Pride : In the Name of Love

They warned me that Pride in New York would be different. And boy, they were not kidding! Sure, I have been to SF Pride and Mardi Gras. And I have even been to Nation in Singapore. But New York Pride was supposed to be the best, the one that started it all. After all, the birth of the gay rights movements started in Christopher Street in downtown Manhattan. So was it all that?

Pride Eve: Boys DO Shop

There are three things that anyone should know about gay people:
1. Regardless of what they are willing to admit, they are vain.
2. They have the money to shop, even if it means skipping meals to make up for it.
3. They know where to shop and put their lunch money to good use.

So big surprise that even the out of towners headed for Century 21, the designer discount store. I mean, I am such a C21 regular, but vava voom, this was like having Chelsea and Boystown suddenly relocate to Cortlandt Street. There were more hot bods and wandering eyes than in a steam room in a David Barton Gym! Of course, much of the pink dollar stayed in pink territory. Bang Bang, the male boutique in Chelsea (surprise, surprise) reported that their $130 Ruffskin jeans, the ones that exposed the butt crack were flying of the shelves. It’s not that hard to believe when you think that men are very big on everything ass related!

Pride Evening: A Night At The Roxy

It is an urban legend that has festered into fact. The truth is the best music and lights, and the best DJs play in gay clubs. And the best on a Saturday night, Pride or no Pride has got to be the Roxy. They say things pick up from 1 a.m. till early morning. I discovered new meaning in the phrase ‘children of the night’. It was surreal; go-go boys flaunting their hard earned assets to earn hard cash from people who were allowed to fondle them. The men were mostly without their shirts, proud of their pecs, uninhibited in the pursuit of pleasure. There were distinct groups: the Asian men and the Others who appreciated them (read: older, white non gym bunnies with few exceptions) were on the right. The muscle men and Chelsea boys were at the front of the stage and the bar. And in some hybrid corner there was Carson Kressley, the fashion ‘expert’ from Bravo’s groundbreaking Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It was a odd to see that Carson was not as thin as he seemed on TV, something he flaunted when he danced without his shirt on. He was with a muscular hottie in his late 30’s and let’s just say when Carson put his hand down the guy’s jeans, he was doing more than giving the guy a makeover! Still, seeing him lip sync to Toris’ ”Don’t You Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me” brought things back to perspective. That he is still a glamor gurl that gives hope to queens around to world that they too can bag a muscular Chelsea boy, and that New York is very much made up of a lot of bisexual and bi-curious men the city census could never determine. And honey, on this, take my word for it. Charlotte York types beware. Nuff said.

Pride Day: The Parade

Every Pride parade has a socio-economic-political thrust. Last year, SF Pride was heavily centered on the issue of gay marriage and Bush dumbness. NY Pride surprisingly did have have an overwhelming message. Instead, most of the people I spoke to on the ground (and interviewed on cam which will be shown in a special video clip soon) spoke of the event being a celebration of humanity. Certainly, that was the case. From the flamboyant ethnic floats, to the last religion themed contingents (yes, we are talking about gay ministers parading with their same sex partners), it was easy to see why New York is so gay friendly. Gay culture, if there is such a thing is so interwoven in the lifestyle of the average New Yorker that it is impossible to separate. On the way to the parade, an elderly lady opened up a conversation with my friend and I by asking if we were going there. No gap from any generation. The feeling of freedom was crisp in the air. Seeing revelers shout out “Happy Pride!” was like having Christmas twice a year. And seeing the many people there made me feel like I am truly not alone. No one is when you have a community to back you. To the thousands that came out to support them, marchers handed out bead necklaces and other paraphernalia. The best part was, the crowd was not made up of members of the LGBT community alone, there were people from every persuasion, from every part of the world. Perhaps other parts of the world are yet to understand what I have come to understand. That Pride means among other things, Power, Passion and Perseverance. But most of all, corny as it sounds, Pride is Love.

Pride Day: The Festival

You know, the stereotype that the gay male is like Carson cannot be more wrong and prejudicial. The parade would have disproved that notion. The gay male run the gamut of body types and physical features. Honestly though, it is true that gay men do take pride (no pun intended) in their appearance. If not in their dressing, it is certainly their fitness and bodies. A guy I spoke to actually said he trained from being a fat guy to a Chelsea boy because he wanted to ‘be’ with his ideal. In essence, he became his own ideal to attain the unattainable. Thankfully, the LGBT community is more colorful than that, just like the Pride flag. At the street festival, there were legitimate businesses and organization on show that were there to make a difference and participate. Talents were abundant, gay families proudly on display. Gay anthems were blasting away on speakers and boom boxes, and we all know gay anthems are character affirming and full of positivity. Take Inaya Day’s “Hold Your Head Up High”, and Rebecca Cox’s “Play Your Part”. Gay music takes the best of mainstream and club music and brands them as their own. And the divas who sing them as chosen to be their voices. The festival was a fantastic way to spend a day in Summer, eating grilled corn and other street food, washing them down with lemonade, and grabbing the freebies the businesses hand out to promote their wares. HGTV did even better, they gave away free bags, and their reason: just to thank the community for their support. The LGBT community has come a long way. And while countries like Singapore blames the rise of HIV on such events and foreign LGBT members who come to visit, one thing is certain. The LGBT community worldwide has a voice...and is here to stay. The rest of the world better get with the program.