See, I wanted to write something about the debate on whether public displays of kink and nudity should be allowed at Pride. I’ll admit, Pride isn’t perfect. Heck, upon doing my research about this, I happened to stumble down a rabbithole of other Pride controversies (corporate pandering, police presence at Pride, exclusion of certain communities, etc.), most of which I am far from qualified to discuss in a nuanced and educated manner. However, as someone who knows a thing or two about the kink community, I feel like I can definitely put my two cents forward without stirring the pot too much.
Most of you can probably already guess which argument I’m in favor of. I mean, 90% of my gallery is straight up exhibitionism and nudism. I’d have no problem with people showing more skin at Pride, especially if I get to do so myself.
That being said, that doesn’t mean I’m blind to any arguments counter to my preferences. Normally, the main argument is that such sights of the human body or sexual paraphanalia is unfit for children to see, which is usually met with the response, “Why the fuck are you bringing your kid to Pride?” Which is, when you think about it, a fair retort. After all, a quick Google search can bring up an immeasurable number of photos of jockstraps, leather-clad daddies, and crossdressers at Pride. Those who make this argument are probably the same people who complained when they took their children to see the Sausage Party movie, despite it’s hard R rating, just because it was an animated movie.
Still, there is the argument about consent. Even if you’re not a child, it’s very much possible scantily clad men and women are not something you want to deal with if you want to celebrate your non-heteronormativity. And I’m sure whoever feels that way has their own valid reasons. Maybe they’re a sex-repulsed asexual, or a victim of sexual assault. I wouldn’t want them to feel excluded from Pride.
When I first joined the kink community, consent culture was at the forefront of every discussion and scene, and it’s something I care about deeply. So I would only be a hypocrite if I didn’t properly take this argument into account. Of course, some possible solutions have been raised, such as separate Pride events for the family-friendly and the adult crowds, or making it more broadly known what one might witness at Pride.
Now, some might think, “Why not just get rid of all the mature stuff? Wouldn’t that make it more inclusive?” To be frank, this isn’t a simple question. Every single person in the LGBTQIA+ will have a different answer with a different queer ideology behind that answer, and I would only make myself look like an absolute dunce if I tried to weigh the pros and cons of every single one of them in a furry art post.
Nonetheless, there is one stance that is fair to mention, and that’s this: “Promiscuity, kink and deviating from societal norms has always been a part of the Gays Rights Movement.”
As bold of a statement as that is, to say otherwise would be a bold-faced lie. If one were to read about the history of the Stonewall Inn and the riots that occurred there in the summer of 1969, they’d read about how members of the underground gay scene fought back against the corrupt police that would continuously raid gay bars and sexually harrass and arrest their lesbian or crossdressing patrons. Coming together and rebelling against an injustice like that is something any community would be proud of.
So, I say let them be proud to be themselves, whether it involves wearing a flag pin on your shirt, dressing up in bondage gear, or baring it all on a parade float. Of course, I doubt the general public of Long Island would allow me to go shirtcocking at Pride like Pat is here, but as long I have this little caveat of FurAffinity, Twitter, and all the other sites on which I post my commissions, there’s no way in hell anyone’s going to stop Pat from being his pansexual, exhibitionist self and showing off both his pride and his body.
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Big thank you to \r\n\t\t\t\t\t
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And thank you to \r\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tCurcuits:, \n\t\t\t\t\tBlueWolford1999:, and \n\t\t\t\t\twellifimust: for proofreading.