The largest Gay Pride celebration around the world is now underway in San Francisco. Alex and I are going to spend the weekend in the city taking in as much as we can of the celebration this year. Of course, our first dilemma this morning is deciding what to wear to the city for the weekend.

One week ago, it reached the high 90’s in the city and today the temps will range from 54 to 69. As I look out the window this morning from home, it is cloudy, or is that just more smoke? There have been over 800 fires burning in the state of California over the past couple of weeks, many burning out of control as we have a lack of resources to put them out. Can anyone say “Armageddon”? Well, lets not go there boys and girls!

It has been so smoky in the Bay Area over the last week that one can only see a few miles away. I have got myself a very nasty cough and no other cold symptoms. It’s just a wait and see situation as to whether it is a cold or troubles due to the smoke. Oh, I digress! The question at hand is what are a couple of gay boys going to wear to the Gay Pride celebrations in the city this weekend?

Actually, I wish trying to decide what to wear was the most important question for the weekend, but somehow I just don’t think that it is. Am I about to get myself in trouble here with my Gay brethren? Probably. I think the question that I need to ask myself this morning is what is the meaning and purpose of the Gay Pride celebration and parade this weekend?

I think a little history is in order first. Here is a direct quote from the San Francisco Pride organization on the history of the parade…

The annual Pride Celebration commemorates the rebellion of LGBT patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village in response to a routine police raid on June 27, 1969. The following year, a “Gay-In” that took place on June 27, 1970 that was the early progenitor of the current Pride Celebration. Since 1972, the event has been held every year, though under various names: “Christopher Street West” in 1972, “Gay Freedom Day” from 1973 to 1980, then “International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade” from 1981 to 1994, and finally, its present appellation, San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration.

Since its modest beginnings, San Francisco Pride has ballooned into one of the largest and most well-known Pride events in the world. Pride events everywhere have come to symbolize several things: the long history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer resistance to the gender and sex binaries and the hegemony of heterosexist institutions, the freedom of all people to meaningfully and proudly express their sexual and gender identities, and the commitment of LGBT people to combating oppression. From this history of rebellion grew the mission of San Francisco LGBT Pride: to educate the World, celebrate our culture, commemorate our heritage, and liberate our people.

There has been talk lately, well probably every year the parade has been held actually, about whether or not the parade and celebration has lost its way. Is there any political relevance to the event at this time in our history? Is the pride celebration putting forth the message and image that is needed to further the acceptance of the GLBT communities by the mainstream? Has the sexual behavior and lewdness become too much? Is it just a parade of commercialism with big money contributed by the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Wells Fargo, Google, Virgin America, and others? Is it a platform for any nut-bag to walk down Market Street with a cause that has nothing to do with the current issues of the GLBT community?

Step back from your direct involvement in all of this for a moment and think about what is being rightly or wrongly portrayed to the rest of the world by this celebration this weekend. Does some of what goes on here embarrass you just a bit? I’m going to be very honest here as I always am, yes some of it is embarrassing to me. There are going to be times this weekend that I’m going to cringe, close my eyes and say to myself oh that wasn’t really necessary now was it? But, I’m not going to let all that stop me from my Gay holiday in the city this weekend.

Gay marriage, at least for now, is legal in California. Friday was the busiest day so far for Gay marriages at the San Francisco city hall. The attendance at the celebration this weekend will be greater than years past with many in the GLBT community coming together from around the country and world to celebrate our freedom to marry. This is certainly one reason for us to get together and celebrate this weekend.

I also think that the celebration has just turned into one big commercial event. I think this is what the event represents to many of us. It is the American way. I guess I’m not complaining that much, I am going to partake myself. Let me assure all of you though, I will not be striping down to my underwear and dancing like a little girl on any float, nor will I be marching up Market Street carrying a sign depicting the plight of males across the world that are being circumcised each year.

What I will be doing is celebrating our victory on Gay marriage in the state of California and I will simply be a participant in the largest Gay party the world has ever seen. We will spend money on a hotel room, eat at restaurants, shop at Macy’s, turn our heads at every cute guy that walks by, drink many Bud-lights, eat some crappy event food, take pictures of the religious zealots and their signs condemning our sinful homosexual ways, get sun-burned, buy sun screen lotion, party, party and party!

So lets go party! Oh, wait, that’s right, I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to wear this weekend! I can’t find the pair of Ralph Lauren Polo cargo pants that I wanted to wear. Damn it! I think I left them in the motorhome the last time that Daniel and I were at the ranch. Well, its going to be a few hours before I’m ready to go…got to make myself look all pretty…oh I mean homo masculine!

Dean