Why was the Chicago's Pride parade so...ratchet? (Lincoln: credit, school)

[A Gambler on the CTA]

I've been partying and dining in Boystown for years. Boystown is supposed to be one of the most established LGBT communities in this country. Previous years I have not been able to make it to the pride parade. When I atteneded the parade last Sunday, I was shocked by what I saw. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun. It was the most dynamic pride parade I've ever been to.

However, I did notice an absense of certain populations in the audience. There wasn't that many older LGBT folks, masculine presenting lesbians nor masculine presenting gay men such as "bears", nor many "young professional" types.

The parade closely resembled Mardi Gras. There were people puking everywhere, people passed out in random places, piles and piles of trash, trashy scantily clad women with awful tattoos, and fights breaking out. Cops on horses, swat trucks, paddy wagons, and police choppers.

Were the parades always this ratchet? Why were there so many groups underrepresented watching the parade? I've been to pride in other cities, and there were all kinds of people. Young, old, femmes, butches, working class, upper working class, alternative, preppy, you name it. There was a LOT of racial diversity, I will give credit for that.

[buccsmf1]

While I would agree that a massive part of the crowd were drunk high-school girls puking everywhere, I did see a ton of young gays and lesbians, and even a decent amount of older gays and lesbians. My main complaint with the parade was how unbelievably political and corporate it was. At least 95% of the floats / walking groups were politicians or pepsi... at&t... comcast... etc.

[bostonguy1960]

But didn't last year's parade, I recall reading, have too much violence and arrests? Maybe Chicago had a calmer parade this year?

Does it seem that every year, pride events and parades attract more and more straights? It's become very mainstream very fast in most cities, no?

I don't recall any mayhem here at Boston's pride parades and events in recent years, although not entirely sure.

[SubconsciousMe]

I don't know where you were or anything like that -- but I marched in the parade -- and I saw nothing of what you are reporting to the scale in which you are reporting it. Oh well, to each their own.

[marothisu]

I have some friends in SF who told me theirs has become basically like this too

[rzzz]

Most of the parades in SF are sketch now. They don't even do halloween anymore because it turned into The Purge.

[Drover]

Take the South Side St. Patrick's Day parade of old. Move it to Lakeview, replace the green with rainbow stripes, and you have the Pride parade.

[ChicagoMeO]

Just like Boystown has been slowly evolving into an extention of Lincoln Park and frat boys and trixies, this is what you get. Boystown is not the same Boystown of the 1990's.

In one of the restaurants that I have been going to since 1990, I've seen the customers change from lots of men to now LOTS of women, children, strollers, and lots of men/women couples in there.

[marothisu]

I was actually joking to my friend the other day that the same 18-23 year olds who go to Spring Awakening, Lollapalooza, etc and many other EDM fests are a lot of the same people who now go to Pride. I think they think of it like a trend. It's kind of funny but kind of true too from what I've seen.

[jjjttt]

I went to Wrigleyville at 7pm to see a comedy show the night of Pride. In my one year living in Chicago, I have never felt so (mildly) threatened as I did that evening. Way too many drunk men who think it's okay to hug, sexually proposition, etc. random women. On the train, I had to duck under a drunk man whose face was covered in blood so only one eye was visible. Partially my fault for going to Wrigley, I suppose, but I'm still aghast at what pride has become.