The politics of the floating gay

The floating gay parade, 80 boats with specific themes sailed along the Prinsengracht/ Amstel river canal with Lady Gaga ruling the airwaves. Cher managed to seep in a little but gone are the days of Madonna and Barbara Streisand. While no doubt an enjoyable spectator sport, there were some troubling trends. For instance, the energy on the boats lay low (my benchmark = NYC and San Francisco gay pride parades). You start to think about the relationship between the parade participants or “actors” and the crowd or the “audience.” Usually, in such parades, the line between the spectator and the spectacle is blurred, with the run of the mill you and I dressing up with stringy pink wigs, rainbow socks, to sometimes a full blown, out-of-the-closet costume. And you cheer...like your life depended on it. Your vocal cords compete with the likes of a newborn baby. Yet, at the Amsterdam parade, there was a sober quality where the audience barely even cheered, let alone waved at the floats that went by. A beer and camera in hand, they waited diligently for each boat to have their say as they clicked away, almost voyeuristically so. You wonder how much of that played into the energy on these boats as you saw even the S&M boat with black leather shorts and straps retire on the boat, some barely shaking their hips. Was it the physical distance that created a psychological distance? Are street parades more high energy because proximity creates accountability? It is theatre after all, where small productions are more "involved" and "involving" than say, a Broadway musical perhaps? What was also strange was the United Colors of Benetton themes..niche boats like "Mensa gays," "Jewish gays," "black gays," to "gays for ING" and more. What happened to the rainbow unity, at least just for 1 day? And not to forget, the commercialization of these boats, of ING and ABN to the police and political parties all showing their progressive side, hoping to get a slice of the DINK (Double Income No Kids) population. There was also a “Fight Cancer” boat…seriously? Isn’t this a mission confusion statement here? Is this where gay parades are heading to – niche markets, competing causes, and spectator sport? So as I joined the masses in clicking away, I contribute to pictures speaking a thousand lies.