Gay Pride started in New York as a protest and a celebration. As a protest, the event arose out of the riots which followed what otherwise would have been a common-place raid on the Stonewall, a gay bar in the lower east side. As a celebration, the event spread like to nearly every city in the US and Europe, and still sparks conflict. Gay pride has kept the LGBT community and out rights on the front pages of newspapers since 1969.
Its taken over 40 years to achieve all we have, and the battle's been a tough one. Gay rights are far from secure. In California, LGBT people are protected from discrimination because of their gender and sexual orientation in employment, accommodation, and government services. However, gay and lesbian people still cannot marry here. In other states and many foreign countries, LGBT persons are regularly discriminated against, even murdered because of their orientation.
But now is not the time for complacency and indifference. We have the upper hand, and gay rights are inevitable. Look at the progress we've made (and by "we" I mean society at large, because when the civil rights of one person are abridged, everyone suffers), in no particular order:
- Lawrence v. Texas created a protected class for gay people to which a form of intermediate scrutiny is applied.
- Transgendered people are recognized as a protected class in California.
- Gay Pride events are held world-wide.
- Gay marriage is recognized in many countries, and several states.
- LGBT rights remain on the tongues of nearly every Republican (If Madonna taught us nothing, its that no press is bad press).
- New York just passed a gay marriage bill, but more importantly, the voters support it (so a California-like coup backed by out-of-staters is unlikely to happen)!
- Rulings in federal appeals courts in California indicate the courts support gay marriage -- and those same courts recognize that just because a judge is gay and in a committed relationship doesn't make him biased in decisions on gay marriage.
None of this could have happened if some pissed off gay men, lesbians, and drag queens hadn't started to literally fight for their rights in June 1969. We've come too close to give up now! What gay pride does for us, is put a positive face on the fight, showing our political support, our numbers, our joy in being who we are.
Gay pride is not about gay people celebrating in isolation, but about gays showing off for the world, and inviting our straight friends to join in the fun and accept us. By holding ourselves out to the world, we can show what we have to offer, engendering understanding and acceptance. That is why gay pride must go on, long after we've become part of the hegemony.
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