Just be peacocks, and quick mocking women, ok?

D went for a walk before the heat accumulated this morning. And stumbled across the forming up of the Gay Pride Parade. We both went back out to watch a while, part of it coming within a couple of blocks of us. We've seen better organized riots, there seemed to be two staging areas within two blocks, with the parade circling the main festival area. Very colorful, although way too much crappy club music thumping around. D has gotten cynical about the utility of such movements, I figure it helps changing public attitudes. Making it familiar, a bit funny, normalizes it for many. We've finally gotten to the tipping point where more people are on board with equal rights and marriage for gays, and I really think parades, and TV characters, have been a huge part of that. Not a direct route, and financial and political power have to be building as well, but I think this does keep a public spirit keeping those real movements going.

The one part of the movement that still bothers me is the Female Impersonators, drag queens, flamboyant cross dressers*. Men taking on extreme female stereotypes, feels insulting, condescending and very, very offensive. Akin to wearing black-face. I fitted another piece to this today, that men who wish to be splashy and decorative, instead of looking to show-girls and other female entertainers, could well look to eras when men were peacocks. Model themselves instead after the fops and dandies, with lace and codpieces, bright colors and wigs - but without mocking women.

*Non-flamboyant cross dressers are usually too sad to irritate me.