But if that's the reason to march, then some of the goings-on of the parade confuse me.
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What about dignity? Maybe I should have marched in Pride to show that I have dignity as a gay man. I'm not sure it's necessary to take to the streets of Baltimore to announce my presence to a world that already knows I'm here.īut surely there are other reasons to march. That fact was made more than plain in this week's Supreme Court decisions striking down the Defense of Marriage Act and restoring the right to marriage equality in California - something that would have been inconceivable not long ago. Turn on the television, search a hashtag, browse your Facebook newsfeed: the LGBT community is not - repeat, we are not - invisible. There's a certain sense in which these early marchers succeeded. One of the original goals of Pride was, in a word, visibility. "We are here, and we are numerous," they chanted. To show they would not be forced into silence, the LGBT community took to the streets, parading in front of government buildings, churches, schools and post offices, announcing their presence to those who denied their existence or legitimacy. The march was to be an annual reminder of the ongoing conflict between gays and the mainstream culture that wanted to make them invisible.
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In the wake of the Stonewall Riots of June 1969, the gay community was absolutely justified in organizing a Pride parade to draw attention to their struggle. Let me say outright that I believe there are many good reasons to participate in public demonstrations against inequality and injustice.