Sally, thank you SO much for saying this. A huge honour coming from you as I know you're an avid reader (and very honest, as well). THANK YOU! Lots of hugs
Both albums (Faith by GM and I Got Dem All Kozmic Blues Again Mama by JJ) are unmissable. I keep revisiting them because there's always so much depth (and talent) in both. Enjoy! And safe travels!
I'd be curious to know more (obvoiusly don't answer if it's not something you want to go into) about your comment about most corporate CEOs being straight. Are you suggesting you'd rather non-queer people didn't celebrate or acknowledge Pride Month?
Thanks for asking this. In another comment below I also explained what I meant by this because I now realise it probably didn’t come across as intended.
I have absolutely no problem with non-queer people acknowledging, or celebrating, or doing stuff for Pride. I’ve never felt like I truly belonged in this whole Pride thing, always felt like an outsider looking in, so that doesn’t really bother me.
What bothers me is when non-queer people tell me that I should feel proud. That I should embrace my homosexuality or whatever it is they say about what I should be doing and how I should be feeling. That’s what bothers me, because they have no idea what it is like to come out, what it is like to stand up and say “yes, I’m gay” (especially in a macho culture like the one I grew up in).
Not saying they don’t have other struggles and there are tons of straight people who have it a lot tougher than gay people and vice versa. But they don’t know about that particular struggle, so they shouldn’t tell me how to feel about it. Of course it’s my own subjective view, and everyone is entitled to disagree or view things differently. Many of them don’t mean badly. But I find it a bit silly and reductive when someone who hasn’t been through a process tells you how you should feel about that process yourself 🤣
No worries at all! I now think I should have made it clearer in the text, but at least it invites people to think, ask, comment and debate, and that’s never a bad thing 😊
Great post, Andres. Thank you for your honest words.
As the father of a trans daughter who I see, love, and value very much and an educator and ally of many LGBTQIA2S+ students, I would like to highlight the trans community who are currently fighting one of the biggest battles and suffering some of the most horrific crimes, violence, and anti-trans bills - all in the effort to erase and dehumanize them.
In the powerful words of Fannie Lou Hamer - "Nobody's free until EVERYBODY is free." ✊🏼🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Thank you, Michael! Hope your travels are going well.
Indeed the trans community is a community of fighters, and the defence of their rights is urgent, especially in countries or territories where they are not even allowed to exist. My candle shines brightly for them too and for anyone who struggles (for external or internal reasons, or both) to feel proud.
Beautifully said, Andy! From my perspective Pride has been co-opted & commoditized by a lot of companies chasing LGBT money. Maybe I'm just too cynical anymore. I dunno...
Hey, Andy, I think this is a really well written piece. A lot of what you say makes sense and I agree with, however, some, well, it doesn’t make so much sense, and it’s hard for me to agree with… and maybe, I should just quit whilst I’m ahead, and say nothing… however, hopefully, by now, you know me better than that.
I’m a straight white male (always been male), so first question — am I allowed to have an opinion about ‘Pride’, and is my opinion even valid?
I’m 61. I grew up from an early age (like 11 or 12) with close friends who were obviously gay, some bravely out as teenagers (do the math and the dates speak for themselves). I witnessed the whole Stonewall phenomena, the start of that organisation, the beginning of Pride festivals, I’ve been to them on 3 continents, worked at them, attended with friends, with pride… and I’ll tell you one thing for free, the founders of Pride and what they stood for back then in the 80s and 90s and 00s, well they did not intend Pride to be what it is today… it's been co-opted, hijacked, and has become a ruthless political activist movement. And, I agree with you, I really v much doubt that either of the two megastars you mention in your article would want to be associated with what Pride now stands for... however, I think they would both have agreed with Pride's original ethos (which seemed to be firmly grounded in love and inclusivity, not politics, hate and division).
I already mentioned that I’m a straight white male. Why does this even matter? Why do I bring it up? Because contrary to the current narrative many people from my generation (and generations before and after) never differentiated or discriminated against people based upon their colour, gender, or sexual preference… we didn’t care, live and let live, and to be honest we were too busy living our lives to spend too much time worrying about what other people did in their private lives…
So when I see you, a very intelligent young person, write something like ‘corporations mainly run by straight people’ well WTF. Where’s the proof of that? And, if for sake of argument it is statistically accurate, where is the link between being straight and how corporations behave? What’s wrong with being straight?!? You wanna bash globalist trans-human corporations, go for it, I’m with you, but leave us straight people out of this false narrative, please!
Hi Nick. This is a great comment, and thank you for taking the time to share your views. I agree with most (if not all) of what you say. But let me explain my reasoning, or my point of view, at least:
As far as I am concerned, you (or anyone for that matter) is allowed to have an opinion on the Pride movement. Not sure if other LGBT+ peeps would agree, but I'd rather hear your views (with your experience, which you know I deeply respect) and your open-mindedness than to hear the bigoted views of some activists in their teens or early twenties who haven't seen enough of this world and yet feel the need to indoctrinate every single person they come across.
Which brings me to my second point: I wholeheartedly agree with you that the whole Pride movement has been co-opted or hijacked, and that's partly what I meant when I talked about the bastardisation of it. It's become banal and superficial, at best, and a platform for political indoctrination, at worst. Not a very popular opinion, I know, but that's the way I see it. That's why I don't partake, never been to any Pride celebration, because I'm too young (or rather, not old enough) to have been able to participate in the "real thing".
The two artists I have chosen (aside from being two of my absolute favourites) had a complex and conflicted relationship with their own sexuality (in their heads and in their bedrooms). This wasn't a coincidence. In my life, I've been with men, then girls, then men again, then girls again, then men again, now married to a man, but always been open enough to appreciate (and feel) that sexuality is a complex continuum, which differs from person to person. So all this to say that this was, in a way, my reaction to the mainstream Pride messaging of today: it's not always black and white. Yes, the colours of the rainbow are supposed to symbol something inclusive, but if you think about it, it's still clear cut colours. Neatly defined. Like the letters. Each one of them representing something different. And human nature (of which sexuality is a huge part) cannot always be so easily categorised. The world is a lot more complex than these categories, and our minds and sexual lives are allowed (or should be allowed) to be complex and have contradictions and not always fit into cookie cutter pieces.
I have absolutely no problem with straight people leading corporations or talking about Pride. It sounds redundant at this point but most of my friends are straight males (just the way certain things are, I've never questioned it, they've never questioned it, and they're probably the closest friends I have). What I DO mind is when these CEOs appear on TV or send marketing emails talking about how gay people should feel about their own sexuality. And that's where I go hang on a minute mate. I don't tell you how to feel about your wife, or your life, or whatever you get up to, so why are you telling me how proud I should feel? THAT's my only criticism when I said what I said (and apologies if it didn't come across as intended).
It's quite clear that many of these corporations are just ticking boxes or jumping on the diversity bandwagon to boost their credentials and perform their virtue-signalling act. Which is one thing. Some call them "allies", whatever. It's not about that. The point I was trying to make is that these feelings of "pride" are very personal and only someone who has experienced in the flesh the whole coming out as gay/lesbian/bi/trans will truly know that it's not always easy to feel proud, that shame is real and exists, and we (meaning the gays) can dress as unicorns and parade with gigantic rainbow flags but that doesn't mean that being gay in this world is easy, or that it never makes you question things.
So this is a very long winded way of my trying to explain that the spirit of this post is not too dissimilar to the things you are pointing out. I wanted to call a little bit of BS on this whole "let's all feel proud" thing.
I could go on (for example, is "pride" something we should aspire to in a society? is it a "good" or desirable characteristic? more so than generosity, or tolerance, or acceptance, etc.) but we can leave that discussion for another day ;)
Thanks again for your very interesting insight. You're always welcome here.
Well said! Personally, and this is something I have thought for very many years, 'Pride' was, well, not such a well chosen focus for the original Pride festivals. To me, and too many others, the events seemed to be more about being at ease with yourself, being relaxed about who you are... and believe me (and ask for confirmation from your close straight male friends about this) being straight is no walk in the park, life is challenging, for everyone... Great article, Andy, thought provoking as you can see! Can't ask for more than that. Well done.
Thank you! And yes, I agree. You raise very good points both about what the essence should be, and also about the challenges of being a straight male, which are so easily (and regularly) overlooked, ignored or diminished (talk about social pressure to perform or be in a certain way, for starters).
Thanks again for this. It’s refreshing to have these conversations.
Thank you, Brad! Both songs, and the entire albums each of them were part of are amongst the most foundational of my life (outside of the MC canon). Knowing you, aside from the two tracks I talk about here, you should check out "One More Try" by GM (also from Faith) and "Work me Lord" by JJ (also from the Kozmic Blues album). Hope you dig!
Absolutely love your writing, thank you for sharing this
Sally, thank you SO much for saying this. A huge honour coming from you as I know you're an avid reader (and very honest, as well). THANK YOU! Lots of hugs
Currently downloading all these songs as I'm boarding my flight. Thank you so much for showing them to me in a new light!
Both albums (Faith by GM and I Got Dem All Kozmic Blues Again Mama by JJ) are unmissable. I keep revisiting them because there's always so much depth (and talent) in both. Enjoy! And safe travels!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Pride month and the corporate, capitalist machinations behind a good
part of it.
I’m gonna play George Michael and Wham all day today from the river where I’ll be floating on a swan-shaped raft!
Thank you, Steve! Enjoy! Wake me up before you go-go rafting! 😎
Restacked. This is beautiful.
Thank you! Much, much, much appreciated.
I'd be curious to know more (obvoiusly don't answer if it's not something you want to go into) about your comment about most corporate CEOs being straight. Are you suggesting you'd rather non-queer people didn't celebrate or acknowledge Pride Month?
Thanks for asking this. In another comment below I also explained what I meant by this because I now realise it probably didn’t come across as intended.
I have absolutely no problem with non-queer people acknowledging, or celebrating, or doing stuff for Pride. I’ve never felt like I truly belonged in this whole Pride thing, always felt like an outsider looking in, so that doesn’t really bother me.
What bothers me is when non-queer people tell me that I should feel proud. That I should embrace my homosexuality or whatever it is they say about what I should be doing and how I should be feeling. That’s what bothers me, because they have no idea what it is like to come out, what it is like to stand up and say “yes, I’m gay” (especially in a macho culture like the one I grew up in).
Not saying they don’t have other struggles and there are tons of straight people who have it a lot tougher than gay people and vice versa. But they don’t know about that particular struggle, so they shouldn’t tell me how to feel about it. Of course it’s my own subjective view, and everyone is entitled to disagree or view things differently. Many of them don’t mean badly. But I find it a bit silly and reductive when someone who hasn’t been through a process tells you how you should feel about that process yourself 🤣
That makes sense, and thank you for explaining it again for those of us who forgot to check to see if you'd already answered in another thread (oops!)
No worries at all! I now think I should have made it clearer in the text, but at least it invites people to think, ask, comment and debate, and that’s never a bad thing 😊
I know all too well that the hardest things to find words for are the things that mean the most to us.
Good morning from Arequipa, Peru.
Great post, Andres. Thank you for your honest words.
As the father of a trans daughter who I see, love, and value very much and an educator and ally of many LGBTQIA2S+ students, I would like to highlight the trans community who are currently fighting one of the biggest battles and suffering some of the most horrific crimes, violence, and anti-trans bills - all in the effort to erase and dehumanize them.
In the powerful words of Fannie Lou Hamer - "Nobody's free until EVERYBODY is free." ✊🏼🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Thank you, Michael! Hope your travels are going well.
Indeed the trans community is a community of fighters, and the defence of their rights is urgent, especially in countries or territories where they are not even allowed to exist. My candle shines brightly for them too and for anyone who struggles (for external or internal reasons, or both) to feel proud.
❤️
A great as always and a personally touching read. This is great and I made sure to blast George Michael today. Pride is every day!
Thank you, Kadrian! Really appreciate your kind words. I still can’t get over George’s death. But his music will live forever 💪🏻
Beautifully said, Andy! From my perspective Pride has been co-opted & commoditized by a lot of companies chasing LGBT money. Maybe I'm just too cynical anymore. I dunno...
Thank you! 100%. In some cases it’s so painfully obvious that they don’t even try to make it look genuine 😂
This is so well written and structured, brilliant piece.
Thank you, Jon, for your great feedback! Really glad you enjoyed.
There's a lot of soul to this article Andres. It really comes across. Thank you for writing.
Thank you, Benjamin! I really appreciate your kind words. Thanks for reading 😊
Hey, Andy, I think this is a really well written piece. A lot of what you say makes sense and I agree with, however, some, well, it doesn’t make so much sense, and it’s hard for me to agree with… and maybe, I should just quit whilst I’m ahead, and say nothing… however, hopefully, by now, you know me better than that.
I’m a straight white male (always been male), so first question — am I allowed to have an opinion about ‘Pride’, and is my opinion even valid?
I’m 61. I grew up from an early age (like 11 or 12) with close friends who were obviously gay, some bravely out as teenagers (do the math and the dates speak for themselves). I witnessed the whole Stonewall phenomena, the start of that organisation, the beginning of Pride festivals, I’ve been to them on 3 continents, worked at them, attended with friends, with pride… and I’ll tell you one thing for free, the founders of Pride and what they stood for back then in the 80s and 90s and 00s, well they did not intend Pride to be what it is today… it's been co-opted, hijacked, and has become a ruthless political activist movement. And, I agree with you, I really v much doubt that either of the two megastars you mention in your article would want to be associated with what Pride now stands for... however, I think they would both have agreed with Pride's original ethos (which seemed to be firmly grounded in love and inclusivity, not politics, hate and division).
I already mentioned that I’m a straight white male. Why does this even matter? Why do I bring it up? Because contrary to the current narrative many people from my generation (and generations before and after) never differentiated or discriminated against people based upon their colour, gender, or sexual preference… we didn’t care, live and let live, and to be honest we were too busy living our lives to spend too much time worrying about what other people did in their private lives…
So when I see you, a very intelligent young person, write something like ‘corporations mainly run by straight people’ well WTF. Where’s the proof of that? And, if for sake of argument it is statistically accurate, where is the link between being straight and how corporations behave? What’s wrong with being straight?!? You wanna bash globalist trans-human corporations, go for it, I’m with you, but leave us straight people out of this false narrative, please!
Hi Nick. This is a great comment, and thank you for taking the time to share your views. I agree with most (if not all) of what you say. But let me explain my reasoning, or my point of view, at least:
As far as I am concerned, you (or anyone for that matter) is allowed to have an opinion on the Pride movement. Not sure if other LGBT+ peeps would agree, but I'd rather hear your views (with your experience, which you know I deeply respect) and your open-mindedness than to hear the bigoted views of some activists in their teens or early twenties who haven't seen enough of this world and yet feel the need to indoctrinate every single person they come across.
Which brings me to my second point: I wholeheartedly agree with you that the whole Pride movement has been co-opted or hijacked, and that's partly what I meant when I talked about the bastardisation of it. It's become banal and superficial, at best, and a platform for political indoctrination, at worst. Not a very popular opinion, I know, but that's the way I see it. That's why I don't partake, never been to any Pride celebration, because I'm too young (or rather, not old enough) to have been able to participate in the "real thing".
The two artists I have chosen (aside from being two of my absolute favourites) had a complex and conflicted relationship with their own sexuality (in their heads and in their bedrooms). This wasn't a coincidence. In my life, I've been with men, then girls, then men again, then girls again, then men again, now married to a man, but always been open enough to appreciate (and feel) that sexuality is a complex continuum, which differs from person to person. So all this to say that this was, in a way, my reaction to the mainstream Pride messaging of today: it's not always black and white. Yes, the colours of the rainbow are supposed to symbol something inclusive, but if you think about it, it's still clear cut colours. Neatly defined. Like the letters. Each one of them representing something different. And human nature (of which sexuality is a huge part) cannot always be so easily categorised. The world is a lot more complex than these categories, and our minds and sexual lives are allowed (or should be allowed) to be complex and have contradictions and not always fit into cookie cutter pieces.
I have absolutely no problem with straight people leading corporations or talking about Pride. It sounds redundant at this point but most of my friends are straight males (just the way certain things are, I've never questioned it, they've never questioned it, and they're probably the closest friends I have). What I DO mind is when these CEOs appear on TV or send marketing emails talking about how gay people should feel about their own sexuality. And that's where I go hang on a minute mate. I don't tell you how to feel about your wife, or your life, or whatever you get up to, so why are you telling me how proud I should feel? THAT's my only criticism when I said what I said (and apologies if it didn't come across as intended).
It's quite clear that many of these corporations are just ticking boxes or jumping on the diversity bandwagon to boost their credentials and perform their virtue-signalling act. Which is one thing. Some call them "allies", whatever. It's not about that. The point I was trying to make is that these feelings of "pride" are very personal and only someone who has experienced in the flesh the whole coming out as gay/lesbian/bi/trans will truly know that it's not always easy to feel proud, that shame is real and exists, and we (meaning the gays) can dress as unicorns and parade with gigantic rainbow flags but that doesn't mean that being gay in this world is easy, or that it never makes you question things.
So this is a very long winded way of my trying to explain that the spirit of this post is not too dissimilar to the things you are pointing out. I wanted to call a little bit of BS on this whole "let's all feel proud" thing.
I could go on (for example, is "pride" something we should aspire to in a society? is it a "good" or desirable characteristic? more so than generosity, or tolerance, or acceptance, etc.) but we can leave that discussion for another day ;)
Thanks again for your very interesting insight. You're always welcome here.
Well said! Personally, and this is something I have thought for very many years, 'Pride' was, well, not such a well chosen focus for the original Pride festivals. To me, and too many others, the events seemed to be more about being at ease with yourself, being relaxed about who you are... and believe me (and ask for confirmation from your close straight male friends about this) being straight is no walk in the park, life is challenging, for everyone... Great article, Andy, thought provoking as you can see! Can't ask for more than that. Well done.
Thank you! And yes, I agree. You raise very good points both about what the essence should be, and also about the challenges of being a straight male, which are so easily (and regularly) overlooked, ignored or diminished (talk about social pressure to perform or be in a certain way, for starters).
Thanks again for this. It’s refreshing to have these conversations.
All beautifully said, Andy. Thanks. I'll listen to those songs with a "new ear"!
Thank you, Brad! Both songs, and the entire albums each of them were part of are amongst the most foundational of my life (outside of the MC canon). Knowing you, aside from the two tracks I talk about here, you should check out "One More Try" by GM (also from Faith) and "Work me Lord" by JJ (also from the Kozmic Blues album). Hope you dig!
"noughties", me muero 😂
😉