Baltimore Pride 2013, a set on Flickr.
So, admittedly, I’ve always been relatively against Pride events of all kinds. Not because I don’t support GLBT folk or anything malicious, but rather the notion of calling attention to differences which I’ve always perceived as unnecessarily divisive.Baltimore Pride 2013 changed my thinking on what Pride is about in general, however.
I went out of curiosity, expecting to either be pleasantly surprised or at worst entertained by a train wreck showing of exemplary deviance. What I did not expect was the most self-aware, self-aggrandizing display of self-criticism, exercised in a fashion that was not only tasteful, but damn hilarious.
For so long I’d always thought the displays of fringe affinities were obnoxious and giant steps backward for the GLBT community in general, but in reality, behind those ridiculous photos I’d seen from other Pride parades, the actual spirit was more in the interest of making fun of the very fringe elements being embodied. That very subtle aspect, at last introduced to my conscious, has completely altered my perception of Pride in general. It was never about celebrating eccentric deviance - it’s always been about mocking the stereotype itself, and mocking it in a fun way.
The old idiom “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it” comes to mind. Consider my preconceptions challenged, defeated and buried.
Baltimore Pride 2013 was friggin’ awesome. :)
