit, that pride has lost its roots and its way.

Gay bloke I worked with also thought people with penises should keep the fuck out of women's spaces.

Good points Goosefoot. I do envision some sort of publicity / visibility. The event would clearly start out fairly small. I doubt it would ever rival the mainstream corporate Pride, but if it was an annual thing in different cities, it will eventually get attention.

@NonnyMouse1337
I agree, in a sensible world there would be no problem.
However we are living in a time when even promoting homosexuality has become an issue (we truly have fallen back into the 1980s, section 28 anyone) we have seen what has happened at Pride recently to lesbians defending homosexuality.
Apparently being a homosexual in 2019 is transphobic.
I wish this wasn't so, I am back in the closet. I have no options but so long as the A*P are kept happy who cares right?

I'd love it and support you all the way. I want to be able to celebrate being a homosexual woman the way I could ten years ago without men having hysterics about their penis not being centred in all things. And yes, absolutely to family friendly alternative which removes pressure to change what Pride has always been and prevents incidents like fetishists with visible erections involving children in their games and calling it 'inclusive'.

But the second you advertise this it will be as vigorously targeted as if you'd advertised a lesbian or women only swim club, and the goal will be either to take it over and centre the T, vigorously, with the leadership being T and everyone conforming and obeying and performing grondas to the T, or to stamp it into the dirt as something daring to be Not All About The T, while dramatically accusing it of killing people.

This is why lesbian groups, and groups for illness/disability experienced only by women have all disappeared underground and meet in secret, and are very, very wary of new and unknown members.

@Michelleoftheresistance

"This is why lesbian groups, and groups for illness/disability experienced only by women have all disappeared underground and meet in secret, and are very, very wary of new and unknown members."

It's depressing isnt it. The only lesbian groups I find online allow transwomen (and they all go to every event)
Its a tragedy so many lesbians are left with nowhere to go. Impossible to find the secret groups unless you are in the know.

Depressing indeed

I believe there is a Lesbian Strength March in September in a Northern City. Much needed.

Oh wow, that would be brilliant if it went ahead.

We probably could if the day was a celebration of Stormé Delarverie . Mention her on Twitter and link to contemporaries' accounts of her sparking the Stonewall uprising* and it's like a cloaking device.making you invisible & inaudible to all TRAs, their LGBTQI+ Inc orgs and "allies".
The impostor mob don't even want to know of Delarverie's existence, let alone be at an event honouring an actual lesbian and her place in lesbian and gay history.

[Stormé was a biracial black lesbian; a suave entertainer (MC, singer, drag king) bodyguard/bouncer, and bar manager. After being shoved in the divvy wagon and escaping a few times, one of the cops decided to lay into her with his fists, and as she punched back in self defence, she shouted to the rest of the gay and lesbian crowd, " Why aren't you doing something?!? ..... DO SOMETHING!! ", triggering the uprising at Stonewall]

There's already a Trans Pride so I don't see they'd have a leg to stand on if they started objecting to any of the other break-away Prides.

Women in Canada were told they couldn’t join a dyke march because they had “transphobic” t-shirts... with pictures of uteruses.

That said, I agree. Women will begin to form underground groups and private meetings. It shouldn’t have to be that way, but that’s what will happen if men continue to invade official women’s gatherings.

Lesbian Strength March and Rally

Leeds, UK on Saturday 7th September 2019 starting from City Square at 2p.m.

www.gofundme.com/f/lesbian-strength-march-and-rally?

Aspley I realise there would be lots of pushback, but surely citizens have a right to organise marches? People won't be carrying placards saying trans people should die or anything genuinely transphobic

Woman's Place don't do anything like that and it doesn't stop the fanatics smearing them as transphobes and routinely referring to them as "anti-trans hate group". It doesn't matter what the actual politics are, the LGBTQ++++++ establishment will relentlessly attack anyone who challenges their authority and their narrative.

This is because their dominance depends on them being recognised as THE voice of the "LGBTQ+++ community". Oppositional groups threaten that.

There is nothing particularly unusual in this. All dominant groups hate competition on what they see as their turf.

Thank you stumbledin

Lesbian Strength March and Rally

'We are a group of proud lesbian (adult female homosexual) women organising a march and rally for lesbians to be held in Leeds, UK on Saturday 7th September 2019 starting from City Square at 2p.m.

All women loving women are welcome.

We want to celebrate all lesbians past and present from all walks of life.

Our sincere desire is for all lesbians to be able to embrace themselves, to be comfortable with their sexuality and for them to know that they are loved and appreciated just as they are.

We acknowledge and condemn the lesbophobia and misogyny still very much present in our communities today all over the world and the resulting prejudice, persecution and violence our lesbian sisters face every day.

We wish to honour them and we stand with them in our struggle to be free.

We would like to draw strength and inspiration from our rich lesbian and feminist history to recreate and reaffirm lesbian culture and lesbian only spaces.'