Gay palette
One of the highlights of the summer here in Iceland is the annual gay pride parade, held on the second Saturday in August.
What makes the Iceland gay pride parade unique [they say] is that nowhere else is it treated as a family festival to quite the same extent as here. Gay pride in other countries is reportedly attended primarily by gay people, with perhaps a handful of heteros thrown into the mix. In Reykjavík it's quite the opposite - heterosexuals are in the vast majority, lining the sidewalks of Laugavegur some 50,000 strong [remember the population of the Greater Reykjavík Area is some 170,000], with baby carriages and pushchairs, bopping and grinning in the decidedly Karneval-like atmosphere.
When I was in my Toronto incarnation years ago, the best dance clubs were always the gay clubs. There was something about the funky groove and raw sexual energy that was completely irresistible. The only problem was that you had to know someone who was gay in order to get in - they would always ask at the door. I don't know if it would have been possible to smuggle oneself in by lying - I suspect they had a really finely-attuned gaydar and would have been onto you in a flash. And anyway, I'm referring to the male clubs so you had to have a gay man with you - I suspect had I shown up with a posse of my girlfriends, they would have laughed in our faces [or directed us to the nearest lesbian club. Or both.].
Anyway, that same raw pulsating energy is what characterizes the Reykjavík gay pride parade, which is why it's so much fun to go. There is colour and camp and freaky costumes and blaring music, and everybody has a great time. And as an added bonus, it teaches all those little spectators in their pushchairs tolerance, respect, and appreciation for the amazing palette that makes up the human condition.
AND OUR RAINBOW WEATHER IS...
Mild, with a hint of wind and overcast - we're in for rain here in the west. Temperatures currently 14°Centigrade and sunrise was at 05.08, sunset due for 21.55.
What makes the Iceland gay pride parade unique [they say] is that nowhere else is it treated as a family festival to quite the same extent as here. Gay pride in other countries is reportedly attended primarily by gay people, with perhaps a handful of heteros thrown into the mix. In Reykjavík it's quite the opposite - heterosexuals are in the vast majority, lining the sidewalks of Laugavegur some 50,000 strong [remember the population of the Greater Reykjavík Area is some 170,000], with baby carriages and pushchairs, bopping and grinning in the decidedly Karneval-like atmosphere.
When I was in my Toronto incarnation years ago, the best dance clubs were always the gay clubs. There was something about the funky groove and raw sexual energy that was completely irresistible. The only problem was that you had to know someone who was gay in order to get in - they would always ask at the door. I don't know if it would have been possible to smuggle oneself in by lying - I suspect they had a really finely-attuned gaydar and would have been onto you in a flash. And anyway, I'm referring to the male clubs so you had to have a gay man with you - I suspect had I shown up with a posse of my girlfriends, they would have laughed in our faces [or directed us to the nearest lesbian club. Or both.].
Anyway, that same raw pulsating energy is what characterizes the Reykjavík gay pride parade, which is why it's so much fun to go. There is colour and camp and freaky costumes and blaring music, and everybody has a great time. And as an added bonus, it teaches all those little spectators in their pushchairs tolerance, respect, and appreciation for the amazing palette that makes up the human condition.
AND OUR RAINBOW WEATHER IS...
Mild, with a hint of wind and overcast - we're in for rain here in the west. Temperatures currently 14°Centigrade and sunrise was at 05.08, sunset due for 21.55.
posted by Alda at 5:58 PM
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