Another Pride Month has come and gone. It did not enjoy the fawning or scandalized news coverage it usually does. This may be because this time around, America and the world have more pressing matters about which to be concerned. Or it may be that the worst possibility organizers could anticipate has come to fruition: that the world is bored with Pride and nobody cares. It has become passé.
That did not stop Pride Month from going out with a bang in New York City. But the month's festivities did not culminate in a glorious celebration of love and acceptance with rainbow fireworks and winged unicorns descending from the heavens. This time, it ended in confrontations, brawls, and twerking. Yes, I know that twerking is S.O.P. at these events; I'll get to that in a moment.
As one might expect, Hamas protesters were there. In the Battle of the Intersection, the victory often goes to the violent. The Post Millennial notes that protesters blocked the parade route through Greenwich Village, covering floats in red paint and chanting, "Over 40,000 dead. You're arresting us instead. Free, free Palestine. Free, free, free Palestine." Some reports indicate that the red paint was not just for the floats but also for some of the Pride marchers.
“Queers for Palestine” agitators have blocked the NYC Pride Parade.pic.twitter.com/cXaUNJwLRe
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 30, 2024
Writers Against the War on Gaza agitators spray red paint at NYC Pride Parade floats.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 30, 2024
Footage: @wawog_now via Instagram pic.twitter.com/h2pjXGosxZ
But the proverbial fun was just getting started. According to the New York Post, once the parade hit Washington Square, the "festivities" degenerated into a series of fistfights and other assorted brawls, complete with the usual rubberneckers recording the moments for internet posterity. The Post reported:
In another instance of violence, one woman, who appeared to be bleeding from her face with dried blood on her white shirt, went head-to-head with a peer as the crowd loudly cheered, according to footage. Other spats of savagery included one woman pushing another off the edge of the park’s iconic water fountain while another brawler yanked a woman in a pink shirt to the ground by her hair. The young woman in pink continued to be dragged by her counterpart before others finally jumped in to help.
For the cherry on top of Sunday's rainbow Sunday, several people climbed on top of a car to twerk, and another man humped a light pole as he climbed up to it the top. The only odd thing here is that the twerking is usually reserved for the actual celebrants, I think.
Sounds like a fun time was had by all.
None of this should be surprising. Pride, by its very nature, is a month dedicated completely to the ego and self-gratification. That some attendees should take this message of "do what thou wilt" to its natural extension is no by no means anomalous. One could argue that chaos is the intended end of not just the latest incarnation of Pride Month but of the Free Palestine movement. Lord only knows how much dopamine is released into the brains of Hamas supporters when terrorizing someone or tossing a smoke bomb or a salvo of paint.
It's funny how one never reads about these people running food or coat drives, picking up trash, rehabbing homes, or even gathering supplies for Palestinian refugees. These people are not interested in creating a better world. Their gazes never extend beyond their navels, and in their minds, destruction and/or self-satisfaction are not only interlinked but an end unto themselves.
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