Gay Pride

Manchester Pride sucked!

The main events in the gay village only seem to cater for the 'mincing-queen' type of gay man, along with their fag-hags and a few assorted lesbians. We decided not to pay the £20 per head charge just to access the streets and see some mostly 3rd rate entertainment. Yes, I know it's for charity. Yes, I know I could have got it for £12.50 if I'd bought it months in advance. But really, why would I pay it - there is seemingly nothing for me there!

Legends was similarly disappointing. Friday night gave us the choice of 2 events taking up the whole of the club. The first was the dresscode and attitude night 'Alert'; the second was the rock-and-pop-not handbag-and-house night 'Bollox'. We settled for Bollox, since previous trips to Alert reminded me of a BNP meeting.

I really want to like Bollox. I like the change in music style. I really like the guys who organise it. But I don't like the event, because it's gone from a gay event to a gay-friendly one, and attracts a crowd which seems to be 50% straight women, 10% lesbians and then some gay men to make up the numbers. I don't want to knock it, it's hugely successful in the market it's aiming at. It's just not for me.

Saturday was a more general club night at Legends, but it seems most of our friends went to another event elsewhere, which meant that although the club was packed, with few folks we knew to talk to, it was quite boring.

I've never really got what there is to be proud of about being gay anyway. It's like being proud of having brown hair, or size nine feet. I feel the same way about nationality... why be proud of things that are simply accidents of birth? Be proud of things you have achieved, not things you have no control over. (By the way, I know that 'pride' here is being used as the opposite of 'shame', and that it's not so much being proud as not ashamed. Just wish there was a better word!)

I think I had the right idea a couple of years ago when I booked a holiday so that we'd be away for pride weekend!