Does gay pride parades help with teen gay problems?

1. 59

   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   Does gay pride parades help with teen gay problems?
   
   suicide among gay teens is high, does the gay pride parades help as the organizers claim they do?

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2. 88

   Maren Morgan M-Tposted 12 years ago

   I sure hope so.  I am sick of reading about gay or questioning teens being pushed down their high school stairwells.  If parades = raised consciousness = a smidge more respect, then the parades are valuable.  (I know there are a lot of "ifs" in my statement.)

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3. 74

   Kate Spenserposted 12 years ago

   I think they do, or at least they can - they are a way of showing gay teens that there are people like them, who are leading happy, full lives, who are proud of who they are and are a part of a vibrant, loving community. Especially for teens who feel isolated or ostracized at school or at home, this can be a really powerful message!

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4. 78

   junksellerposted 12 years ago

   I hate to say it but gay pride parades seem to contain a lot of weirdness and copious amounts of flesh. I don't have any problem with that, but I don't really see how that helps a teenage kid who is gay and wants to just be an ordinary kid, rather than a half-naked peacock.
   
   I'm not against them either way and I hope it does help, I'm just not sure that it does. If it does help I would expect it is by giving gay people a sense of inclusion, though, I doubt they do much to change the minds of those who are already anti-gay.

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5. 70

   rob_allenposted 12 years ago

   I dont think so. I guess counseling and one on one talk would be better for teens to understand and know who they really are.

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6. 61

   6hotfingers3posted 12 years ago

   I think the gay pride parades do help all people open minded enough to stop and listen to the message that they are trying to deliver. A teen whose trying to figure out his/her sexual orientation may be validated by the decision they make about their life style. The parade may contain an element that speaks to the teen. Then the gay pride parade may send a message to another teen that this is not the life style for you. And another teen may decide, my thoughts of being gay were only that, gay. So I think the gay pride parade has value if an individual is not forced into accepting the messages they receive regarding their decision to participate in or not participate in same sex relationships.

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7. 59

   neseritaposted 10 years ago

   Whether or not they do, they're a good start. Before the Stonewall riots, gays remained hidden, many were ashamed, and hundreds did the "right thing" and married someone of the opposite gender. A teenager coming into the realization that they were gay, had no role models. Today's gay teens have more positive role models as more traditional "heroes" are bravely making their orientation known. Attending pride events where they see happy, well-adjusted gay and lesbians couple will help them to see that their attraction to the same gender is a normal variation of God's grand design. (P.S. My partner and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary in November.)

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8. 59

   alymeyersposted 10 years ago

   Well, I never had any kind of problem...I always go when i can.

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