The Gay Pride Parade - What Is There to be Proud Of?

There are just some things I will never get. The annual gay pride parade is one of them. Unfortunately, as a guy who reads the newspaper fairly regularly, I can't really say that I can get away from reading about it - every time about this time of year, it hits Toronto and many other cities, and is advertised as a family event. Yeah, right. There are many other things that I could take my kids to - that is not one of them.

The most absurd thing coming from the pro-gay camp is that this event is not about sexuality. It's not, eh? Then why the hell do many of the participants wear next to nothing and move and dance suggestively? Why do they throw condoms to the crowd? Why is there intense groping and so forth? Before you suggest that I'm just watching a conservative TV station's coverage of the event, let me say that I had the great misfortune in bumping into the event several years ago when I went downtown to buy a pair of shoes one weekend. It hadn't dawned on me that it was gay pride weekend, and when I was done buying my shoes, I decided to stick around and see what the parade was about (I thought it was some protest parade, until I saw the floats, the cross-dressing and ever-annoying water guns and super-soakers (which seems to be only present during gay festivities - I've often wondered over the years why water guns are chosen and my only conclusion is that they simulate the ejaculatory effect. Regardless, I saw with my own eyes sex being paraded. But such is the nature of the homosexual lifestyle, isn't it? Years ago, out of curiosity, I went into a gay bookshop in the Church/Wellesley (gay central) area of downtown Toronto. Now, you're probably wondering with all this gayness experience, am I a closet homosexual. My wife can readily attest that I am not, as I obviously can as well. But anyhow, when I went in there, I was expecting a Chapters type of retail store with coffee served by effeminate males, hard pumping Euro techno music, and perfumy incense being burned. Well, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw none of that, but instead walls of gay pictorial books, sexual aids, and lesbian and homosexual erotica. Honestly, it was like an adult bookstore for gays. The focus on sex was very strong in there, if not overpowering - so don't tell me that whey the community has an opportunity to celebrate, that sex is not in the mix. Even Crime Stoppers, the police-driven organization that allows people to call and provide anonymous tips on crimes, has decided to turn political this year in getting involved in the parade, by handing out condoms with a note attached that reads, "your tip's safe with us" (read into that what you will).

Considering my ardent belief that homosexuality is a choice (and yeah, yeah, I know that the argument goes that if it's a choice, who would choose that kind of lifestyle, given the backlash from society - but my argument is that people make all sorts of morally bad and societally-frowned-upon choices everyday. You think that child molester doesn't know that what he is doing is wrong - he does it because he wants the instant gratification of his base desires - I really don't see homosexuality being much different), I am not sure what exactly there is to be proud of. Some people who are against the parade argue that there is not a heterosexual pride parade, and the gay community will counter that every day is heterosexual pride day, but I think that argument is B.S. Think about this for a minute - let's say that we are all products, the formation of which we had no input. I am of Asian background - I had no choice in the matter. I am a male - I had no choice in the matter. It's like those white supremacists out there - "white power!" Or the black militants - "black power!" Whatever. Why would we be proud of something we had no control over? Unless...you chose something and it turned out a way that you seem to like - ie. I am a proud Canadian, because I chose to be a Canadian (as you may have read, I am one of those successful immigrant stories0. I am a proud born-again Christian - it is a choice that I made to believe in Jesus Christ. I am a proud conservative - I chose my belief system. And the list goes on - I am a proud member of the NRA and proud gun owner, I am a proud father and husband, etc. Pride for me is defined as the decisions I made and the expected outcomes. If homosexuality is natural (which I believe it is not) there is nothing to be proud of, just like I am not necessarily proud to be a heterosexual or proud to have Asian roots. It is what it is, unless I personally made the decision to be a member or something or deliberately participated in something on my own volition, etc.

I also don't get why so many conservatives have softened their stance on all things gay, particularly in light of their own personal convictions. I guess to a degree I can understand it somewhat. Make no mistake - there are nice gay people out there. I work with a fellow who is gay and is probably one of the kindest people at work here. He never flaunts his "gayness" (well, he has a photo of his boyfriend on his computer) so there are not comfort issues. He's also a guy I'd be happy to go out and have a beer with. I am not one of those weirdo conservatives who not only hate everything gay-related, but hate gays as people. I don't share that view - I certainly do not like the lifestyle, will never support it, will never agree with it, but I also recognize that behind the veneer of homosexuality and lesbianism are people who are like me, fallen, broken and make mistakes. I do not let my personal abhorrence with homosexuality cloud my ability to love the people who are in that lifestyle. As a follower of Jesus, I think it's expected that I befriend gays and love them as much as anyone else and show them God's love - but that certainly doesn't mean I need to participate in pro-gay parade events.