Re: RE: Russia's first gay pride parade turns violent
Jay said:
It's not fine to beat people up, at least not in Canada it isn't.
I must admit though, that I don't understand the "gay parades"...It is one thing to be gay, but to dedicate parades to your sexual orientation is something I don't understand. I can appreciate if there is a city parade or something and the "Rainbow Club" enters a float or two. Maybe someone here can enlighten me a bit?
Why do Veterans have a parade on Remembrance Day? Why is there a Christmas Parade? Why is there a parade for Calgary Stampede or Edmonton Klondike days? /shrug It's all the same stuff. Celebration.
Gays have come a long way in the past half century and have a great deal to be delighted about. I love Pride Week!! There is a sense of community, of celebration, a sense of belonging to a unique clan.
Granted, Jay, it is a bit like having a parade for people with green eyes, but if they had been vilified for a long time and that oppression was lifted, it would be cause to strike up the techno band and have some fun.
I agree, Mabudon, that it's sad that we are in a position to have to be glad of freedoms gained. It would be far more preferable to have gay folks accepted all along, but it ain't so. I will be glad when Pride Week is redundant from a social perspective, but I'll always enjoy it from a cultural view.
Sheen ... I almost didn't dignify your comments with a reply, but decided I may be able to offer a bit of education. I, too, was married when I was 19. Being gay isn't always the easiest thing in the world. I figured that if I got hitched, all those feelings would just go away. Doesn't happen like that.
Perhaps homosexuality does have an affect on the divorce rate, but if it does, the affect is minor. The vast majority of people who get divorced hook up with the same gender they left. /shrug