One observation I made was that the younger crowd (perhaps ages 18-30) were very tame this year. In past years, I feel like the younger crowd has donned the more traditional Pride garb of brightly colored short-shorts, flip-flops, and perhaps a pooka shell necklace. This year, I noticed the younger crowd was not nearly as sexually provocative in their dress. While there were men walking around with the shirts hanging out of their pockets instead of on their persons, it did not seem to be for sexual arousal. Rather, it was just because they were hot (It was rather warm during the mid afternoon). Even with that, their bottoms were mostly baggy cargo shorts and not the tight "booty" shorts that are usually worn. Most of the younger crowd was dressed normally, dragging along their puppies and dogs.
The older crowd was drastically different. My friend and I were in the beer garden and she and I both commented on how so many "older" men were dressed provocatively and with the purpose of expressing sexuality (that's actually being polite, the actual statement I recall was "Why are there so many old, half-naked, fat men?"). One man, my guess would be he was in his early forties, was running around in a super-hero get up, complete with gold tights, some wretchedly tight, pink tank top, and a cape. If he was wearing under garments, their purpose was lost on me; the tights left little to the imagination. Another older gentleman (most definitely in his late 50s, early 60s) was wearing nothing but a kilt. These were the most shocking examples, but I noticed a great deal of older men who were wearing things that we'd all prefer to see on younger, more physically fit men.
Now I must admit, this was shocking to me. Usually, it's the younger gay men, with their well benched chests, running around in clothing that would make conservatives gasp. This year, there were way more older gay men publicly displaying themselves in "inappropriate" garb. In fact, my friend and I both jokingly (somewhat) remarked at how disappointed we were that there were so few "hot, half-naked guys."
Another observation I made was that there was way less public inebriation among the younger crowd this year. I was in the Beer Garden for a few hours and I did not see anyone who was being inappropriate or obviously too intoxicated. Also, my friends and I stopped by Nick and Eddie's in the Loring block to have some lunch. Next door, Cafe Lurcat was hosting a very loud, expressive gathering in honor of the Pride Celebration. Although things were very loud and people were celebrating, I did not notice one incident of improper, drunken behavior such as vomiting in the street. Although Cafe Lurcat was a bit more boisterous (their party beat the one at N&E's by far), it was very well contained and within the boundaries of the bar.
Let me be clear that I am only commenting on the behavior of the GLBT crowd in the public arena of the park. Of course, in the evening the gay bars became a complete mess. Mens' shirts came off, people were "trashed," and there was a lot of "sexy" going on. Now of course, this is not something with which I have a major problem. People go to clubs to get drunk, to meet people, sometimes with the intent of finding a torrid affair with a duration that lasts shorter than a bald man's haircut. This happens at both gay and straight bars. It's a part of our young culture. As long as that stays in the clubs and out of the Starbucks and Targets, I see no problem with people doing those things.
Further, this posting is not meant to say that there was no improper behavior going on publicly at all. I am sure there were some younger guys running around in undergarments, vomiting up Bacardi in the waste receptacles. I just never saw it and anything I did see was not what I'd consider terribly improper behavior. Also, I did not attend the parade this year. So who knows what happened during that.
Generally, I was pleased with my overall impression. I realize that attributing this lack of indecent behavior to any cause is a shot in the dark. Maybe the vast majority of promiscuous, younger gay men were just too hungover from Saturday night's events to make it to the park that day. Maybe it was something else. Personally, I like to think that it has something to do with a changing disposition in the younger gay community.
As a member of what I consider to be the younger gay community, the past few years have changed my behavior. With gay marriage nascent in Minnesota's and other states' legislatures, and its arrival in many other states, I have tried to put forth my very best behavior. I have encouraged other homosexual people to do the same. I think it is a very dangerous time to have gay men prancing down Hennepin in their bedroom attire and lesbian women walking around publicly with only conveniently-placed rainbow stickers. The gay community needs to show greater Minnesota that we, as a culture, are the type of men and women that can and should be married with children of our own and leading a publicly respectable life as such.
I wonder if this year's demure Pride was the result of such a phenomenon. To be sure, Minneapolis' Gay Pride event tends to be more family oriented than other cities. One of my friends from law school and his wife were super excited for their son's first Pride. They took him to the parade and carried him around the Loring Park festival. Thus, the multitude of children probably has a taming effect on the celebrants. However, there have been many Pride festivals where that has not been the case. There were certain parts of past Prides that I would never want my young child to observe. However, I can honestly say that I would have had no problem exposing my child to anything that occurred the day I spent in the park (with the exception of Old Kilt Man and Super Gay, I wouldn't want my child to go blind).
Another thing I've been thinking about is why there were so many older gay men exhibiting what I would consider to be inappropriate behavior and dress and so fewer younger men this year. The only explanation I can come up with is that there might be a cultural difference between younger and older gay men.
For older gay men who grew up in the 60s and 70s, I think the American gay community is currently dealing with a different set of problems than those with which older gay men and women dealt in their younger years. I think much of the 60s, 70s and 80s were about getting the greater public to realize that gay men and women existed. The "We're here, we're queer, get used to it" mantra was more relevant then than it is now. In the recent 90s and now in the early millennium, the mantra seems to have shifted to "Now that you know we're here, what are you going to do about it?" I think a lot of older gay men and women, in trying to get people to notice their existence maybe used devices of inappropriate dress and sexually provocative behavior to get the full attention of the predominant heterosexual community. The older gay men and women might still be stuck in their attempts to get noticed. I believe that now, since the gay community is far more prevalent in today's metropolitan and political communities, there is not as a great a need for shock value for purposes of getting attention. Thus, I like to think the younger gay crowds are adjusting themselves and their behavior to the new mantra.
Sadly, I have no statistics or studies on which to base my ideas. However, this year's Pride Festival was really quite lovely. I was very impressed by the vast majority of celebrants' behavior and dress. I like to think that my observations are due to a shift in the mindsets and attitudes of the gay community, specifically in the younger crowd. I think young gay men and women are beginning to see the possibilities for the general gay community and are starting to subdue and prepare themselves for leading a "normal" American life, something that a lot of gay men and women desperately need right now. I know I am and I am definitely looking to the future with high hopes.
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