Some are saying this promo for Pride Toronto and Tourism Toronto reinforces stereotypes — the gymed-out queen, the muscle bear, the penis-phobic lesbian — and asking if we should instead be focusing on activism. I’m torn. On the one hand, yes, these stereotypes suck. On the other, it’s just a bit of silly. Errr, what do you think?
(via Joe.My.God.)
I can handle reinforcing stereotypes if the subject matter is funny. But this has failed on all levels. I’m so tired of lazy gays and lesbians wanting to turn every activity into happy social time/speed dating. In case people haven’t noticed, we’ve got kids taking their own lives. I’m sorry, but if we band together in one giant festival once a year, that issue takes priority over finding your next hookup. We all know you’ll be at the bar later that night for that reason anyway, as usual.
Why is the pride calendar of events not up yet?
Seriously, LIGHTEN UP. (and by “lighten up” I do mean lose some weight fatty.)
Michelle Obama telling us to eat a salad once in a while is not a hate crime either. People are bringing their own baggage into this fluffy advert. (and by “baggage” I do mean Opra’s bag of fat.)
this ad for the toronto gay pride parade is being criticized for reinfocing stereotypes? really? don’t gay pride parades in a way reinforce stereotypes anyway. this ad shoudln’t be a problem then.
Doesn’t Pride…in general…reinforce stereotypes? You’ve got everything on the spectrum from drag queens to dykes on bikes. The thing about stereotypes is they are generally based on some semblance of fact. You take the qualities of one portion of a community and generalize across the board.
The gymed-out queen, the muscle bear, and the penis-phobic lesbian are all VERY real people. Do they represent all of the gay community? No, of course not. Do they represent Pride? 100% yes, yes, and yes. It seems to me that Pride is about celebrating differences within the community. What is there to be proud of in being the same?
It is a bit of a Catch-22 when you step back and take a look at the entire gay agenda. Pride in itself absolutely *DOES* reinforce stereotypes because those stereotypes have the most visibility. This probably hurts us in the fight for equal rights when we try to convince others that we are “just like them”. On the other hand, Pride also gives LGBT folks a sense of community, without which those fights for equal rights probably wouldn’t even be happening.
As for the ad itself…maybe it is a bit over the top, but how do you advertise for Pride without going over the top? I don’t think you can, and if you could, I don’t think there would be much of a point.
I think this is part of a downward spiral for Toronto Pride. One of most common reactions to the QAIA flap last year was “Pride shouldn’t be political”, which reflects such lack of awareness of the legacy of the event and the struggles of those who marched in its early years. With the recent potential deportation of Alvaro Orozco, issues of trans rights, the funding war with city hall, and the risk to queer rights in general posed by the recently elected Conservative majority, the time was never better to embrace the political power of Pride. Instead, Pride is giving way to shallowness, defining itself as a completely superficial, empty-headed, stereotype-laden parade of artifice. Brought to you by TD and Bud Light Lime.
People need to lighten up. It’s a FUN advertisement. More people will watch this advertisement than if they were to do a “activism” ad. Pride is about celebrating, and this ad makes me feel like I am ready to start celebrating life.