Pride Parade and Trans March

I was surprised at how little sexuality was apparent at the Pride Parade. While there were some great outfits from drag to nearly nude, there was a lot less than I assumed there would be. Pride was very refreshing in terms of gender and sexual representation. The event included all denominations and expressions of gender and sexuality, which made a diverse amalgamation of people.

What surprised me about the parade was the lack of sexuality apparent in the appearance of the people. The parade was very modest and many kids were included in the crowd. The level of sexuality was there and was obviously present through the shared homosexuality of the group, but while there was no lack of sexual expression in gay couples and expression of pride, the sexuality was no where near the level of sexuality that I felt in the more heterosexual area of the city like Central Park on a hot day.

After the parade the sexuality came out a little more, Ginger’s bar was body to body of only women and the mating ritual became more obvious once the sun set. There was the odd person or two dressed scantily, one famous woman walking around topless despite the cops on each corner, but the attitudes and expressions were still no where near as sexual as a typical heterosexual club. Ginger’s is a lesbian bar, so the male representatives were at another location, a separation based on sexual preference rather than segregation.

Similarly the Transmarch held a wide variety of gender and sexual representation. The individuals were of all gender expressions you could imagine but the sexuality was held at bay by a group of people looking for their human rights rather than sexual freedom. Their occupation of space asserted the amount of people looking for equality in gender dissonances and their sexually neutral presence didn’t make the authorities any more comfortable with the situation. While the Pride parade was directed and tolerated nicely by the authorities, it is hard to feel safe under police protection during the Trans rally while they were rolling their eyes and avoiding our gaze as they direct the march. A lot of them visibly disagreed with the transgender presence and were there merely because they were assigned to be. The animosity was reflected back at the authorities in the participants during the speeches, pointing out obvious police prejudices in cases of crime and violence towards trans identities. The rift was obvious and presented a strange tension between heteronormative authority and trans identity.

The message at the Transmarch was much more political than the message and mood of the Pride Parade. The parade was about exposure and pride of culture which has become accepted, shown in the hetero representation in the crowd. The Transmarch however focussed on the fact that gay marriage is a privileged right compared to proper police protection and access to shelter and medical care that many transidentities do not have. Gender continues to be an area that is not understood or accepted by the heteronormative public as sexuality has and this results in experiences of prejudice that strip them of their human rights.