"#Resist March for LGBTQIA and POC Equality"

March 12, 2017 3:07 PM

Christopher Street West has announced that this year's LA Pride Parade will be a protest march instead, joining with a planned national LGBT Resist March scheduled for June 11th. It's worth noting that due to construction projects in West Hollywood, the annual Pride festival has roughly 70% less space available to it for this year's activities, and is facing a drastic scaling down of its events for Pride Weekend.
posted by ApathyGirl (13 comments total)

I mentioned in the political thread that I stopped going because the crowds were giving me panic attacks, but I grew up in West Hollywood and the city helped make me who I am today (the good parts, anyway) so I'm glad to be able to show my support in person again. I don't think I handle 9am Mimosas anymore, though.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:10 PM on March 12, 2017 [2 favorites]

I wonder what we will end up doing here in New York. They definitely won't move our March to the 11th, as the point of our March is the commemoration of the Stonewall riots the last Sunday in June. And changing from a "parade" feeling to a resistance march would jeopardize many of the corporate sponsors, I think.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:12 PM on March 12, 2017

wait, it has to be held on a certain weekend because it's the commemoration of the Stonewall riots, but they don't want to make it a resistance march? I believe you but jesus, the cognitive dissonance that must take...
posted by AFABulous at 4:30 PM on March 12, 2017 [19 favorites]

Here's the facebook page for the national march in DC (which has changed its name from the National Pride March to "The Equality March for Unity and Pride"). They don't seem to have a website.
posted by AFABulous at 4:32 PM on March 12, 2017 [2 favorites]

And changing from a "parade" feeling to a resistance march would jeopardize many of the corporate sponsors, I think.

And we all know the corporate sponsors are the most important part of Pride.

I'd say I was being sarcastic, but it's totally true in a lot of places.
posted by hoyland at 5:09 PM on March 12, 2017 [8 favorites]

wait, it has to be held on a certain weekend because it's the commemoration of the Stonewall riots, but they don't want to make it a resistance march?

I have no idea if they do or if they don't. It's always been a March. Ours is never, ever a parade, although it does have that vibe.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:39 PM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

I would be so happy if Seattle follows this lead. I think that this year a protest is much more appropriate and necessary than a parade.

I'd be grateful for any moves to reduce the corporate sponsors involved.
posted by palegirl at 7:53 PM on March 12, 2017 [5 favorites]

And we all know the corporate sponsors are the most important part of Pride.

That's why we've had the Queerbomb event I mentioned in the other thread for.... oh, coming on seven years now. No fucking corporations allowed. No sponsors. Just people.

I've gone to Pride with two separate friends who wanted to go against my better judgement for two years now, and I'll be damned if anyone drags me out again. The crowds are not fucking worth standing around for half an hour waiting for every one of the identically dressed and clean-cut Apple employees to march past me in their blinding white, matching fucking t-shirts. Whose community are we celebrating, anyway? The right of straight liberal-leaning corporations to pat themselves on the damn backs in public and clutch the spotlight while insisting it's celebrating us?
posted by sciatrix at 8:45 PM on March 12, 2017 [7 favorites]

I have absolutely nothing against including "POC Equality" in such an event, in fact I support it...but I do hope there's none of this "oh and we're banning the police, because BLM says so" business that's come up in pride events in other cities. Folks are welcome to their own opinions on that matter but mine is that it's shortsighted and wrongheaded, however understandable or well-intentioned it may be.
posted by trackofalljades at 11:27 PM on March 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

> I have absolutely nothing against including "POC Equality" in such an event, in fact I support it...but I do hope there's none of this "oh and we're banning the police, because BLM says so" business that's come up in pride events in other cities. Folks are welcome to their own opinions on that matter but mine is that it's shortsighted and wrongheaded, however understandable or well-intentioned it may be.

Okay, but how do you propose increasing inclusion and representation of queer people of color? Because safety FROM the police is a big ol' legitimate issue there. I mean, there's a pretty good reason why BLM "says so" and it's not just a theoretical consideration.
posted by desuetude at 7:02 AM on March 13, 2017 [6 favorites]

Yes, let's not forget the circumstances behind the Stonewall riots. The police have a rocky relationship with Pride. It's built-in, not tacked-on.
posted by domo at 7:09 AM on March 13, 2017 [6 favorites]

Many trans & queer people here are so disgusted with the sanitizing trend of Pride that they've developed an alternative event. A few years ago, Genderqueer Milwaukee was presented with an award at Pride and refused it onstage after having to fight tooth and nail to get gender neutral bathroom signage and an anti-harassment policy. I've personally experienced transphobic harassment at the local Pridefest so I probably won't go. I don't know if I'll attend the national event. It depends how much of an afterthought we are.
posted by AFABulous at 8:15 AM on March 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

I would be so happy if Seattle follows this lead. I think that this year a protest is much more appropriate and necessary than a parade.

It sounds like it's still going to be a parade, but the theme is Indivisible, with a "focus on diversity, inclusion, and hope". So sort of protesty, but, uh, not to the levels of outrage we've been harnessing these last few months. And I was going to suggest marching, but the registration looks kinda crazy -- you can either get your small non-profit sponsored by a corporation or pay the $500. "You may not have signs, banners, or any other display in your contingent representing or advertising for entities other than your own organization as registered in this application." This also looks like maybe don't bring your protest signs...

I was thinking of seeing if other Quakers wanted to march with me (and see if I could track down our old Queer Quakers banner) but this doesn't really look like something easy to participate in anymore.
posted by Margalo Epps at 7:35 AM on March 15, 2017