Finding Belonging on the Sidelines of Pride
The annual conversations around Pride marches, both in New York City and across the country, often focus on who should — or shouldn’t — be included.
In past years these debates centered on floats about kink or participation by uniformed police officers; this year has seen pushback in San Francisco by pro-Palestinian groups over the presence of corporations with ties to Israel and protests in Houston over sponsorship by Chevron.
While these are crucial debates, they often mean that, paradoxically, what gets lost is a discussion of belonging in a broader sense.
Pride retains its importance precisely because it gives the L.G.B.T.Q. community an annual opportunity not only to march but to convene, celebrate and be affectionate in a society that, in many places, doesn’t encourage displays of queer communion.
