Why Participate in Pride Parades At All?

Details: Category: Cake Recipes; Published on Tuesday, 10 January 2012 22:59; Written by Lara Landis; Hits: 440

Pride parades existed long before people started identifying with Asexuality. Some Aces wonder why Asexuals participate in pride parades at all.

The parades, which do not occur in small towns, are often characterized by extreme and inappropriate displays. People sometimes walk down the street in fetish wear. The parades have gone beyond their Gay and Lesbian origins and included the kink community. The highly sexualized displays turn off many Asexuals.

This division occurs because of a division that exists within the Asexual community. Bloggers have remarked upon it many times before. Some people do not believe that the Asexual community should throw in with the LGBT grouping.

Even if the Lesbian and Gay organizations work mostly for the advancement of Lesbian and Gay individuals, there is still good reason for Asexuals to participate in the parades. It increases public awareness. The most important reason is that the parades spread visibility in the real world. People who have never heard of Asexuality will see the signs.

There are limits to this and there is a downside. AVEN and other groups are not religious in nature and do not want to be seen as carrying a religious message. Marching in these parades may cause some conflict with Evangelical Christians and Social Conservatives, although Asexuals have not been the subject of as much vitriol at the hands of Fred Phelps, Pat Robinson and Ted Haggard. They are more likely to be targets of vitriol from members of the LGBT community than targets of vitriol from Christian commuinities, but there are still religious people who believe that the purpose of life to procreate.

Participation in Pride parades gives people a chance to spread visibility and enhance uneasy alliances that exist between the two groups. It also helps people understand that there are some people who do not constantly seek partners for the oldest dance, although this does not apply to every Asexual.