A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
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Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#2Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#3Edit: why was this flagged? Public sexual displays are not alright no matter the context
Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#4Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#5Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#6Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#7I went to the pride parade in Seattle in ¿2012? and was disgusted by the public sexual acts that I saw. I don't know why some people weren't arrested for indecent exposure or other sex offenses. Why was this comment flagged in the other thread? Public sexual displays are not alright no matter the context
We should remember that expressions of variant sexuality are not only a form of individual expression, but also a public good. Many asexual people and families enjoy seeing leather in Pride. Leather contingents demystify the community, reduce social stigma, create opportunities to meet and talk with kinksters, and help people discover new desires. Public floggings can balance misconceptions that impact is “just about pain,” and illustrate the possibility for emotional connection. Public bondage can be an art installation. In my personal experience marching and performing scenes in public, people on the street are far more curious, supportive, and delighted to see pups in hoods and men in rope than the present discourse would have us believe.
Finally: as several of the accounts in this history demonstrate, one’s own feelings about sexual displays can change dramatically over time. What was frightening or disgusting one year can be freeing, erotic, or beautiful the next. This points to the possibility of Pride as more than a space where we impose the standard norms of an imagined unitary public. As a polyvocal celebration, Pride offers us the chance not only to express ourselves, but also to see others’ expressions of a broad range of queer identities. With a little patience we can rejoice in others’ kaleidoscopic queerness—and sometimes, if we’re lucky, discover new aspects of our selves.
The history of Pride is also extensively discussed and cited heavily. Scolds of your tone are at least as old as pride, and still about as tone-deaf as ever.
Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#8Do young people have such a warped view of consent now that wearing a leather harness in public is considered "unethically involving non-consenting bystanders in a BDSM scene"?? Ahh, the culture of "I am a greater victim than thou" hath no boundaries.
Re: A History of Leather at Pride: 1965-1995
#9I went to the pride parade in Seattle in ¿2012? and was disgusted by the public sexual acts that I saw. I don't know why some people weren't arrested for indecent exposure or other sex offenses. Why was this comment flagged in the other thread? Public sexual displays are not alright no matter the context
you could actually read the essay, for a start: We should remember that expressions of variant sexuality are not only a form of individual expression, but also a public good. Many asexual people and families enjoy seeing leather in Pride. Leather contingents demystify the community, reduce social stigma, create opportunities to meet and talk with kinksters, and help people discover new desires. Public floggings can b…