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Whatever
one's personal views on the gay lifestyle, the annual Gay Pride Fest
is great fun and the biggest event on the gay calendar, enjoyed by those
who consider themselves gay, as well as those who are supportive of
diversity.
Our daughter and her family live near Tower Grove
Park in St Louis, where the fest is held, so this June my husband and
I decided to investigate. Tower Grove Park is a lovely green city space,
with plenty of fields for ball games, picnic places shaded by many huge
trees, miles of walking and running paths, playgrounds, and Victorian
gazebos. The Pride Fest takes place on the east edge of the park, near
the intersection of Grand and Arsenal Avenues, where you'll find coffee
shops, international restaurants, flower and gift shops.
Booths selling food (hot dogs, burgers and fries,
funnel cakes, chips and salsa, ice-cream), beer, margaritas, gay-pride
trinkets in rainbow colors, and jewelry are set up around an outdoor
stage that has almost continuous live music and guest speakers for two
days. It's loud and lively, with exuberant dancing on an impromptu dance
floor. There's also a strong educational element with booths that have
health, safety and entertainment information, Vital Voice newspaper
subscriptions, and PFLAG flyers for friends and families of gay people.
The fun begins on Friday night but Saturday and
Sunday are the days that draw gay people from surrounding states and
areas to gather together in a safe space. On Saturday the main event
is a Commitment Ceremony, a group event conducted by an ordained church
minister. Gay couples come together to make a public commitment to each
other in a venue where relationships
between people of the same sex are not only accepted, but also sanctified.
Nearby, a display of beautiful quilts is laid out on the grass---the
quilts are pieced together from panels of all shapes, sizes and colors,
lovingly crafted to commemorate loved ones who have died of AIDS. It's
a very moving and humbling display, making one realize that these were
individual people with lives and loved ones---they were not just statistics.
It helps us to remember those who are still living and struggling with
this devastating disease.
But, it's mostly a happy time and a happy crowd,
as family, friends, and strangers come together to celebrate life, assert
their differences and diversity, and see friends whom they may not have
seen all year. Coolers are dragged in, along with fold-away chairs,
blankets to lay on, and tents to protect from the brilliant sun, as
folks camp out for the two days of the festival. This year attendance
was down, because it was simply too hot to "hang out" for two days.
Sunday
is Parade Day. The wild and wacky parade wanders from the south for
a couple of miles on Grand Ave, ending up in Tower Grove Park. Many
of the spectators come because they expect the outrageous and that some
of the costumes and floats will be "over the top", and they're not disappointed.
Chief Mokwa of the STL Police Department heads the parade this year,
followed by informal bands, and the tall black Hate Monster ends it.
In between is a wonderful assortment of floats: from the well-trained
dog sitting quietly in spectacles and bandana on a car-float, clutching
a basket of flowers in its mouth; to the larger-than-life drag queens
in exotic costumes, and drag kings with imaginative names; to the dancers
of all stripes; marching bands (Band Together) and flag twirlers; local
gay groups, churches, and activist groups; and local politicians hoping
to garner the gay vote, it's bright, colorful, and cheerful. Mr. Missouri
Leather, as well as the winners of this year's beauty pageants, sit
in all their finery on convertibles and regally wave to the crowd. Different
health organizations and local bars receive standing ovations from parts
of the crowd familiar with their services. The spirit of camaraderie
is strong and we feel and hear the support, or at least an attempt at
understanding the underlying reason for this festival and parade, from
the onlookers.
The
day is 100-degrees hot, at least, but many of those walking the parade
or sitting on the floats have water bottles to give out to the onlookers.
Mardi Gras-type beads rain down, as people call for them, catch them
and drape them around their necks---some kids have so many that we can
no longer see their necks! Kids fill bags with a variety of candy and
it feels like a hot Halloween.
Of course, there are also examples of intolerance--vans
from churches that hand out water bottles to children with anti-gay
messages rubber-banded to them, and a young man who is handing out brochures
with instructions on how gay people can be "saved", that it is not "too
late to return to the Lord".
After
the parade passes you can cool off with an ice-cream in one of the cafes
and wander back into the park "to mingle with kings, queens and fairies
in pink, as well as old and new friends, before heading home, sunburned
and tired, but energized for another year in a world that is often intolerant
to those who are different", as one of the happy participants told me.
The beginning of June marks the start of Gay Pride
Festivals worldwide and June is officially Gay Pride month in many US
cities. In many cases city centers shut down for parades, clubbing events,
and arts and entertainment and the festival is promoted as a major tourist
attraction. The global focus of the festivals tends to be on western
Europe, North America and Australia, but events can be found over the
globe.
Pride events allow people to stand up and be proud
of who, and what, they are. Pride parades evolved from protest marches
held by gay people to fight for their rights. The marches were sparked
by the Stonewall Riots, a series of violent conflicts between homosexuals
and police in New York City. They began on June 27, 1969, when police
raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, and this time the patrons
fought back. It was a turning point for homosexual equality, as by the
end of July the Gay Liberation Front was formed. Some parades still
have this activist character, but in more gay-friendly cities the parade
takes on a festive and Mardi Gras-like character. The festivals are
an eclectic assortment, from extravaganzas as in San Francisco, to small
events in Utah or Idaho.
You can find a general listing at www.gay.com/pride/calendar
, but here are some of the more famous ones.
IN EUROPE:
In Amsterdam it's called Roze Zaterdag (Pink Saturday)
and is the first weekend in August.
In Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt) it's called Christopher
Street Day and is in July.
Check www.csd-berlin.de
Cape Town, South Africa, August, www.capetownpride.co.za (one of the only countries in the world with
extremely liberal laws when it comes to gay rights)
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JustSayGO Travel Show
Whatever
one's personal views on the gay lifestyle, the annual Gay Pride Fest
is great fun and the biggest event on the gay calendar, enjoyed by those
who consider themselves gay, as well as those who are supportive of
diversity. 
relationships
between people of the same sex are not only accepted, but also sanctified.
Nearby, a display of beautiful quilts is laid out on the grass---the
quilts are pieced together from panels of all shapes, sizes and colors,
lovingly crafted to commemorate loved ones who have died of AIDS. It's
a very moving and humbling display, making one realize that these were
individual people with lives and loved ones---they were not just statistics.
It helps us to remember those who are still living and struggling with
this devastating disease. 
Sunday
is Parade Day. The wild and wacky parade wanders from the south for
a couple of miles on Grand Ave, ending up in Tower Grove Park. Many
of the spectators come because they expect the outrageous and that some
of the costumes and floats will be "over the top", and they're not disappointed.
Chief Mokwa of the STL Police Department heads the parade this year,
followed by informal bands, and the tall black Hate Monster ends it.
In between is a wonderful assortment of floats: from the well-trained
dog sitting quietly in spectacles and bandana on a car-float, clutching
a basket of flowers in its mouth; to the larger-than-life drag queens
in exotic costumes, and drag kings with imaginative names; to the dancers
of all stripes; marching bands (Band Together) and flag twirlers; local
gay groups, churches, and activist groups; and local politicians hoping
to garner the gay vote, it's bright, colorful, and cheerful. Mr. Missouri
Leather, as well as the winners of this year's beauty pageants, sit
in all their finery on convertibles and regally wave to the crowd. Different
health organizations and local bars receive standing ovations from parts
of the crowd familiar with their services. The spirit of camaraderie
is strong and we feel and hear the support, or at least an attempt at
understanding the underlying reason for this festival and parade, from
the onlookers.
The
day is 100-degrees hot, at least, but many of those walking the parade
or sitting on the floats have water bottles to give out to the onlookers.
Mardi Gras-type beads rain down, as people call for them, catch them
and drape them around their necks---some kids have so many that we can
no longer see their necks! Kids fill bags with a variety of candy and
it feels like a hot Halloween.