Don't Let the Parade Pass Me By
Jun. 29th, 2008 12:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eggwardsThis is one of those things that you just have to hate about Dallas. Everyone else this month gets to go out and have fun at their various Pride Events (well, unless you live someplace like Odessa Texas or Kazakhstan. pride isn't coming to visit you anytime soon).
I'm seeing several pictures of people enjoying parades and events, and wish I could join them, even in out 90 degree heat. Sure, we had the true colors tour, and that was pretty gay, but the only Dykes on Bikes you'll see are the ones exiting the superpages.com arena waiting to get on the freeway to go home.
Sometime, somewhere Dallas got shortchanged. Sure, there's a parade. It's the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade. I'm happy for Mr. Ross for getting his name on a parade, but it's not the Pride Parade, it's the Freedom Parade. There's a noticeable difference. Here in Dallas you have the freedom to be gay (especially after Lawrence vs. Texas), but we don't really think you should go around being so damned proud of it.
The Freedom Parade takes place in September. Someone thought that the weather would be better in September than it is in June. Well, that person is wrong. In fact, on average it's actually hotter.
There used to something called Razzle Dazzle Dallas! (you must use the exclamation point) which was the Dallas bar's attempt to keep people here during June, and not running off to other pride events across the nation. The event lasted a few years before dying a death caused by apathy. Perhaps with higher gas prices, and airlines nickeling and dimeing you to death, it's time to create something new, locally.
So those of you out there who get to enjoy your pride event, please share pictures, I'm dying to see what's going on out there, and want to know how much fun you are having. Let's hear it for the boys, and girls, and all things in-between!
As for me, I'm going to go see Wall-E and perhaps Swiffer the floors if I get the notion. I'll just have to wait for my parade to come in.
I'm seeing several pictures of people enjoying parades and events, and wish I could join them, even in out 90 degree heat. Sure, we had the true colors tour, and that was pretty gay, but the only Dykes on Bikes you'll see are the ones exiting the superpages.com arena waiting to get on the freeway to go home.
Sometime, somewhere Dallas got shortchanged. Sure, there's a parade. It's the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade. I'm happy for Mr. Ross for getting his name on a parade, but it's not the Pride Parade, it's the Freedom Parade. There's a noticeable difference. Here in Dallas you have the freedom to be gay (especially after Lawrence vs. Texas), but we don't really think you should go around being so damned proud of it.
The Freedom Parade takes place in September. Someone thought that the weather would be better in September than it is in June. Well, that person is wrong. In fact, on average it's actually hotter.
There used to something called Razzle Dazzle Dallas! (you must use the exclamation point) which was the Dallas bar's attempt to keep people here during June, and not running off to other pride events across the nation. The event lasted a few years before dying a death caused by apathy. Perhaps with higher gas prices, and airlines nickeling and dimeing you to death, it's time to create something new, locally.
So those of you out there who get to enjoy your pride event, please share pictures, I'm dying to see what's going on out there, and want to know how much fun you are having. Let's hear it for the boys, and girls, and all things in-between!
As for me, I'm going to go see Wall-E and perhaps Swiffer the floors if I get the notion. I'll just have to wait for my parade to come in.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 03:40 pm (UTC)My thought on the parade is that it needs to be moved back to June. Even May or July would work for me.
The argument is always made that June is too crowded already with Pride parades. Fort Worth is the weekend before Pride weekend. Houston has a weeklong celebration leading to the parade on Pride weekend. Next is Austin followed by San Antonio at the end of the month. Still plenty of time to have it during Pride season, last time I checked the calendar.
The argument is always made that it is too hot in June and July for the parade. I just saw last night that they now have sweat proof makeup that last for 18 hours. Might want to check into that. Houston, which averages 70% humidity, has their parade in June. Same with Austin and San Antonio but their humidity is lower than Houston. Maybe it would do some good for people to get out and sweat since Dallas was recently named the 2nd fattest city in the US, but I digress.
The argument I would make to the parade organization committee is look at the revenue dollars the city is missing out on by having the parade in September. Most people are out of summer vacation mode and are back in school or at work. If the parade were held in the summer months when people were available to travel (and when the Pride celebrations actually take place in other cities but we will not keep beating that dead horse), maybe the city would take notice of the extra revenue coming in to the city and get behind the parade with support as other cities have done, such as Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and, hell, even Conway, Arkansas.
But, I am sure this will fall on deaf ears and we continue to have our pride celebration in September to celebrate a ruling that happened over 2 decades ago and was nullified two years later. Hey, here is an idea. Let's celebrate the recent ruling of Lawerance et al. v. Texas, which was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States and cannot be repealed. It happens to be on June 26th.