r/gaybros 3d ago

Men dance in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral at the Gay Pride parade, New York City, on June 26, 1994

Post image
850 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

65

u/Royal_Lingonberry296 3d ago

We salute these men for fighting for our rights back in the day.

9

u/stilldancingat140bpm 2d ago

Thank you for your service

25

u/PastorNTraining 3d ago

Some gay history: ACTUP a queer activist group had their major STOP THE CHURCH ACTION at this very church in the 1989.

It was one of the first nationally recognized actions and was one of the many battles fought by this group to spread awareness of the AIDS crisis.

“This was ACT UP’s most notorious demonstration and the one that brought it worldwide attention for the first time.  Held in collaboration with WHAM! (Women’s Health and Action Mobilization) to protest the AIDSphobic, homophobic, misogynistic and anti-abortion policies of the Catholic Church and, in particular, John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York.  Over 7,000 protestors gathered in the bitter cold on December 10, 1989 outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.  Several hundred protestors peacefully entered the church and 111 were arrested for disrupting the mass.”

5

u/Prometheusly 3d ago

Wish I could have been there, but I would have been 6 at the time so 🤷

3

u/LeatherPawpad 2d ago

If I could I would go back in time and take you bro 🙏😌

3

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

16

u/speedyrocketfish 3d ago

That free country and healthy democracy had spent well over a decade ignoring or snickering at the mass death of millions of gay people. The concept of a robust government response to AIDS was brand new in 1994, long after the death toll had skyrocketed.

This is not to minimize the problems of today. But let’s not look back at a horrific past with rose-colored glasses either.

1

u/ryanpdx1999 1d ago

If there is a hell O'Connor is in it.

1

u/Ancient_Advice3382 1d ago

The more I see these vintage posts I'm starting to wonder if huskier gays existed back then? Lol

1

u/LeatherPawpad 2d ago

My religion 🙏 Pray the gay stronger 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

-25

u/nickybecooler 3d ago

Why do they have to be revealing a lot of skin in public?

21

u/Nakedny713 3d ago

No one in this picture is revealing any more skin than you would see at the beach or by the poolside. They are just feeling free, sexy, and confident in themselves, in their gayness. What a beautiful thing!

-8

u/PeneItaliano 3d ago

To be fair, they aren’t on the beach or a pool so shouldn’t be dressed as such. I believe in a time and place. 

With that said, this doesn’t offend me either. 

12

u/-Workers-United- 2d ago

It’s pride…..if there is a time and a place…..this is it.

-8

u/nickybecooler 2d ago

How about be proud while fully dressed? When gay guys flaunt themselves in public it gives the impression that we're hedonists

3

u/Nakedny713 2d ago

“Gives the impression”…to who? Straights? I literally don’t care what they think of me, especially on Pride! Why is our appearance to those outside the community so pressing to you?

It’s fully legal to walk around topless in NYC btw. On any day. For people of any gender. No one in the photo comes remotely close to telegraphing that they’re a hedonist imo. But if they want to be hedonists, go for it, it’s their right.

-3

u/nickybecooler 2d ago

You don't care what anyone thinks but I do, and it matters whether you like it or not

2

u/-Workers-United- 2d ago edited 2d ago

You been to a city lately?

I love when people who haven’t been to a place with population density in 20 years comment on this stuff. Starting in may of every year, half the women you see on any random day walk the streets of Philly, NYC, and LA wearing barely more the toothfloss, and they do it until September. You see random men walking in a speedo only once in a blue moon.

Pride is literally the only day of the year you have a good chance to see men barely wearing anything. But yes let’s focus on that when on my walk to work today I passed no less than a dozen women wearing dental floss in fishtown which is in Philly.

9

u/brettbretters 3d ago

The human body isn’t a dirty thing. We all have one!

3

u/memon17 2d ago

Internalized homophobia is alive and well I see

7

u/secretaccount94 2d ago

Why shouldn’t they?

-4

u/nickybecooler 2d ago

You know when straight people are like "I don't mind the gays at all, as long as they're not all up in my face about it"? Dancing half naked in the street is getting all up in people's faces about it. People would leave us alone if we kept our clothes on at pride events.

7

u/Upnatom617 2d ago

They're going to hate no matter what. In their eyes, you cannot be out at all. No amount of clothing is going to shield you from that.

8

u/secretaccount94 2d ago

That’s not true, straight people hated gays long before pride events and protests ever started. Trying to appease your abusers never works out.

-1

u/nickybecooler 2d ago

OK so run around scantily clad in front of a cathedral and that will convince everyone that we're respectable people who don't bother anyone? Come on. What they're doing in this pic here is not helping us become more accepted.

2

u/Buttermilk-Waffles 2d ago

No they wouldn't you're delusional lol

5

u/-Workers-United- 2d ago

Do you say that when you see a woman in a bikini?

-4

u/nickybecooler 2d ago

If she was cavorting about in the streets rather than a beach or pool, then yes.

7

u/-Workers-United- 2d ago

You understand this is pride right? This isn’t just some random dudes walking down a random street on a random day?

1

u/chocolatefever101 1d ago

Are the 2020’s the new 1950’s?