Pride

So last Saturday I went with Sasha to my first gay pride event. I had been meaning to do this in Boston, but it never really happened. Next time I'll be sure to wear a costume, man we got shown up by so many people. Jeans and a t-shirt really don't do it in the gay pride parade.

We got there around 11:30 and weren't really sure where to go to get to the parade, but then we saw some people in wigs and matching outfits and figured if we just followed them we would end up in the right place. Luckily this was a good guess. We got there just as the parade was heading out, so we joined the mass right next to a float which was playing so awesome pop music (it is possibly one of the floats in the next picture down). I stole these pictures from the website dedicated to the event, since I forgot to get pictures off of Sasha's camera. I wish mine wasn't broken. So, there will be no pictures of Sasha or me, but the pictures should give you some sense of the event.


So something I was extremely surprised about was the fact that floats like the picture below were common and that there were not any Christian protesters on the side with mean signs. In fact, the only signs I could see that people were holding next the parade were things like 'we love you' and 'God loves you' which I was honestly shocked to see. From what I can tell, pride parades in the United States are always being protested, which is one of the big reason they happen. They are meant to challenge societal norms. In fact, when Act Up (the gay rights group in the 70s) was first coming into force, they relied on tactics to emphasize the fact that they were part of every aspect of society and were not going away. This is partially the reason for the use of so much spectacle (shiny costumes etc). The other reason is that they are just so much fun. Haha. Anyways, pride parades have been going on for quite some time in the States and they only just started in the 1990s here. It was mentioned at the festival following the parade that the first marchers walked with paper bags over their heads to protect themselves from abuse etc, and yet today there is a much more vocal supportive community than non-supportive coming out to watch the parade. What's the deal, USA?

Supportive church group! And I didn't see one member of the other kind of church group


Such awesome costumes all day! For serious.



Another comment I want to make. In my media class last half of the semester we actually talked a fair amount about gay rights and homophobia in the media etc. It's interesting because South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world and is one of the few places where discrimination against people because of sexual preferences is constitutionally not allowed. It is also one of the few places that allows for gay marriage anywhere in the state. But (there is always a but) the public opinion I have learned is often not so progressive. For one thing, it is common to hear that homosexuality "is not an African problem." As in, it doesn't really happen here and that it was unheard of until Europeans came in with colonization. While that is utter crap, it is a very pervasive opinion. In the media as well, homosexuals are portrayed more as wealthy, white guys living the fashionable life. There is little coverage of homosexual individuals and couples who appear just like their heterosexual counterparts. Of course they exist, they are out there in droves, but they get no coverage. Possibly this is because they don't conform to a stereotype, or maybe just because people don't want to hear about the ordinary, they want to hear about the spectacular. However, because the aspects of the gay community that get covered are ones that other people will be less likely to relate to, there is this element of 'othering' that happens. Through this, communities can believe that they know no one who is gay, so it must not exist in their little part of society. I find it so interesting that a country can have such a disconnect between the constitution and a serious section of their population.

But at the same time, no crazy protesters. Johannesburg seems to not be quite sure how to make up its mind about its homosexual population. Hopefully the more conservative parts of the community will come around. How this can be achieved is of course another area of speculation. Is it simply through exposure? And does this mean in the media or do you have to have real-life exposure to a different element of the society before you begin to accept it? Like in many places around the world, helping people create a healthier, more accepting environment will be an uphill battle. Homophobic violence is still very present in South Africa, with a lot of attention going towards the idea of "corrective rape" where men try to 'turn' lesbians through rape. Putting aside how incredibly disturbing a concept like that is, what does it say that men have ideas like these? Is this something that is being expressed within the South African culture? And is this simply because of homophobia or is it also men trying to reestablish the culture of male domination and gender hierarchy, since lesbians do not fit within the 'correct' female role?
I have no answers, which is why I am posing the questions to you. Make of them as you will.