I don’t live in Boston, and I haven’t been following the mayor’s race closely enough to know who I’d support if I did. I’ve always been well-disposed towards Mayor Menino if only because he’s shown up at many charity events I’ve attended over the years. But Flaherty and his team get the prize today for really getting Pride.
Unlike the many fine politicians who simply marched in the parade, perhaps with some sign-toting supporters (and kudos to them all for being there; we spotted, among others, Governor Patrick and his wife Diane, Mayor Menino, Senator Chang-Diaz, Representative Brownsberger, Representative Bowles, Councillor Arroyo, and candidate Aaron Michlewitz), the Flaherty team came with a sign-festooned truck blasting dance music. Way to go!
Next year, I want to see all the politicians come with flatbeds and sound systems and their best-looking supporters gyrating on the back in skimpy attire. Maybe they could toss out some beads and candy along with campaign trinkets. Then, all you politicians, I’ll know that you really do understand the glbt community.
Happy Pride!
Really? It seems that would confirm all the worst stereotypes of the LGBT crowd overly flaunting their sexuality (which I wouldn’t want straight people doing either, especially in connection to a political campaign). Your other suggestions are fine, but I for one would nix the revealing clothing.
If I’m not mistaken, skimpy attire is the point.
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p>The society suppresses explicit expressions of gay sexuality. It suppresses indirect expressions of gay sexuality. It suppresses hints of indirect expressions. It suppresses the desire to hint about possible indirect expressions of it.
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p>As Gay Pride has morphed from march to parade, from narrow community event to family affair, and from a fringe radical event to one featuring the governor, the skimpy attire has become less evident, but it remains an important aspect.
Which at it’s best is a joyful blend of Carnival/Mardi Gras and protest march. It’s intended to be an occasion for flaunting one’s sexuality, a day of liberation from the not-so-distant days when scary homosexuals gblt people had to spend their energy keeping their perverse attractions private lives a secret.
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p>In recent years, the parade has fallen away from its origins a bit. It’s been dominated less by leather-clad bar patrons and more by earnest church groups, gay-straight alliances and marriage activists. Perhaps with greater social acceptance, the glbt community no longer needs its one day of the year when absolutely anything goes. But I still say that some skimpy attire, a good beat, and a little hint of Bacchanalia sure has its charms.
I’d prefer that neither gay nor straight sexuality be flaunted in public. Of course, unlike some homophobes, I also don’t see merely mentioning your same-sex partner in conversation is any more flaunting than a straight man talking about his wife. This isn’t the Arabian Peninsula, after all. Too me it is a sign of progress that homosexuality is becoming more accepted and as that happens, there is less need to be in-your-face about it. The less in-your-face people are the more accepted it becomes, and so the cycle continues in a positive direction. I especially believe that no candidate should be associated with such displays; that would turn me off as a voter. Actual support for equality and acceptance, on the other hand, would absolutely be a plus for me.
We won’t invite you to this particular party, but we’ll definitely call you in when the occasion involves good old-fashioned political equality – and no vamping.
First, Christopher, I appreciate your honesty here and fully accept that you mean no direct bigotry in your comments about “flaunting” sexuality in public.
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p>Yet, I feel compelled to explore the potential for a double standard to be established here.
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p>Certainly, public decency rules apply to anyone who might reasonably expect to be seen or heard by another person who is in a public place. But this doesn’t exclude a man from tossing a frisbee on the Common in nothing but a pair of shorts. This doesn’t exclude a woman from sunning herself on the Esplanade in nothing more than a small bikini. Both genders are welcome to roller blade down Memorial Drive or go out to a “fetish night” at local dance clubs in very little or very provocative clothing. Right?
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p>Even if you truly keep in mind the importance of liberty, you would “prefer” that these individuals’ sexuality not be “flaunted” in these ways?
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p>Would you “prefer” there were no beauty pageants, Hooters restaurants, adult cheerleaders or back-up dancers?
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p>I do agree with you that politicians must (if they want to be elected) cater to the prudish among us by at least publicly disassociating themselves from almost all direct “flaunting” of sexuality (though they sure do hire a lot attractive young women to work for their campaigns and office, don’t they?).
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p>But, I wonder if you would reconsider your view that the LGBT community will be more accepted if (even once a year) they “be in-your-face about it” and join the rest of American society in “flaunting it.”
Like most things in life there are times and places where certain things are appropriate and like an SC justice once said of obscenity, I know it when I see it. If I were to go to the beach, for example, I would fully expect to see less clothing and that would be fine. There’s also the degree to which sexuality is the primary focus. Though not personally interested in any of these, I find beauty pageants and cheerleading less objectionable than Hooters.
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p>It also occurs to me that maybe I made an assumption I should not have made. I have seen footage of parades like this where people simulate sex acts in such a way that whether homosexual or heterosexual, my thought would be for crying out loud, get a room! I guess I don’t know whether that happened here. I also tend to cringe at obnoxiousness in any context, in the sense of people drawing attention to themselves. This seems to be more flaunting in this type of context than straight people ever do. I can accept that there may well be a societal double-standard, but I personally try very hard to not abide by that.
I would rather see candidates — especially local candidates — joining in the fun of Pride day than, for example, making fools of themselves on the various talk shows. The latter makes me wince in a way that former does not.
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p>I can therefore empathize, to some extent, with the portion of your reaction that relates to dignity and preserving same. I part company with you on the entire sexuality thing, especially your use of the term “flaunting”.
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p>My own feeling is that our elected officials already project entirely too much of their repressed sexuality into matters of policy — I welcome candidates who feel secure enough in themselves to enjoy events like the Pride parade.
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p>I’m happy to trade rather more “flaunting” if it could be accompanied by rather less macho posturing.
I wonder whether this aspect of the parade will fade away now that marriage for gays and lesbians is legal in Massachusetts. The norms of marriage and the nuclear family are powerful. I know there is a debate within the gay community about whether gay marriage is a good thing at all for precisely this reason. Michael Warner, for example, argues against the normative pull of marriage and in favor of ” a frank embrace of queer sex in all its apparent indignity, together with a frank challenge to the damaging hierarchies of respectability.” Personally, I think that incorporating gay and lesbian citizens into the normative structures of marriage, respectability, and the nuclear family is one of the best reasons to support gay marriage, but obviously others disagree.
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p>TedF
Lynpb was reminiscing this morning about much wilder parades she attended in pre-AIDS New York City in the early 1980’s.
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p>The outlaw aspect of queer culture has faded with political and societal recognition for the glbt community. AIDS also had the effect of damping down its wilder expressions.
I’m not so sure this is about homo/hetero. Methinks it may have at least as much to do with gender. American society embraces scantily clad girls. We love ’em. They’re in commercials, all over sports, and on MTV. In fact, they’re the number one way you can get any of we (cave)men to buy just about anything.
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p>In one day, count how many times you see media containing a girl showing off major cleavage, wearing booty shorts, etc. Now, count how many times you see scantily clad men. The most you’ll see is a chiseled chest, and it’s far less often.
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p>Methinks American society is just more comfortable with objectifying women than we are objectifying men. A large part of it is the male dominance in the worlds of advertising, entertainment, and the like. A large part of it is the sexism that’s been in our society for 100s of years. It’s reinforced with the expectation of gender roles which makes male-homophobia far more dominant than female-homophobia, especially among men.
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p>So, would we object to a bunch of pretty lesbians prancing around in bikinis on 4th of July, St Paddy’s Day, or Thanksgiving? I don’t think so. Would we enjoy a bunch of beefcakes in bikini bottoms doing it? Only if they were professional wrestlers.
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p>I’d love to know what GLBTA folks think about this little hypothesis of mine…
Conventionally pretty “lipstick” lesbians who aren’t doing anything to signal that their attraction is to other women probably wouldn’t excite comment. But you also need to factor in society’s deep discomfort with perceived gender nonconformance, whether by men or women. Consider the reaction to the same group of lesbians, with crew cuts and butch attitude, or to transgender men and women, however attired – it’s not just cute boys strutting their stuff for other cute boys that makes uptight straights uncomfortable on Pride day.
…that the couples promoted by gay-rights groups are usually (older) women. Think of the plantiffs in Massachusetts, the first couple married by Gavin Newsom, etc.
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p>At the same time, opponents like to show gay men, particularly younger men, ideally younger interracial men.
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p>Strange, that, eh?
Used just as often, if not more often in commercials for products geared toward women (cosmetics, clothes, jewelry, and even certain types of snack food), kind of how every women’s magazine has a beautiful woman on the front instead of a hunk. For some reason sexy women seem to be used to sell things to everyone- not just to us cavemen.
…(un)dressed like that on a political campaign float.
Milk. Although it’s an excellent film – terrific acting by Sean Penn.
I actually did want to see that movie when it was in theaters, but didn’t get the chance.
The scantily clad folks aren’t on the political floats. In fact, the politicians tend to walk.
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p>Besides, these days you’re more likely to see church groups, employee groups, and politicians. As Bean in the ‘Burbs says above, the mix is what makes it wonderful.
I thought this thread was originally about the mayoral campaigns. I think it’s great that a variety of groups are participating.
I think stomv nails it in his third paragraph. It’s about male homophobia with a good strong dose of old-fashioned misogynistic sexism. I also suspect that the idea of women openly enjoying the sight of scantily-clad men scares the bejesus out of a great many American men.
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p>Stomv writes:
“Would we enjoy a bunch of beefcakes in bikini bottoms doing it?”
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p>I suspect a great many of the female portion of that “we” would. American society is a great deal more comfortable with full-frontal nudity of women than of men — another example of the same construct. Too many men are scared silly by women who enjoy their sexuality and act accordingly.
my volunteers and I had a great time. We really enjoyed the fun, sun and music. Participating in these joyful celebrations during my years on the City Council and advocating for the protection of gays and lesbians comes from the heart.
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p>In 1994 my uncle, who led a closeted gay life, was murdered in Florida in an act of violence against who he was and whom he chose to love.
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p>When I join everyone that is able to live their lives proudly and openly, I feel sadness because my uncle did not have the opportunity to live his life that way, but I also feel encouraged because I know the future can and will be better. I also want to thank everyone who gave me warm wishes along the way, it was truly a beautiful day.
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p>-Michael Flaherty, Candidate for Mayor of Boston
Perhaps you didn’t see my campaign contingent because we were marching behind the National Grid cherry picker? Or maybe you missed us because the Boston Pride committee, at the very last second, switched us with Felix Arroyo Jr, putting him closer to the front? (They switched no one else.)
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p>We get the award for best t-shirts, I think!
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p>http://www.johnakeith.com/wp-c…
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p>We didn’t have a truck because of the cost.
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p>Next year, after the election, I promise.