the thing with pride is it brings out all the freaks and drunks. if I wanted to be shamed by an alcholic I'd call my mother.

I think steve radish needs to read this: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2008/06/watching-defectives.html It fits him perfectly!

JOE MY GOD I'M SO SCARED. I'm serious, my mother is an alcoholic lesbian freak and I'm sorry if things like dinner at seven and the heat on in the winter (not having the power turned on in my house because her girlfriend gave the money to her pimp ex-husband for weed) are things that I want. My whole life I just wanted something "normal" and to say that coke snorting drag queens with no money, a rented apartment and low self esteem are worth fighting for -- not thanks.

I'll drink to that!

drag queens should have the same rights as anyone, even if they are poor. NOT ALL OF US ARE ALCOHOLICS though and you should be careful about generalizing since you might be seen as someone elses freek even if you dress all in gap. remember that drag queens were the ones that started the gay revolution aka stonewall inn and if it werent for them your bandana republicanism would still be sitting its sad self down in some toilet trying to blow a teenager because you dont want to have sex with the obese wife that you had to marry becuase you would have gotten fired from your job for being gay aka a buttfucking "freek"

Steve Radish, what will you do when you make it to heaven only to discover it's a rented apartment and God is a coke snorting drag queen (who has no need of money, being God and all) who thinks all your attempts at being "normal" were in fact quite freakish? I mean, just because you come from a family of abusive users does not a single coke snorting, apartment renting, money free, drag queen a abusive user make.

Yet again, the media pics up on the freaks that don't show how most of us are. Can we just focus on one year of acting normal enough????????

Um, if god is a coke snorting drag queen then I'll go to hell with the normal folk. Your line of reasoning, dear Harmonie is flawed. I hardly think that "god" would be so self-indulgent as to snort cocaine and who the hell would god rent from anyway? All I'm saying is that these people don't represent me. What's the big deal? We spend the rest of the year telling people how normal we are and how we want to marry and deserve babies and drive Subarus, and then on the day they are actually paying attention, we dress in balloons and hot pants and pass out on their stoop from doing too much GHB. Again, flawless reasoning fellow homos. You've just erased all your gaines.

no one would come to your parade, steve. even the shriners know how to have more fun then you. let me guess: you have issues around getting fucked, too?

I think they are beautiful

For the record: We [heart] drag queens, and alcoholics. And yes, Pride weekend ought to be as much about remembering the fey boys and drag queens who threw the beer bottles that started the Stonewall Riots as it is about celebrating how far we've come toward being accepted. All the gays with their strollers and adopted Malawian babies should all give thanks to the drag queens. And if what it takes to get fully 'accepted' as 'normal' is shunning everything that makes gay life interesting, then fuck it. We'll take drag and porn any day.

Steve Radish, Congratulations on having the life you feel is what you want, that is something of which to be proud. That is what this is all about, nothing more or less. Now, until you meet and know everyone, you won't understand self esteem, high or low, especially in yourself. When soldiers came home from war, and had victory parades, they weren't celebrating the downside of war, but that for which they fought. These parades are exactly the same, and we honor them (US) all.

Jesus people, IT'S A PARADE! Do you think Irish people always wear giant green clover hats? Do you think Brazilians always have 10 yards of feathers coming out of their asses? And those folks in the parade aren't there to represent you, that's your job.

Steve, im with you.