The Dallas Police Department has made it clear that "nudity and lewd behavior" will not be tolerated at the city's 30th Pride Parade on September 15th.
Michael Doughman, Executive Director of the Dallas Tavern Guild, which hosts the parade, called the controversy “much ado about nothing" as the rules have always been in place — simply not well enforced.
Daniel Scott Cates, an LGBT activist, brought the controversy to many people’s attention when he posted that the rules were "erasing the queer" from the celebration:
So the Dallas Tavern Guild has instituted NEW rules for parade participants at this year's Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade- more commonly known as Dallas Pride. To make the parade more "family friendly" and to accommodate comfort for the increasing number of attending heterosexuals and corporate sponsorship- participants are being asked to cover up! No bare asses, no breasts (even with pasties) no tight underwear on dancers, nothing too political at all. The "queer" is effectively being erased from our pride celebration in favor of the most polished, heteronormative representation of our community as possible.
It should be noted that the rioters at the Stonewall Inn fought to break OUT of the damn closet!
Our movement was built of sex positivity and our desire to BE WHO WE ARE!
Some of you may be the monogamous, nuclear family type-and that's cool if that's your fetish, but the vast majority of our community is NOT and are now being stripped of the dignity of living out and authentically AT PRIDE!
I urge you ALL to openly DEFY the Tavern Guild!
PRIDE OUT WITH YOUR FUCKING HIDE OUT!!!!
#share far and wide #shame on Dallas Pride organizers! #Prideoutwithyourhideout!
On the opposing side of the controversy, Gay activist and blogger John Aravosis wrote:
I've never understood the need to get naked (literally, or virtually) during Pride parades. DC's parade this year had one float with a quite well-hung young man sporting some quite loose underwear, or a thong, and jumping up and down so his d*ck would flop 180 degrees up and down for the audience. And while I would have loved the show in the privacy of my home, I found it inappropriate for a public parade, and I have a difficult time understand the connection between our fight for civil rights and that idiot on the float.
So what CAN the Pride participants wear?
Floats featuring dancers have been asked for them to wear swimsuits instead of underwear:
According to the official Pride Parade Rules:
"In accordance with the city of Dallas public nudity ordinance, parade participants must not expose genitalia, buttocks, or female breasts."
Also: "In accordance with state of Texas obscenity law, sexual paraphernalia, real or simulated sex acts and genital or phallic representations are prohibited from the parade."
Jeremy Liebbe, the detective sergeant who will oversee 95 officers that day, is gay himself. He says his goal is to have "zero enforcement action taken."
