Christopher street day is a celebration towards equal rights. The name of the political festivity is adopted from a street in New York City back in the 60s, to be exact on June 28th, 1969 in Greenwich Village, when the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community took a stand and would no longer stay silent while the police assaulted them for who they are. The riot is also known as The Stonewall Riots.
Christopher Street Day is now the annual European LGBT celebration, although Germany is the only country using CSD as the official name, where other countries use either Pride Parade or Gay Pride, except for Switzerland, where the celebration is called Rainbow Pride.
Gay man celebrated his official CSD a couple of weeks ago in Berlin. Gay man has been a bit reluctant to celebrate gay pride, after seeing in person his first pride parade in Hamburg a couple years back. Not certain of what dressing up one day in a year could accomplished politically. Gay man just couldn't wrap his head around, why on earth should the He (Heterosexual) community accept, tolerate or even respect a community that given the opportunity, runs around and parades in a city center half naked (some even only covering essential parts)?
Gay man's first official gay pride in Berlin has tought him otherwise. There are still a lot gay man and his peers in the community have to achieve as to equal rights in every aspect of their lives, such as in the workspace, law and marriage.
One thing gay man is disappointed about the whole celebration, is the fact that a lot of the gay men, parading for tolerance and acceptance, are giving the wrong picture to the He community.
The celebration for equal rights and tolerance is nowadays, for a lot of gay men, a weekend to party, like any other weekend. Even during the parade, they started to party. Alcohol was flowing like water. Sex was to be seen, heard or even smelled in darker corners (i.e. in the park). The worst part, as soon as the parade starts, drugs were consumed almost everywhere.
Gay man hates to deliver the wrong message to others, that being gay is all about being young, party hard, have non-stop sex and consuming drugs until your body's no longer able to take it anymore.
Once, gay man's ancestor had to fight for equal rights, now where the society is almost there, as to giving us those rights, a lot of gay men, who are mostly very much in the scene, are fulfilling cliches and stereotypes.
This group in the community is not a reflection of who the community really is. This is just a glimpse of the community, who manages to create cliche and stereotype for the community. Gay man has nothing against this fraction of the community, but gay man only wishes that upon this day, that this fraction would be more aware of the political issues this celebration has, and be more responsible as all eyes are on the parade during the celebration. Is it that hard to behave for one day, when all eyes are on you, while doing the stuff you love the rest of the days in the year?
Gay man thinks not.
