As a leatherman, I am not surprised at the recent kerfuffle over kink at Pride. The “A Gays” and others have long tried to make Pride a heteronormative-friendly event at the expense of the many subcultures that make our queer community what it is — queer!
I remember these same arguments from the early days of the parades, before the Tavern Guild took it over. I remember how the question of how we wanted to represent ourselves to the community as a whole always caused rancor.
Leather, guys and gals in revealing outfits, drag queens — we were all once considered a “problem” for Pride, at least here in Dallas.
Luckily, those heated discussions never kept the parade from being a celebration of our sexuality and our cultures. At least, they