F*ck Your Gender

The Gay Pride Parade and associated festivities are a special time here in San Francisco. The only similar situation I can imagine is perhaps Easter in Vatican City, or or maybe Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. While SF is known for having a large gay population, for one weekend a year it becomes gay ground zero: or man mecca: or something like that. I like to go and enjoy the festivities and show my support. And pick up some lube and other party favors.

I noticed this year that Pride Weekend has become increasingly corporate; or perhaps more accurately, there is now a larger corporate presence at the fair. I saw booths for Yahoo (see above), Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and many others. At first I was a little taken aback (is nothing sacred!!), but as a friend pointed out, this is actually a good sign. First, it shows that the gay community is being increasingly embraced, or at least sought after as potential consumers and clients. This should really be no surprise as I've seen several surveys that indicated that the average income of gays is generally higher than that of the equivalent heterosexual individual. Banks aren't really being purely altruistic here, surprise surprise.

Second, it's moving away from the stereotype that all this is only about (promiscuous) sex. Which, while there is an element of that, no more than would be expected at an event that is based on sexual orientation. It is definitely a place to meet people, but that's not the main focus or the whole point.

It was fun. You can see all of the pics on flickr, but here are some of my faves.

Personal favorite, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Don't forget to share your Altoids with the man meat next to you!

Longest 2.5 miles EVER!

These amazing samba dancers were apparently from the Department of Health. I might have to drop my health insurance and drop by. That one girl goes to my gym.

That is my old law school in the background. And on Sunday it became the right bank of Leather Alley. Awesome!

Favorite party favor. This was given to me by a man who poked me in the nipple with it. On the bottom is a public service announcement to get tested for syphilis. I felt a little weird being singled out for this. But he's smiling, so that's a good sign.