The word gay, according to Dictionary.com, means having or showing a merry, lively mood; bright or showy; or given to or abounding in social or other pleasures.
It is no coincidence that the word ‘gay,’ until the early 20th century, meant only the above-mentioned definitions and was co-opted by the homosexual movement. The 2009 Pride Festival and Parade, held Saturday June 27, reflect the duality and flexibility of the term.
The day’s events were divided into a street festival during the day and the famed parade at night. The street festival featured hundreds of vendors, live music and dancing and information about the history of the gay pride movement in Houston and around the nation.
The festival centered itself at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Montrose Boulevard and ranged far in either direction as people arrived early to stake out good seats for the later parade.
On the main stage, a variety of pro-gay musicians and bands performed. ‘Houston Pride Idol,’ a six-week karaoke competition styled after American Idol and culminating on the main stage, garnered much enthusiasm and cheering from the crowd. Nowhere in Houston is one more likely to find such an excited audience. Perhaps because nowhere in Houston is one more likely to find a grown man belting out ‘I’m Every Woman’ with more sensuality and passion than Chaka Khan.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could be opposed to such carefree exuberance, but several agitated-looking street preachers on various corners railed anyone walking by. Even someone in a full-body rabbit costume gets an earful about sodomy and divine wrath.
In a crowd consisting of 6-foot tall men in makeup and red, sequined dresses, muscular young men in tuxedo thongs and other visible and ostentatious partiers, it is touching to see the quiet, same-sex couples who walk unobtrusively among the kiosks, with hand-holding and warm, loving glances met with smiles and waves, rather than scorn or derision.
The energy increases drastically after sunset as the start of the parade grows closer. The crowds, previously spread out across five or six city blocks, condense into a compact, lively mass along Westheimer Boulevard.
The myriad of floats are preceded by the Female and Male Grand Marshals, the former prominent Human Rights Campaign and Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender activist Fiona Dawson, and the latter James Knapp, artistic and managing director of the Bayou City Performing Arts.
With more than 100,000 visitors and volunteers over the course of the day, extolling the virtues of tolerance, pride and joy, the 2009 Pride Parade and Festival successfully marked not only a fun bash, but also the progress that has been made toward understanding and coexistence.
