What the Hell is Going on With Pride?

When the news broke last month that Pride had been cancelled, Seattlest's heart wasn't broken.

Honestly, last year we didn't go to what all our friends swear was a blow-out party downtown and at the Seattle Center. We thought it was lame to take Pride away from its rightful owners on Broadway and parade our pansy asses through the downtown shopping district, as if all the tourists need to revel in our queerness with us. It's not that we didn't want visibility, we just wanted convenience. Let's face it--we live on Capitol Hill. It gets hot in late June. We don't want to huff it all the way to the parking-is-a-nightmare zone when Pride has always been right down the street.

So maybe we're part of the problem, and not the solution, because Pride got canceled this year. It seems the folks who throw the party ran out of beer money, or something. It's a little like cancelling Christmas because our mom couldn't afford presents, but not quite.

Except that Pride isn't cancelled this year, because, while walking down the street yesterday, we noticed a bunch of signs all over everywhere announcing a parade, a party, and a Queerfest. According to Seattle Out and Proud, the donations are pouring in. Sure, they can't afford to throw Pride on their own, but they can afford to send a few lucky donors on a cruise to Canada. What?

Who cares! Just go to the damn Web site and do your civic duty to save the gay-rade for those of us who feel the need to put on our thongs and leather and dance in a shower of glitter this summer. We've earned it. Besides, let's face it, we'll just throw a party on your neighbor's lawn if you don't let us have one in the middle of town.