Pride Jest?

A lesson for Philadelphia magazine about gay pride and leather bike shorts.

by Natalie Hope McDonald

I was standing in line at the grocery store, paging through the April issue of Philadelphia magazine, ripe with stories about pre-pubescent bikini waxing and soft pretzel empires, when I read in bold, black letters: "Leave the Leather Bike Shorts at Home." The article (written by Michael Callahan) calls for Philadelphia to "lower the curtain" on its longtime gay pride events because the author fears it "sends the wrong message."

In short, the author, an openly gay man, calls gay culture "gross." And within three pages, he calls out "an exotic zoo of lesbian bikers," refers to gay paraders as "freaks," and suggests politicians at these events try stiffly not to show their terror. Really? Their terror? If anything, this tirade showcases a certain amount of fear about anyone who may not fit into one person's stereotype of what it means to be gay, and more to the point, successful.

While Callahan has perhaps matured into an older, gentler version of himself, he may want to remember that today's pride events are still chock-full of young, barely out teens who may just be finding their identities as the author himself reveals he struggled to do more than a decade ago. There is no fast-forward button when it comes to self-acceptance. There's no expiration date, either. And based on daily news headlines about hate crimes, like the gay 15-year-old Lawrence King who was slain for giving another boy a Valentine, gay rights still has a long way to go before every cul-de-sac in the nation rejoices that "My Two Gay Dads" moved in next door.

Of course, in a big city like Philadelphia, with its national LGBTQ tourism, film fests and rainbow street signs, it's easy to forget what gay folks are already going without. In 36 states, you can still be fired for being gay. And here in Pennsylvania, the legislature is working to pass an amendment to the constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Comparatively, picking on drag queens who want to belt out Liza on Locust Street seems a little off track if Callahan and Philadelphia magazine really want to cover LGBTQ issues.

Fortunately, there's strength in numbers. For many folks in the region, an annual trek to the city for gay pride events is still empowering. But lumping all LGBTQ people into one shocking little lot is a huge injustice to the many other faces who have been integrated into gay events over the years, like families and seniors (who may have recently come out after a lifetime of playing straight).

Callahan picks up where conservative pundits have left off, stereotyping a diverse community of people for shock value, while conveniently forgetting about the plain-Jane gays who show up at these events with their terriers, their kids, their parents and their straight friends. Last year's pride events welcomed religious organizations, nonprofits and athletic associations — hardly shocking stuff.

Just as Callahan asks his gayness be accepted at the local Shop n Bag, then so should we accept LGBTQ folks who may chose to live their lives in leather, lace, drag, Brooks Brothers suits, whatever. I certainly respect Callahan's creative notion that a suburban soccer mom can be hip. I'm just hoping we remember that not everyone has enjoyed the same experiences that might make heading off to work in a suit all that enviable — gay or otherwise. The author's beef with gay pride sounds like it has a lot less to do with "gay culture" being perpetuated by hard bodies, an inevitable Cher soundtrack and those pesky rainbow flags, as he claims, and more to do with old-fashioned classism.

Natalie Hope McDonald is a writer in Philadelphia and frequent City Paper contributor.