Magic Mountain Gay Pride Night

I tend to believe that words are just words.

Intentions are much more powerful.

Ensign Smith said:
I'd like to insert a joke about assless chaps but don't know how to work it in.

The joke would depend on who is wearing the chaps...Believe me there are sometimes I walk through the Eagle in Los Angeles and want to throw a towel around some people! =)

LostKause said:
I used to realize how far we have come as a nation, until I moved to hickville U.S.A. This place is decades behind when it comes to accepting people who are not white, straight, and somewhat intelligent.

I give a lot of the credit to changing the level of gay acceptance to positive gay roll models, such as Ellen and Adam Lambert. I also give credit to Hollywood for giving us so many positive gay characters. Because of pop culture, a lot of gays decide to come out and reveal their sexuality, which pretty much forced most of their friends and family members to accept it, or sadly lose out in some cases.

I don't mean to take away from gay political figures and other popular forces. I appreciate their accomplishments as well.

The gay community still has a ways to go, but, as far as gay rights and acceptance goes, I feel that we are on the right track. I anticipate the world in a few decades from now with hope that more people will wake up and realize that gays just want what every other American already has; the right to achieve happiness.

Lost Kause, I used to live in NE Texas and lemme tell you that the prejudice you face is definitely understood. But I took my stand, wore my shirts, spoke my mind, and associated with liberal/open minded people and made the best of it. Of course every situation is different, but Ive demonstrated to more than one redneck that we can do more than fix hair, do interior design, or do floral arrangements. Personally, I suck at all three. Hang in there though hopefully with a bit of education from you to them, your stay wont be too unbearable.

LostKause said:
...Adam Lambert...

You had me up until then. :) That guy is a talentless hack who can't disappear fast enough.

CoasterDemon said:

Lord Gonchar said:
I want to switch teams and then start a Gay Humility movement where we're all humble about our greatness in being gay.

Gay people are too proud if you ask me.

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins. I'd also like to see less Gay Sloth, Gay Wrath and Gay Envy.

Come to think of it, I'd actually like to see more Gay Sloth days at the parks...

(obviously I'm kidding around here, people - smile, winky, and stuff)

Hmmm... kidding? Damn I was actually gonna agree with you gonch!

I think we see way too much 'pride' stuff that isn't really pride at all. It's perhaps 'acting out', etc., but any minority group goes through that.

Holding my boyfriends hand (when I had one) at Great America when it is NOT gay day, is gay pride (to me). Other things would include mentioning to people (in a nice way) why it's not OK to say "thats gay..." like so many people do (or the dreaded F word).

CoasterDemon, having been to Bucks on N. Halstead, Ive seen Gay Sloth. Its not always pretty! *LOL* Anyway, what do you term "acting out" Was it acting out when rallies were held worldwide in protest to the beating of Matthew Shepherd? Were the Stonewall Riots in 1969 which became the current gay rights movement considered acting out ? Were protests against DOMA considered acting out? Perhaps you are right...Maybe pride is an everyday thing and shouldnt be considered just a "special" event. But on the flipside, if Disney per se, is willing to welcome us to their park for 4 days every June, shouldnt we embrace it and have fun with it. Besides, I think its kinda cool to see a large gathering of gays/lesbians at a theme park at night having a blast. No gangs. No violence (unless some with a jealous lover gets cruised by someone else). No drama (see aforementioned). Just everyone in the community having a good time. Nothing wrong with that, is there ?

Seriously dude... you need to learn how to close your quotes. Watch the video.

Thanks, but I fit in other ways, I think. I'm just as big and tough as they are, for example. :)

I was actually going to agree with Gonch's post as well. I erased a whole paragraph in my initial post about that.

I think that, without snuffing out one's personal expression, gays have the responsibility to not be obnoxious about their sexuality. Dressing up like Lady Gaga to go to the theme park on Gay Day sucks, if you ask me. It reeks of douchebaggery, and it embarrasses those gays who are trying to show the world that they are not that much different than everyone else. It moves us backwards, and it seems to me that a lot of gays have finally realized that.

And while two men or women holding hands in public may be shocking nowadays, I dream of a day when it is more accepted.

Lost Kause,

I agree with you largely to a point. I myself will never do Gaga drag...Avatar for Halloween in West Hollywood and Universal Studios? DEFINITELY! But drag...Not really for me. But just bare in mind one thing. Believe it or not, drag queens helped foment the riots at the Stonewall Inn back in 1969. They helped create the gay liberation. While I dont always agree with what they do, I always try to remember that without them sometimes, going to theme parks and holding hands would be the LEAST of our issues =) .

LostKause said:
I think that, without snuffing out one's personal expression, gays have the responsibility to not be obnoxious about their sexuality. Dressing up like Lady Gaga to go to the theme park on Gay Day sucks, if you ask me. It reeks of douchebaggery, and it embarrasses those gays who are trying to show the world that they are not that much different than everyone else.

I agree. I honestly see no reason for "gay pride" as much as I see no reason for "straight pride." Saying that you're proud of your sexual orientation insinuates that there's some sort of choice involved. There's nothing to be proud of. You are who you are.

In the same vein, having a specific "gay day" at parks makes it seem segregationist, like you're not welcome on the other 364 days.

Whether it's gender, race, nationality, or sexuality, I think we'll only achieve equality when nobody really give a sh*t. And I, for one, don't give a sh*t.

(And for the record, I think Lady Gaga is awesome, and I hang out at gay bars only if they have good happy hour specials.)

Ensign Smith said:
I'd like to insert a joke about assless chaps but don't know how to work it in.

Obvious you're straight there, Mike. You did make a joke and didn't even realize it. Read your sentence again...

Or maybe I was pitching a fat fastball across the middle of the plate... ;)

I may take some heat for this, but...

Times have changed...we've gained a lot of acceptance, especially as the older generations die out, and I feel that Pride events are antiquated. I stopped going. The meaning and message of these events & parades has changed. It used to be a political statement ("We're Here, We're Queer, Get Used to It!"

Now it's nothing more than "look at my gym-toned body! Don't I look hot? Who wants to have sex with me?"

Speaking as someone looking in from the outside, it seems to me that just like any other community, whether it be ethnic, sexual, political or religious, there is a vast spectrum of opinion among gays about what it means to be gay, or what constitutes proper behavior for gays. Which I guess is how it should be.

Oh, I know drag queens, Coasterhound. That's not at all what I meant, even though now that I go back and read it, I see how that could be taken that way.

I think that a lot of drag queens are awesome, in an artistic sense, but I really don't see a public theme park as a place to show off that talent. Another example; I've never seen a circus midget dressed up like a clown at a park, unless they were part of the entertainment. :)

I enjoy watching the Drag shows at the pride event in Charleston. It's a hoot, and they are so serious about having fun and showing everyone else a fun time. Would I ever dress in drag? NO WAY, but I respect it as an art form.

But doing that in public is boarderline attention-seeking behavior. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable; not me, but it does to a lot of people.

Kpjb, I love Gaga as well. She is the latest in celebs who have come out of the closet, and gained acceptance for who she is with the public, and I commend her for that.

And I rarely frequent gay bars, or any bars for that matter, unless I am performing.

I'm not the straightest person in the world, but Adam Lambert makes me want to be. ;-)

Not a Lambert fan either.

Mamoosh said:
Times have changed...we've gained a lot of acceptance, especially as the older generations die out, and I feel that Pride events are antiquated. I stopped going. The meaning and message of these events & parades has changed. It used to be... Now it's...

I suspect to some degree that depends on where you are. I mean, what you describe is the way hetero folk act in So Cal in general. :) The thing is, you'd never have a pride parade in Travis' neighborhood in WV, where the "message" is in dire need of being passed along.

Jeff said:
I suspect to some degree that depends on where you are. I mean, what you describe is the way hetero folk act in So Cal in general. :) The thing is, you'd never have a pride parade in Travis' neighborhood in WV, where the "message" is in dire need of being passed along.

Seems like that's the major point of disconnect for things.

Here you have one group completely past it and another not even there yet. How is that message going to get through to those not there if those at the front aren't even sending that message anymore?

Those at the front get further ahead and those at the back get left further behind and the gap widens.

With that said, there's always going to be places that certain groups fit in better than others...and it's not limited to race, gender, sexual orientation or whatever line you use to divide people.

It just so happens that for homosexuals one of those places is the state of W.V. ;)

CoasterDemon said:
^Thanks for the direction - I found the video to be pretty homophobic though.

You know I though about this some more and I think it's just the opposite. It's taking the power away from that word.

Interestingly Louis C.K. has a new show on FX and on episode 2 the intro is a 7 minute scene that touches on a lot of stuff and finishes with a pretty serious tone about the history of that word and what it really means. To me, it's anything but homophobic.

Again, I don't want to link due to the adult nature of the clip. Just know that it's the "Louis CK Poker scene from episode 2 of LOUIE on FX every TUESDAY at 11pm"

I think that's a very honest (and humorous) look at how things are. (if you lack the patience, skip ahead to 4:58, but I think it's loses a lot of the context of the friendship and camaraderie of the guys that makes the scene work)

kpjb said:

There's nothing to be proud of. You are who you are

I disagree! Maybe "pride" is not be the best choice of words. But I see these events as an assertion that [even though most of society think gays should have no rights to marry, or they are going to hell], there is nothing wrong with loving someone of the same sex. Do you feel the same way about the Puerto Rican day parade, or the Million man march? Minority groups have these gatherings as a demonstration of solidarity. Sure, the message has been watered down by the antics and cruising. But it is what you make of it.

I didn't say I had a problem with the parades, marches, etc. I just don't feel that something you have no control over should be a matter of "pride." Whether that something is being gay, Italian, tall, black, or even a tall black gay Italian.

I just don't really see how you can take pride in something you have no control over. I can take pride in the fact that I built a nice retaining wall and it didn't fall over. I am not, however, proud that I am straight.

While we're on the subject, you know what else grinds my gears? Those shirts that say "I survived" some coaster. Well, unless riders died on said ride, then your shirt is stupid. I Survived a Chinese Motion Simulator is a legit shirt. I survived Loch Ness Monster... not so much.