Not to Rain on the Parade…
I’ve still got my gay pride beads on from today’s rain-soaked parade. But here’s a question for the rest of the folks who lined 17th and P streets today: is it just me, or has Capitol Pride gone a little corporate?
The parade started with the Chief of Police and the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, followed by Mayor Adrian Fenty, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and a smattering of Councilmembers. But then it seemed like one business after another.
Citibank, Verizon, Bloom Grocery Stores all participated in the parade. Southwest Airlines had one of the coolest and biggest floats all day (they even gave out inflatable airplane toys). You should have seen the woman on the Maid to Clean float gyrate.
The D.C. Cowboys were great, and PFLAG’s “I Love My Gay Son” signs always make me a little teary. And far be it from me to judge how a marginalized community celebrates itself. But it made me a little sad that the guys in leather were so far behind SunTrust Bank’s ATM puppet.
4 Responses to “Not to Rain on the Parade…”
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June 15th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This is a byproduct of two forces: 1) America’s love of brands; and, 2) LGBTers feeling extraordinary affinity anytime a big famous impersonal brand says “hey, WE like you just fine.”
If you dread trips to your little hometown, or you face awkward conversations with relatives, etc., something feels good about thinking “fuck y’all, McDonalds gets me.”
I know it’s odd, but ain’t that America?
June 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
And it may also reflect that the “marginalized” community actually has an enormous amount of money and power, especially in Washington, DC. Just like every other “community” or “race” or some other construct that exists, there are tiers and the days of the revolutionary gay person are over.
Social movements change and grow, and sometimes it is hard to leave behind the fervor of the underground. The Pride parade grew out the sense of denial and oppression, and while things are not all peachy, they certainly aren’t what they used to be.
I am not defending corporate America or bashing them, I am simply saying you arent’ marginalized once your are a market. Whether one admires capitalism or not, it is the ideology we live by and if you aren’t considered a relevant market, you end up poor, angry and marginalized? Are you arguing that the gay “community” should return to that?
June 16th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I thought the same thing yesterday at the festival. I walked in to stare at Wachovia, saw booths for ZipCar, BofA and just about every kind of commercial drink I could (yeah, Pepsi Max, I mean you!).
However, it was also nice to see so many religious organizations (I saw at least three but didn’t get to see all the booths, way too crowded) and there was also the NIH trailer with vaccine info, that was really cool, too. It would have been nice if booths could have been more organized in to “commercial” areas, food areas and perhaps political/religious/health areas. DCVote was too far away from the Log Cabin Republicans and the Obama and DNC tables. Perhaps next year.
June 16th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I had the same reaction to my first Pride a few years ago, which was St. Louis Pride. In comparison, I found DC Pride much more balanced, not that there were fewer corporate floats/booths, but that there were *many* more community organizations, social interest groups, and so forth. I left St. Louis Pride (and this year’s Chinese New Year Parade in that sad excuse for a Chinatown here in DC)feeling like consumerism had replaced culture. This weekend’s Pride reassured me that, at least with a critical mass, a community can have a soul and be a niche market. Time will tell if this is a stable balance or a stage en route to ever increasing corporate-ness.