Scanner : pride

San Francisco Street Fair Would Make The Marquis de Sade Proud

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:21:00 GMT

If it pisses off a wingnut Puritan cryptofascist like Michelle Malkin, we knew it would be a helluva party...

The 2008 Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, the wildest party in America that doesn't take place during Mardi Gras, did not disappoint-- and it never does. From guys blowing each other in front of cops to naked women whipping elderly women in front of unconcerned passerby (they've seen it all in SF!), it's no wonder the anti-free speech right wing is up in arms about the goings on. (They particularly think these disgusting acts should be done in private, but they never said anything over the years about what goes on at Mardi Gras... probably because they'd lost their voices from yelling for straight women to "take it off!")

Since Michelle is likely going to read this (trust us on this one), we'd just like to personally thank her for alerting us to the cocksucking, ass-grabbing, hedonistic good time we almost entirely missed out on. Thanks directly to your story, we're pretty sure a few of our readers who hadn't heard about the fest will book plane tickets for next year...

From 2007, a local porn star represented the big-boob contingent...

More photos here. If you want to see random cock and balls, go here.

Anyway, despite Malkin's dislike of the event and certainly a few locals try to stop it every year, this utterly pointless celebration will go on next year, we're sure, as planned. The police did nothing to stop it this time, calling it nothing more than "a free outdoor 'fetish' event... at which hundreds of thousands of mostly gay men stroll around the city streets in leather or rubber fetish outfits."

And what's wrong with that?

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Crush of the Week: Veggie Pride Paraders

Emily Farris — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:09:00 GMT

We should first make clear that aside from one misguided and carbohydrate-loaded year, we do not practice vegetarianism. It's not beyond us to lick the blood from our steak plate, or better yet, sop it up with lard-fried French fries. In fact, we won't even date vegetarians (perhaps because we know they wouldn't want to watch us happily slurping up cow's blood?)

But we've been known to have crushes on plenty of people we probably wouldn't date if given the opportunity, and the Veggie Pride Paraders are some of those people.

We also love superheroes and people who aren't afraid to talk about their poop:

After the walking carrot and pea pod at the front of the procession came a couple in banana costumes, holding hands as they marched, and then a man in a "Super Vegan" costume with a blazing "V" on his chest and a woman waving a hot pink tinfoil pig with a plaintive sign reading, "Save me."
Bringing up the rear of the march were the ecofarmers with a long tube of pink netting representing a meat-eater's colon. It had signs pointing to "butt cancer," "polyps" and a large plastic "colostomy bag" filled with plastic poop.

Because there's nothing we appreciate more (not even butt cancer or superheroes) than people who appreciate their food—whether we agree with their choice of cuisine or not— the hundreds of proud vegetarians and vegans who swarmed New York City's Meatpacking District yesterday are our crushes of the week.

[NY Daily News: Vegetables on march against meat biz]

[Video: NY Mag at Veggie Pride Parade]

[Veggie Pride Parade]

Gay-Friendly West Village Not That Gay-Friendly

Katie Halper — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:40:00 GMT

Guess those rainbow flags hanging outside 75% of the restaurants in Greenwhich Village aren't quite as redundant as we thought. When Khadijah Farmer, a lesbian, went to a restaurant in the village after attending a pride parade, she probably didn't expect to get kicked out.

Last year, Farmer and her friends ate at the Caliente Cab Company, a Mexican restaurant in the heart of the West village. When she went to the lady's room, a bouncer followed her in and told her she had to leave. After Farmer showed him her ID, the bouncer, who must have a hard time apologizing, made Farmer and her party leave the restaurant.

Who's sorry now? The Caliente Cab Company, we're guessing. Farmer just won a gender discrimination lawsuit against the restaurant, which will now have to pay her $35,000 (plus $15,000 in legal fees) and has agreed to add gender identity and expression to its corporate nondiscrimination policy; adopt a gender-neutral dress code for its employees; and amend its employee handbook to state “persons patronizing or employed at Caliente have the right to use the bathroom facilities consistent with their gender identity and expression.” Now that's the West Village we know and love.