Our media thrive on the strange.  If they didn't show pictures of drag queens and half naked men giggling on a flatbed, then how would the people watching know that it was a gay parade?  Think!

The drag queens and show-offs are the clowns of our "circus."   The circus is full of "normal" acts, but it's the freak show that sells the tickets.  That’s just the way our society is.  Organizations like Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays march in the parade too, along with thousands of other ordinary people and floats. If the drag queens, the leather-clad crowd and the giggling beefcakes are the only thing people see, then it's the only thing that they are looking for. They will always find something they can hold up and say, “Look at these freaks!” And freaks can be found in EVERY culture.

                                                                   —by Keaven, edited by Larry

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Local color. Don’t you just love it? I’m so glad I live where it exists. And whenever I’m tempted to make a disparaging remark about some outrageous person, I remind myself what a dull world it would be without the color. So I’m all for it. If you wanna be a freak, go for it! And when I see you on the street, if I’m healthy and wise at the moment, I’ll just smile.

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Appreciating local color