Quote:
Originally Posted by
Splinemodel 
Pretty much. But I have to say that the over-the-top gay pride parades and the generally high level of special-interest lobbying by the gay community does piss me off. I really don't care if you're gay. I really don't care if you want to be married. Why do you need to make such a big deal about something that's not worth celebrating?
I can see why some people might be "pissed-off" in-your-face parades. The questions are: 1) Why do you care? and 2) What motivation do people have to participate in these parades?
To answer the first question, I will first ask two others: Are celebrants who wave Italian flags at a Columbus Day parade "in your face?" Is being Italian something "worth celebrating?" (for the sake of this discussion, I am assuming you are not Italian. If you are, you could easily substitute Irish or Puerto Rican celebrations that happen similarly...)
Chances are, you have hardly noticed these parades. It seems that it is ok for someone to celebrate being "other" as long as you don't have a problem with their otherness. Therefore, the problem may not be with the "in your face" parades but with a double standard. The media plays to our double standard so a gay pride parade in San Francisco is noticed by many, but a Columbus day parade in New York barely registers.
In my opinion, the second question is partially answered by the first. I can't speak for the people in the over-the-top parades, but my impression is that they feel that much of the country would be happier if they just didn't know gay people existed. "I've got nothing against gay people as long as they don't annoy me..." The problem is that they do exist and they are discriminated against. If the whole country can ignore them, then logically would also be ignoring the suffering that gay people endure continually.
With that being said, surely you recognize that the VAST majority of gay people do not attend these rallies or publicly upset anyone's sensibilities on a regular basis. But many of them believe that their chances of ever having legal standing of marriage would be zero if there weren't people out there raising awareness.