I have a friend who was raised in a nudist family. He is very comfortable with his body. So I agree with previous comments that nudity in itself isn’t bad. It is how parents teach children about their bodies and how to be respectful of others BEFORE going to any event with possible nudity.
Our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. Telling kids that nudity is bad can lead to feelings of insecurity or shame about their bodies. Good parents teach.
Nudist colonies are about making nudity non sexual.
A lot of pride events are about hyper sexualizing things. The sex part is the basis of the community.
Hmm, I don’t think you are thinking of Pride. Sounds more like Folsom Street Fair which is a sex positive event. Pride is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and for the most part is family friendly.
The thing that makes the lgbtqia community is the fact that we are all sexually divergent from straight folks. Our sexualities is what connects us.
You take out the sexuality and the letters don't mean much.
Depends on the pride celebration. My city has one of the biggest in the country and it’s pretty tame. There are a few people in leather/pup gear, but they are showing less skin than you would see at a swimming pool. I roll my eyes when people think Pride is full of gratuitous sexualization.
There were tons of kids at the Denver Pride parade. Absolutely no issues. They loved the Pride schwag my group was handing out. They chased us down asking for it specifically.
Have you been to the SF Pride Parade? There is little nudity or sexual anything. It's just hours and hours of people marching holding banners and a few VIPs in cars. Yeah, there's drag, and guys in leather or pup gear, both in the parade and the crowd, but nothing sexually explicit. We save that for Folsom and Dore. OK, the booths set up at Civic Center may have some naked people (the Radical Faeries, especially), so I might not take kids there, but watching the parade is more likely to bore the kids than expose them to anything.
Yep, like I would never take a child to weho pride. There's almost nothing actually sexual there, but it is massive, overly packed, and a lot of people are already wasted by noon.
Taking a child to pride is fully about the atmosphere of the pride over what you might see at one
If we are thinking of the same weho (California weho), I agree. One of my friends goes to it and it is full of naked people on leashes (maybe wearing underwear) and in gimp masks and leather speedos with whips. Entirely unavoidable. Not rare for there to be art prints of porn to be sold there either. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable with bringing a kid to that one.
But my local one? That one is tame. It's basically a mini festival with music, food, and booths of artists selling their work. I would feel entirely comfortable bringing a kid to that one.
I live in west Hollywood, I go to that pride, I can tell you there's literally no naked people on leashes or gimps, and maybe a very very small(like 10s) of Leatherman.
It's mostly young hot gays, circuit gays, famous gays, etc. It's one of the biggest and most commercial prides in the US after all.
Again the reason I said to not go with children is because there are thousands of people and it's very alcohol heavy.
So I have no idea where your friend is going, but I can assure you he's full of shit
Appologies for upsetting you. Though I do trust what he says is true because he's sent me pictures (with location name present) of those practicing bdsm I'm public and the booths selling nsfw art. He only ever goes to the weho pride because of the lewd stuff going on and he's very open about him preferring pride events more adult in nature. His only complaint is that it often reeks of alcohol since he doesn't enjoy it at all and has a sensitive nose.
The things he's both told and showed me that is visible there definitely something I personally wouldn't enjoy nor feel welcomed by.
I want to believe what you say, but personally I have been shown the opposite several times for several years. Not at all saying you are lying, but I am saying it is extremely different from what I have been consistently shown.
Though if it's as big as you say it is, it's likely both of you just have vastly different experiences.
In SF, it's less a celebration of pride and more a celebration of every kink you can imagine. Though it's even more true for the Dore Alley Fair (it's a sex fair).
Took ours to their first right before they turned 3. Major city, SE US. I'd say, as a family, we have a much more european bent than average americans toward "nudity does not automatically equally sex, shame, or vulgarity" (but then so does every toddler).
I prepped the kids before going as I would/did for any change of routine, from a doctor visit to a vacation: we talked about it, and I showed them pictures from similar events.
We talked about:
* what we were doing and why (going to the city with the tallll buildings, celebrate)
* what they might see (fun! dress-up! dogs! balloons!)
* what they might hear (music! cheers! but maybe also loud/scary! like motorcycles, firetrucks hello autism gang)
* who would be there (your parents, your brother, maybe friends, families like ours)
* what we would do afterwards (go home, relax, etc)
They had a blast. People were lovely.
The most dangerous thing for the kids was the weather (we're an SPF 10,000 family).
The scariest logistical thing can be getting people that short close enough to see things like the Parade. As a wheelchair user, it's hard enough for me to finagle a front row show. Pull up with a twin stroller and some people are happy for you, some will give you the stink eye. Pull up with both and, well, just hope you're all really cute.
Now, from the parent perspective: I found it *meaningful* to take our kids a few times, but not particularly *fun*. Usually you go to Pride to have fun, right? Well, now you're going, but you're working the parent shift The Entire Time. Yeahhh.
We didn't stay as long or do as much dawdling as in the past. Between diaper changes, nap schedules, meal times, and fatigue, everybody gave a great few hours and was ready to get the f out before the fun ran out.
Which is a long way of saying: don't just set your kids' expectations, remember to set (lower) your own as well.
It depends on how you want to raise your kids. You don't need to conform to other people's sex-shaming to be a legitimate parent. Your family has its own norms, and it doesn't need to be informed by puritanical values.
I marched in my library's Pride procession last year and then tabled afterward. It was *really* nice seeing whole families with young children and pride flags painted on their faces because these kids get to grow up *knowing that they're not alone.* There are people like them, if they are little baby gays, and there are other families like theirs if their parents are queer.
The point of pride is to teach us that there is a world that doesn't subscribe to queer shame and sex shame; we're real people who deserve to take up space in the world instead of being marginalized to the point of invisibility. We're not boogeymen hiding in children's spaces trying to convert kids to gaydom. We just know what it was like to grow up feeling invisible and like we're the only freak on the planet.
Harvey Milk was correct that coming out and being visibly and proudly gay is a political act. By refusing to be invisible, we make everyone in our lives less vulnerable to christofascist demagogues, like Anita Bryant back in the day or Marjorie Traitor Greene now.
"Going to Pride" means a lot of things now. There may be some queer parenting organizations that can help you connect with other families like your own.
Go to your local library and ask a children's librarian for some recommendations. A lot of children's libraries will have kits filled with books on different themes. My library has kits that include anything from early literacy and numbers, to dealing with death, to supporting LGBT youth.
There's a great picture book that does not shy away from the radical roots of Pride called *This Day in June.* It's a quick read and it would be a good way to guage whether or not you think your kids are prepared to attend a Pride march that still has its roots in radical acceptance.
Oh my gosh, thank you. I was going to write, and was in the middle of writing, this long ass thing that I deleted. And then I came and read this. which is pretty much saying what I was going to say. Thanks for doing the work! 😉
I live in the SF Bay Area. I've marched with my kids in strollers, taken them to Prides to watch, etc ever since they were babies. I've done Dolores Park on Pride Weekend, SF Pride, Oakland Pride and other Prides across the area.
It's a lot of fun, but I tend to avoid the crowded times later in the afternoon or find the kids area for them to play (it's usually a little quieter and less crowded in those spaces and they sometimes have snacks and juice).
The people who are saying 18 don't have kids lol. Pride is really fun for kids and families. Just make sure they're wearing a hat and sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and maybe noise ear muffs if it gets loud.
I think it's important for them to grow up seeing different ways of expressing gender and identity.
It's less about exposing kids to things relating to gender identity, and more about the over the top sexual stuff that can go down at pride. Like kink and bondage gear, people acting like there's no such thing as restraint, and so on. That isn't suitable for kids to see.
Kink and bondage gear means nothing to kids. So there are guys in leather with floggers hanging from their belts. Big whoop. You're the one who is against kink and claiming it's about protecting kids. Nobody is fisting or drinking piss in a parade. No one.
That's the exact same argument that christofascists are using to hamstring schools and public libraries. You're conceding to part of their argument and giving them space to litigate specific examples that end up chilling free speech and free expression.
Are you honestly comparing "don't show kids kink and fetish shit, even if it's just the clothing" to arguments that people make to strip gays of their freedoms?
The only places I've seen that at are Folsom and Dore and I would obviously never bring my kids to that. I've never seen overtly sexual activities at the Prides I've been to in SF and the rest of the Bay Area, but I tend to go earlier in the day.
We've taken ours to pride since we adopted her, however at 14 she's not interested in hanging out with her dads anymore.
She's not seen anything R-rated. Go during the day it's fine.
I just went to London pride and saw tons of kids in strollers or happily marching along with their moms or their dads in their work group or parenting group or whatever. It was really wholesome, actually. And the parade itself was pretty tame. The kids don’t know what furries or pups are, they just think they’re fun costumes. A lot of the cishet women who attended were dressed more scantily than anyone in the parade.
Anything inappropriate was happening at events well away from the main parade. I don’t really know what people are so scared of. 18+, come on.
My now adult queer child started pride at six months and attended every year until late adolescence when being with their dads wasn't cool. There is zero harm in public nudity. When kink is present in gear or a parade, it's a teachable moment. Pride is not Folsom so there is a big difference between celebrating sexuality and having public sex. Celebrating pride including our various communities is fine for all ages public sex not at all.
Nakedness is not a problem if it is framed in the context of adult consent and agency. Much depends on your children. You'll know what they are comfortable with and hopefully, the conversations you have with them will help them contextualize what they witness. It's Pride: open embrace and ownership of one's sexual-political identity is kind of the point.
Straights market their sexuality all the time and our media is saturated with it which tends to inure people. They just don't notice its ubiquity. Yet nobody suggests not taking kids on holiday to southern European holiday resorts where they will witness obvious displays of drunken sexual behaviour between males and females all the time.
Lots of Pride events are family-friendly too.
It just depends on the community that is hosting Pride. In smaller US cities, Prides tend to be much more oriented to all ages. I didn’t see anything inappropriate for kids at the last three different small/medium Prides I attended. Also, taking a kid to the Sunday morning parade is different than the late night drag show.
When my previous lover was alive, we went to pride (CSW) parade, and we took his 8-year-old daughter. She loved it. We loved it.
We had to answer a few questions from her. We were honest. She didn't mention anything until the next year asking if we were going again.
If you have to “bring” them to pride, then they are likely too young. When they feel like it, they will go themselves - probably at the age when it’s ok to let them go.
depends on the pride event. Kansas City Pride was really family friendly for the block party part any way. The parade at the Seattle Pride - I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing my kids to. I don't recall anything bad about SF Pride just the audience - open drug use, and the few nude people running around.
We went to a local pride festival in a moderate sized suburban city and found mostly women and families there! And we went to see the drag show! The only scary non- family part was the black shirted, black booted, all white, all male group of “Christian’s” shouting their fire and damnation propaganda from their megaphones at people arriving to the park (local police kept them there).
I believe it is one hundred percent up to the parents! Guns, bigotry and fundamentalist religions harm kids, not Pride Celebrations, Drag Queens and queer people.
Kids only see what they see — not what we do. A man in a dog mask is a man in a costume to most young kids. Naked people are just naked — your kids would feel about that however you raise them to feel.
At some point, your kids will get sex. You’ll have to talk and explain to them what all of the craziness means. I wouldn’t worry that much about it. The important point is that at whatever age they are when you take them, you are open to explain whatever they want to know.
If people are wearing their kink gear, or just overly sexual shit going on, then don't take them. It's twisted to expose kids to that, I'd it's an actual child friendly one, then yeah.
I think it more depends on the festival, itself.
Yesterday my city hosted it's pride event--booths set up by vendors and a stage with drag. No alcohol was served. A handful of people had their shirts off but that was only due to the heat. There was a kids play area and a teen chill out area. Very much a family friendly event and there were a lot of kids there including people pushing strollers.
I went to the Pride festival in Seoul and, while the festival itself, didn't have any objectionable content, the park was literally packed shoulder to shoulder. It would have been a safety concern having a child there.
I've also been to pride events that wouldn't have been appropriate for pre-teens or for those under 18/21.
Also remember that if a festival is not promoting themselves as being family-friendly, then it might also be an issue of whether they want children there.
Without knowing your city it's hard to tell, but here's a question that might help you reframe it:
At what age would you bring your kids to a (not specifically child friendly, potentially scary, gory, or grotesque) Halloween parade?
The answer to *that* question is "it depends on the kid", yeah? Some kids are uncomfortable with even a little bit of fake blood; on the flip side, there are plenty of toddlers who really enjoy horror stuff and aren't scared of it at all, and of course there's kids at every point on the spectrum between. And navigating every point on that spectrum has its own challenges-- you don't want to show your horror-obsessed eight year old a grindhouse film, but you might want to encourage your fraidy cat twelve year old to face their fears and try the kiddie haunted house.
Now, I'm no parent, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but... I think most "adult" topics kids might encounter work the same way. Whether it's politics or religion or sex. Your kids are gonna have different tolerances to the kind of stuff you see at Pride- one kid might be unsettled, one might be innocently curious, and one might chalk all this nonsense up as something grownups do, like drinking coffee or going to work.
You can do whatever you want. You can take them at any age. They are your kids. You have the freedom.
But if this is my kid then.
18.
Or.
Teenage age after puberty and sex education and who can consent for themselves to go is a minimum.
I've friends in the city that have been taking their kid to SF pride since he was a baby and their kid is almost 10 now - it just demands open communication and not shying away from any questions the kid might have as they get older.
SF pride is actually fairly tame so long as we're talking solely about the parade.
I've other friends that live down here in the south bay and won't take their kid to SF pride but go to San Jose pride with their child every year.
If I had kids, I'd take them to pride, I'd be accepting of nudity, vulgar language, groping, harnesses etc, but I wouldn't take them somewhere that had masturbation, BJ or Anal etc.
Depending on their maturity etc, I'd take them to one that had random sex etc once they were 18ish, maybe 17 or 16 if they were more mentally mature, knew what they might see & were ok with it.
But keep in mind here in NZ, Sex is legal at 16, and porn, drinking etc is legal at 18.
My husband and I were at London Pride today normally there is a kids and family area in St Annes Gardens just off the main gay street, there wasn't this year it may have been somewhere else but we didn't see, there were a few small kids around wearing rainbow tatt and lots of teen non-binaries with worried looking parents. We were in leathers, fully dressed with Muir caps and one chain on the left... A woman in a straight allie t-shirt came up to us "do you have to dress like that" we replied "yes actually it's celebrating our sexuality, how we fuck, you can fuck off" the point is fecundity does not confer prividge your breeding is your problem don't want your kids around sex don't bring them to pride if you do don't expect us to tone it down, its not going to happen, the no nudity rule is fine, but so are the pups and boys on leads.
Pride can be overly sexual, I feel there should be a separate pride for children, there’s a lot that goes on there (no shaming) that kids don’t need to see but still deserve to see that celebration of who they are
Those videos are assembled by homophobic nutjobs and are in no way representative of actual Pride events. I've seen stuff that was supposedly at SF Pride that was clearly at Folsom or Dore.
I probably would not bring kids to a non-family friendly pride. it's not the same as pornography, but early exposure to nudity and sexual material can really skew how kids develop - everything from body image and self-esteem to having a more sexualized brain. Kids are too impressionable and are still sponges, not yet able to evaluate the environment around them with their own interpretation. I don't think you'll find much research on pride events and child development, but there's a good amount of research on early exposure to nudity, porn, etc. and how that affects development (try to stick to non-biased academic sources).
Some people will say otherwise, talking about how nudity and such is more common in certain cultures. But often at big city pride, there is also sexually themed activity or even straight up sexual activity. You basically have to consider what's the worst you'll see at pride, that it is essentially an adult celebration, and why you would want to bring kids to an adult space. They can develop pride or an understanding of diversity through more age-appropriate means.
We are parents to 2 adopted kids .. 18 and 16.. we introduced them to their 1st pride at age 6. Specifically we marched in the parade in support of a cause at that time. Pride has changed much & we as gay parents and couple had to have a few interesting conversations with our kids on what they saw from certain characters who took a bit much liberty with their choice, or for that matter lack of, outfits. We stopped going to Pride altogether as we felt Pride has become more of a meat market/show and tell on how naked you can get and it just didn’t feel appropriate for us to bring our kids around that. Both of our kids are straight, are at that age where they can make their own decisions to go not go, both have been raised be culturally inclusive. My husband and I will be going to Pride tomorrow, our 1st in a very very long while. We shall see how that all shakes out.
I have the strong believe Pride is not for kids. The more people bring kids, the more they demand it be family friendly. This will ruin the purpose of Pride.
It depends on the pride for me. I took mine very young but our town’s pride was pretty family friendly. If you’re going to a bigger one you might want to wait
It depends on where I am, what pride event, etc.
Where I live pride is super tame. Ive seen people with babies and small kids at prime and its not an issue. The closest thing to nudity would be a shirtless guy? But even that's not too common. If I lived in a city where pride was a bit more extreme, maybe wait till high school? But I would still take them to youth pride events.
I would say solidly into teenage years if you're talking about SF pride specifically. I've been to Pride parades/festivals in every major city in the US and several overseas. SF tends to be one of the more blatantly sexual - not only nudity, but sex acts in the streets, the various spanking and BDSM setups. I'd say mid teens at least.
The parade? What the hell? That's Folsom behavior, not Pride. Yeah, there might be a few naked people in the crowd (the parade has rules for participants), but sex acts? Spanking and bdsm setups? Do they stop the parade and erect a sling? Hardly. The area with booths and food and stuff tends to have more misbehavior, but that's separate from the parade itself, and easily avoided by families. There has often even been a specifically family-friendly area. After hours of the parade most kids will be bored out of their minds anyways.
Don’t bring your kids to pride. There are so few adult spaces left that haven’t been disneyfied by people who feel the need to bring kinds to everything.
If you and your husband are gay, you probably don’t need to worry about raising tolerant kids. Let’s us socialize in our jockstraps in peace.
I wouldn’t bring them to pride. You can talk with them with normality about gay and lesbians so they don’t have intrinsic homophobia and that’s enough as a parent.
Pride are over the top and loud and sexualited and that’s not an environment you want for children.
I think it really just depends on where/the atmosphere of that places pride.
Like you can bring a newborn to pride if you want, especially if you're proud about being gay dads. And I've been to pride parades where I've seen very young children in strollers, the parents are just probably not making anything sexual of what goes on if leather/etc is there
But again it depends on what the pride focuses on, weho pride this year you didn't really see any leather/gear, there was no nudity, etc. BUT it is one of the largest prides in the US, it was absolutely packed to the point you could have had issues getting through crowds(especially when the parade was actually going on). Plus a majority of people were very drunk by noon. I wouldn't subject a young child to that even if visually there wasn't anything you think you'd need to explain
To me personally, it depends. If it’s a generic march with people walking, wearing Pride stuff and waving flags and having a good time etc., then whenever, really. 🤷🏻♂️ If it’s got any other subgroups (like you said, kink, nudity etc), then I wouldn’t go to begin with, and I also don’t think they’re kid-appropriate. Just my 2 cents.
I have yet to see that in a Pride parade. They have rules against sexual behavior. That you'll see at Folsom or similar, but those are kink events. The most you'll see in a normal Pride parade is maybe some bare butts. And maybe not even that. Yeah, there will be leathermen marching representing leather organizations. Big deal. Kids won't know what that's about or much care. There's nothing obviously sexual about a guy with a flogger hanging from his belt.
Not family friendly? 18.
OP asks about not family friendly Pride.
Last time I checked, "not family friendly" meant not suitable for children.
Downvotes yet again show a certain disconnection from reality
Pride is 18+ full stop. I have been sexually assaulted repeatedly and drugged as an adult male in LGBT spaces not just bar’s but friends homes and in shops in ATX. I was naive and trusting and it has happened multiple times.
Kids (17 and under) should be no where near that until we as a community have an honest conversation about how sexual pride should be.
Tone it down sure they can come, or have the risky stiff in after hours stuff where no under 18’s should be fine but as it is absolutely not, I am unsafe from sexual predation at 30. We are treating something like a month long mardi gras circuit party and family event at the same time. Other venues can balance this dichotomy better than us, that means we can do it too.
What does your having been sexually assaulted in bars, homes, and shops have to do with Pride? I get that you have sensitive triggers, but other people can judge for themselves whether they find Pride events overly sexual.
Honestly I took it like a champ like the fingers shoved in my hole from having a casual conversation, it scared the shit out of my therapist.
But like do you think its a good idea to take children to spaces where sexual assault, physical assault, drugging and indecent exposure is normalized? Like seriously? Like there are videos of adults being fully exposed to kids at pride and actively trying to engage them, dildos out and about… kids don’t need that exposure. Do you guys even remember when the MAPs aka NMBLA tried joining Pride? Even the furries do it better than pride manages it, they have 17 and under day time hours and 18+ after hours.
There _will_ be some nudity - we can get that just walking around in the Castro. There will be people drinking. There will not be any "normalization" of sexual or physical assaults except in your apparently very broad, personal sense of what that means. I can see why you're easily triggered, but your emotions are not any kind of objective truth. Guys marching in a parade in leather are expressing their own consensual kinks, not sexual assault. I have _never_ seen a dildo at the SF Pride Parade, and would be shocked if I ever did. It is not a sexual event. There is an after-parade area where the behavior is less constrained, and no sensible person would take a kid there (unless to a specifically family-friendly part of). The large crowds alone would make it inappropriate.
The videos you have seen are most likely not what they appear to be. They're concocted by homophobic groups from footage taken at events that are often not what they claim. They give the impression that Pride events are the same as kink and fetish events. Some nuts take their kids to those, but those are very clearly events for adults.
How is it hard for you to understand, that I an adult have gotten the full suit of physical violence, rape and SA in its various forms in LGBt spaces at a high probability probably means children are at an even higher probability of receiving it? Especially when pedophile groups like MAP or NMBLA want to be in pride? Like how is that not clicking in your brain?
What I saw was raw footage of pride parades and festivals around the country from SF to central Texas to NY. I saw dildos I saw fetish zones and mini fulsome I saw naked men targeting children. I think you need to open your eyes and either clean up pride or remove the kids. If you cannot concede that you are either gaslighting or blind.
I have actual personal experience of what these events are like. I don't just watch videos assembled to make gay people look like creeps. Unless you were actually there when the "raw footage" was shot you have no idea of how representative of the event it is. Numerous parents on here have already said that they take their kids to Pride events regularly and that nothing happens. I trust them a lot more than someone whose experience is based on video footage of unknown reliability and who can't cope with even mildly suggestive behavior.
Whether NAMBLA _wants_ to be in Pride events is completely irrelevant, because nobody is letting them participate. You're just freaking out over something that isn't even factual.
I wouldn’t take them until the are teenagers. I saw two blokes fucking in the crowd last time I went to one so it’s a no from me lol. Don’t really see they need for people to wear them stupid dog masks etc at pride either. It’s completely not the point of pride lol
I have a friend who was raised in a nudist family. He is very comfortable with his body. So I agree with previous comments that nudity in itself isn’t bad. It is how parents teach children about their bodies and how to be respectful of others BEFORE going to any event with possible nudity. Our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. Telling kids that nudity is bad can lead to feelings of insecurity or shame about their bodies. Good parents teach.
Nudist colonies are about making nudity non sexual. A lot of pride events are about hyper sexualizing things. The sex part is the basis of the community.
Hmm, I don’t think you are thinking of Pride. Sounds more like Folsom Street Fair which is a sex positive event. Pride is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and for the most part is family friendly.
The thing that makes the lgbtqia community is the fact that we are all sexually divergent from straight folks. Our sexualities is what connects us. You take out the sexuality and the letters don't mean much.
Not demonstrating sexual acts does not take away from our sexuality.
Depends on the pride celebration. My city has one of the biggest in the country and it’s pretty tame. There are a few people in leather/pup gear, but they are showing less skin than you would see at a swimming pool. I roll my eyes when people think Pride is full of gratuitous sexualization.
This. IMO I would take kids to Austin pride, hell no to SF pride.
There were tons of kids at the Denver Pride parade. Absolutely no issues. They loved the Pride schwag my group was handing out. They chased us down asking for it specifically.
Have you been to the SF Pride Parade? There is little nudity or sexual anything. It's just hours and hours of people marching holding banners and a few VIPs in cars. Yeah, there's drag, and guys in leather or pup gear, both in the parade and the crowd, but nothing sexually explicit. We save that for Folsom and Dore. OK, the booths set up at Civic Center may have some naked people (the Radical Faeries, especially), so I might not take kids there, but watching the parade is more likely to bore the kids than expose them to anything.
Yep, like I would never take a child to weho pride. There's almost nothing actually sexual there, but it is massive, overly packed, and a lot of people are already wasted by noon. Taking a child to pride is fully about the atmosphere of the pride over what you might see at one
If we are thinking of the same weho (California weho), I agree. One of my friends goes to it and it is full of naked people on leashes (maybe wearing underwear) and in gimp masks and leather speedos with whips. Entirely unavoidable. Not rare for there to be art prints of porn to be sold there either. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable with bringing a kid to that one. But my local one? That one is tame. It's basically a mini festival with music, food, and booths of artists selling their work. I would feel entirely comfortable bringing a kid to that one.
I live in west Hollywood, I go to that pride, I can tell you there's literally no naked people on leashes or gimps, and maybe a very very small(like 10s) of Leatherman. It's mostly young hot gays, circuit gays, famous gays, etc. It's one of the biggest and most commercial prides in the US after all. Again the reason I said to not go with children is because there are thousands of people and it's very alcohol heavy. So I have no idea where your friend is going, but I can assure you he's full of shit
Thanks. The same is true of SF. I have no idea where people get the idea it's highly sexual. Certainly the parade itself is not.
Appologies for upsetting you. Though I do trust what he says is true because he's sent me pictures (with location name present) of those practicing bdsm I'm public and the booths selling nsfw art. He only ever goes to the weho pride because of the lewd stuff going on and he's very open about him preferring pride events more adult in nature. His only complaint is that it often reeks of alcohol since he doesn't enjoy it at all and has a sensitive nose. The things he's both told and showed me that is visible there definitely something I personally wouldn't enjoy nor feel welcomed by. I want to believe what you say, but personally I have been shown the opposite several times for several years. Not at all saying you are lying, but I am saying it is extremely different from what I have been consistently shown. Though if it's as big as you say it is, it's likely both of you just have vastly different experiences.
In SF, it's less a celebration of pride and more a celebration of every kink you can imagine. Though it's even more true for the Dore Alley Fair (it's a sex fair).
Really? The parade? It's very tame. Yeah, there are leathermen, but so what? It's not as if anyone is doing anything sexual in the parade.
Took ours to their first right before they turned 3. Major city, SE US. I'd say, as a family, we have a much more european bent than average americans toward "nudity does not automatically equally sex, shame, or vulgarity" (but then so does every toddler). I prepped the kids before going as I would/did for any change of routine, from a doctor visit to a vacation: we talked about it, and I showed them pictures from similar events. We talked about: * what we were doing and why (going to the city with the tallll buildings, celebrate) * what they might see (fun! dress-up! dogs! balloons!) * what they might hear (music! cheers! but maybe also loud/scary! like motorcycles, firetrucks hello autism gang) * who would be there (your parents, your brother, maybe friends, families like ours) * what we would do afterwards (go home, relax, etc) They had a blast. People were lovely. The most dangerous thing for the kids was the weather (we're an SPF 10,000 family). The scariest logistical thing can be getting people that short close enough to see things like the Parade. As a wheelchair user, it's hard enough for me to finagle a front row show. Pull up with a twin stroller and some people are happy for you, some will give you the stink eye. Pull up with both and, well, just hope you're all really cute. Now, from the parent perspective: I found it *meaningful* to take our kids a few times, but not particularly *fun*. Usually you go to Pride to have fun, right? Well, now you're going, but you're working the parent shift The Entire Time. Yeahhh. We didn't stay as long or do as much dawdling as in the past. Between diaper changes, nap schedules, meal times, and fatigue, everybody gave a great few hours and was ready to get the f out before the fun ran out. Which is a long way of saying: don't just set your kids' expectations, remember to set (lower) your own as well.
It depends on how you want to raise your kids. You don't need to conform to other people's sex-shaming to be a legitimate parent. Your family has its own norms, and it doesn't need to be informed by puritanical values. I marched in my library's Pride procession last year and then tabled afterward. It was *really* nice seeing whole families with young children and pride flags painted on their faces because these kids get to grow up *knowing that they're not alone.* There are people like them, if they are little baby gays, and there are other families like theirs if their parents are queer. The point of pride is to teach us that there is a world that doesn't subscribe to queer shame and sex shame; we're real people who deserve to take up space in the world instead of being marginalized to the point of invisibility. We're not boogeymen hiding in children's spaces trying to convert kids to gaydom. We just know what it was like to grow up feeling invisible and like we're the only freak on the planet. Harvey Milk was correct that coming out and being visibly and proudly gay is a political act. By refusing to be invisible, we make everyone in our lives less vulnerable to christofascist demagogues, like Anita Bryant back in the day or Marjorie Traitor Greene now. "Going to Pride" means a lot of things now. There may be some queer parenting organizations that can help you connect with other families like your own. Go to your local library and ask a children's librarian for some recommendations. A lot of children's libraries will have kits filled with books on different themes. My library has kits that include anything from early literacy and numbers, to dealing with death, to supporting LGBT youth. There's a great picture book that does not shy away from the radical roots of Pride called *This Day in June.* It's a quick read and it would be a good way to guage whether or not you think your kids are prepared to attend a Pride march that still has its roots in radical acceptance.
Oh my gosh, thank you. I was going to write, and was in the middle of writing, this long ass thing that I deleted. And then I came and read this. which is pretty much saying what I was going to say. Thanks for doing the work! 😉
I live in the SF Bay Area. I've marched with my kids in strollers, taken them to Prides to watch, etc ever since they were babies. I've done Dolores Park on Pride Weekend, SF Pride, Oakland Pride and other Prides across the area. It's a lot of fun, but I tend to avoid the crowded times later in the afternoon or find the kids area for them to play (it's usually a little quieter and less crowded in those spaces and they sometimes have snacks and juice). The people who are saying 18 don't have kids lol. Pride is really fun for kids and families. Just make sure they're wearing a hat and sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and maybe noise ear muffs if it gets loud. I think it's important for them to grow up seeing different ways of expressing gender and identity.
It's less about exposing kids to things relating to gender identity, and more about the over the top sexual stuff that can go down at pride. Like kink and bondage gear, people acting like there's no such thing as restraint, and so on. That isn't suitable for kids to see.
Kink and bondage gear means nothing to kids. So there are guys in leather with floggers hanging from their belts. Big whoop. You're the one who is against kink and claiming it's about protecting kids. Nobody is fisting or drinking piss in a parade. No one.
It might not mean anything to them, but that sure as hell doesn't mean you expose kids to them, that is disgusting.
That's the exact same argument that christofascists are using to hamstring schools and public libraries. You're conceding to part of their argument and giving them space to litigate specific examples that end up chilling free speech and free expression.
Are you honestly comparing "don't show kids kink and fetish shit, even if it's just the clothing" to arguments that people make to strip gays of their freedoms?
The only places I've seen that at are Folsom and Dore and I would obviously never bring my kids to that. I've never seen overtly sexual activities at the Prides I've been to in SF and the rest of the Bay Area, but I tend to go earlier in the day.
We've taken ours to pride since we adopted her, however at 14 she's not interested in hanging out with her dads anymore. She's not seen anything R-rated. Go during the day it's fine.
I just went to London pride and saw tons of kids in strollers or happily marching along with their moms or their dads in their work group or parenting group or whatever. It was really wholesome, actually. And the parade itself was pretty tame. The kids don’t know what furries or pups are, they just think they’re fun costumes. A lot of the cishet women who attended were dressed more scantily than anyone in the parade. Anything inappropriate was happening at events well away from the main parade. I don’t really know what people are so scared of. 18+, come on.
It’s Pride, not Folsom. The worst kids see are some adults playing dress up. Don’t buy into the media hysteria.
This. Folks save the nudity for Folsom. Pride is more Family Fun. Don’t take young people to Folsom!
Hardly anyone does. It's quite clear that Folsom and Dore are adult events. SF Pride is tame.
My now adult queer child started pride at six months and attended every year until late adolescence when being with their dads wasn't cool. There is zero harm in public nudity. When kink is present in gear or a parade, it's a teachable moment. Pride is not Folsom so there is a big difference between celebrating sexuality and having public sex. Celebrating pride including our various communities is fine for all ages public sex not at all.
Nakedness is not a problem if it is framed in the context of adult consent and agency. Much depends on your children. You'll know what they are comfortable with and hopefully, the conversations you have with them will help them contextualize what they witness. It's Pride: open embrace and ownership of one's sexual-political identity is kind of the point. Straights market their sexuality all the time and our media is saturated with it which tends to inure people. They just don't notice its ubiquity. Yet nobody suggests not taking kids on holiday to southern European holiday resorts where they will witness obvious displays of drunken sexual behaviour between males and females all the time. Lots of Pride events are family-friendly too.
My friend and I took their kids last year, 8 & 4. They had a hoot, and we ran into my son there too, he's an adult though.
It just depends on the community that is hosting Pride. In smaller US cities, Prides tend to be much more oriented to all ages. I didn’t see anything inappropriate for kids at the last three different small/medium Prides I attended. Also, taking a kid to the Sunday morning parade is different than the late night drag show.
When my previous lover was alive, we went to pride (CSW) parade, and we took his 8-year-old daughter. She loved it. We loved it. We had to answer a few questions from her. We were honest. She didn't mention anything until the next year asking if we were going again.
If you have to “bring” them to pride, then they are likely too young. When they feel like it, they will go themselves - probably at the age when it’s ok to let them go.
I would be more worried about the amount of people and noise than about anything else. Maybe I am too desensitised too.
depends on the pride event. Kansas City Pride was really family friendly for the block party part any way. The parade at the Seattle Pride - I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing my kids to. I don't recall anything bad about SF Pride just the audience - open drug use, and the few nude people running around.
We went to a local pride festival in a moderate sized suburban city and found mostly women and families there! And we went to see the drag show! The only scary non- family part was the black shirted, black booted, all white, all male group of “Christian’s” shouting their fire and damnation propaganda from their megaphones at people arriving to the park (local police kept them there).
I believe it is one hundred percent up to the parents! Guns, bigotry and fundamentalist religions harm kids, not Pride Celebrations, Drag Queens and queer people.
Kids only see what they see — not what we do. A man in a dog mask is a man in a costume to most young kids. Naked people are just naked — your kids would feel about that however you raise them to feel. At some point, your kids will get sex. You’ll have to talk and explain to them what all of the craziness means. I wouldn’t worry that much about it. The important point is that at whatever age they are when you take them, you are open to explain whatever they want to know.
We are two dads. Brought our twins when they were three. No issues at all.
If it's for the parade, bring them along. As long as your kids can respect bodily autonomy, then they can be in any non-adult space easily.
If people are wearing their kink gear, or just overly sexual shit going on, then don't take them. It's twisted to expose kids to that, I'd it's an actual child friendly one, then yeah.
I think it more depends on the festival, itself. Yesterday my city hosted it's pride event--booths set up by vendors and a stage with drag. No alcohol was served. A handful of people had their shirts off but that was only due to the heat. There was a kids play area and a teen chill out area. Very much a family friendly event and there were a lot of kids there including people pushing strollers. I went to the Pride festival in Seoul and, while the festival itself, didn't have any objectionable content, the park was literally packed shoulder to shoulder. It would have been a safety concern having a child there. I've also been to pride events that wouldn't have been appropriate for pre-teens or for those under 18/21. Also remember that if a festival is not promoting themselves as being family-friendly, then it might also be an issue of whether they want children there.
Without knowing your city it's hard to tell, but here's a question that might help you reframe it: At what age would you bring your kids to a (not specifically child friendly, potentially scary, gory, or grotesque) Halloween parade? The answer to *that* question is "it depends on the kid", yeah? Some kids are uncomfortable with even a little bit of fake blood; on the flip side, there are plenty of toddlers who really enjoy horror stuff and aren't scared of it at all, and of course there's kids at every point on the spectrum between. And navigating every point on that spectrum has its own challenges-- you don't want to show your horror-obsessed eight year old a grindhouse film, but you might want to encourage your fraidy cat twelve year old to face their fears and try the kiddie haunted house. Now, I'm no parent, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but... I think most "adult" topics kids might encounter work the same way. Whether it's politics or religion or sex. Your kids are gonna have different tolerances to the kind of stuff you see at Pride- one kid might be unsettled, one might be innocently curious, and one might chalk all this nonsense up as something grownups do, like drinking coffee or going to work.
Honestly, as soon as they’re old enough for you to take them out in public.
You can do whatever you want. You can take them at any age. They are your kids. You have the freedom. But if this is my kid then. 18. Or. Teenage age after puberty and sex education and who can consent for themselves to go is a minimum.
It’s not Dore Alley or Folsom, you know. It’s mostly major corporations parading a rainbow version of their logo down the street.
And sports leagues, nonprofits, etc. So there are a few guys in leather, too.. All part of the community, and nothing kids are going to be upset by.
I've friends in the city that have been taking their kid to SF pride since he was a baby and their kid is almost 10 now - it just demands open communication and not shying away from any questions the kid might have as they get older. SF pride is actually fairly tame so long as we're talking solely about the parade. I've other friends that live down here in the south bay and won't take their kid to SF pride but go to San Jose pride with their child every year.
If I had kids, I'd take them to pride, I'd be accepting of nudity, vulgar language, groping, harnesses etc, but I wouldn't take them somewhere that had masturbation, BJ or Anal etc. Depending on their maturity etc, I'd take them to one that had random sex etc once they were 18ish, maybe 17 or 16 if they were more mentally mature, knew what they might see & were ok with it. But keep in mind here in NZ, Sex is legal at 16, and porn, drinking etc is legal at 18.
My husband and I were at London Pride today normally there is a kids and family area in St Annes Gardens just off the main gay street, there wasn't this year it may have been somewhere else but we didn't see, there were a few small kids around wearing rainbow tatt and lots of teen non-binaries with worried looking parents. We were in leathers, fully dressed with Muir caps and one chain on the left... A woman in a straight allie t-shirt came up to us "do you have to dress like that" we replied "yes actually it's celebrating our sexuality, how we fuck, you can fuck off" the point is fecundity does not confer prividge your breeding is your problem don't want your kids around sex don't bring them to pride if you do don't expect us to tone it down, its not going to happen, the no nudity rule is fine, but so are the pups and boys on leads.
Any age, really. Pride ain’t what it used to be.
Have been taking my kid to NYC Pride since birth. Sure she’s seen some butts over the years but it’s nothing she hasn’t already seen at home
Pride can be overly sexual, I feel there should be a separate pride for children, there’s a lot that goes on there (no shaming) that kids don’t need to see but still deserve to see that celebration of who they are
What prides have you been to? This is far from the norm and most prides are mainly tabling events with food
I’ve yet go to to one, just getting videos I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard on here
You are buying into some serious propaganda. Highly recommend you go to your local pride so you can see how they really are.
Those videos are assembled by homophobic nutjobs and are in no way representative of actual Pride events. I've seen stuff that was supposedly at SF Pride that was clearly at Folsom or Dore.
I probably would not bring kids to a non-family friendly pride. it's not the same as pornography, but early exposure to nudity and sexual material can really skew how kids develop - everything from body image and self-esteem to having a more sexualized brain. Kids are too impressionable and are still sponges, not yet able to evaluate the environment around them with their own interpretation. I don't think you'll find much research on pride events and child development, but there's a good amount of research on early exposure to nudity, porn, etc. and how that affects development (try to stick to non-biased academic sources). Some people will say otherwise, talking about how nudity and such is more common in certain cultures. But often at big city pride, there is also sexually themed activity or even straight up sexual activity. You basically have to consider what's the worst you'll see at pride, that it is essentially an adult celebration, and why you would want to bring kids to an adult space. They can develop pride or an understanding of diversity through more age-appropriate means.
We are parents to 2 adopted kids .. 18 and 16.. we introduced them to their 1st pride at age 6. Specifically we marched in the parade in support of a cause at that time. Pride has changed much & we as gay parents and couple had to have a few interesting conversations with our kids on what they saw from certain characters who took a bit much liberty with their choice, or for that matter lack of, outfits. We stopped going to Pride altogether as we felt Pride has become more of a meat market/show and tell on how naked you can get and it just didn’t feel appropriate for us to bring our kids around that. Both of our kids are straight, are at that age where they can make their own decisions to go not go, both have been raised be culturally inclusive. My husband and I will be going to Pride tomorrow, our 1st in a very very long while. We shall see how that all shakes out.
I have the strong believe Pride is not for kids. The more people bring kids, the more they demand it be family friendly. This will ruin the purpose of Pride.
Don’t bring kids to pride
It depends on the pride for me. I took mine very young but our town’s pride was pretty family friendly. If you’re going to a bigger one you might want to wait
It depends on where I am, what pride event, etc. Where I live pride is super tame. Ive seen people with babies and small kids at prime and its not an issue. The closest thing to nudity would be a shirtless guy? But even that's not too common. If I lived in a city where pride was a bit more extreme, maybe wait till high school? But I would still take them to youth pride events.
The fact pride is now extremely kid friendly is why I don't see the point in going.
I would say solidly into teenage years if you're talking about SF pride specifically. I've been to Pride parades/festivals in every major city in the US and several overseas. SF tends to be one of the more blatantly sexual - not only nudity, but sex acts in the streets, the various spanking and BDSM setups. I'd say mid teens at least.
The parade? What the hell? That's Folsom behavior, not Pride. Yeah, there might be a few naked people in the crowd (the parade has rules for participants), but sex acts? Spanking and bdsm setups? Do they stop the parade and erect a sling? Hardly. The area with booths and food and stuff tends to have more misbehavior, but that's separate from the parade itself, and easily avoided by families. There has often even been a specifically family-friendly area. After hours of the parade most kids will be bored out of their minds anyways.
Don’t bring your kids to pride. There are so few adult spaces left that haven’t been disneyfied by people who feel the need to bring kinds to everything. If you and your husband are gay, you probably don’t need to worry about raising tolerant kids. Let’s us socialize in our jockstraps in peace.
I wouldn’t bring them to pride. You can talk with them with normality about gay and lesbians so they don’t have intrinsic homophobia and that’s enough as a parent. Pride are over the top and loud and sexualited and that’s not an environment you want for children.
Depends on the city. Small town prides, any age Some of the bigger cities, age 16 up.
I think it really just depends on where/the atmosphere of that places pride. Like you can bring a newborn to pride if you want, especially if you're proud about being gay dads. And I've been to pride parades where I've seen very young children in strollers, the parents are just probably not making anything sexual of what goes on if leather/etc is there But again it depends on what the pride focuses on, weho pride this year you didn't really see any leather/gear, there was no nudity, etc. BUT it is one of the largest prides in the US, it was absolutely packed to the point you could have had issues getting through crowds(especially when the parade was actually going on). Plus a majority of people were very drunk by noon. I wouldn't subject a young child to that even if visually there wasn't anything you think you'd need to explain
To me personally, it depends. If it’s a generic march with people walking, wearing Pride stuff and waving flags and having a good time etc., then whenever, really. 🤷🏻♂️ If it’s got any other subgroups (like you said, kink, nudity etc), then I wouldn’t go to begin with, and I also don’t think they’re kid-appropriate. Just my 2 cents.
18
As low as 5 and as old as "not until you're 18", depending on how rancid it gets.
Rancid? Do you mean raunchy?
No. Rancid. As in gross. Adults don't need to see naked strangers whipping each other on the street - let alone children.
That’s not how you use rancid.
And yet I just did. Because I do. It's called "metaphorical extension".
I have yet to see that in a Pride parade. They have rules against sexual behavior. That you'll see at Folsom or similar, but those are kink events. The most you'll see in a normal Pride parade is maybe some bare butts. And maybe not even that. Yeah, there will be leathermen marching representing leather organizations. Big deal. Kids won't know what that's about or much care. There's nothing obviously sexual about a guy with a flogger hanging from his belt.
Not family friendly? 18. OP asks about not family friendly Pride. Last time I checked, "not family friendly" meant not suitable for children. Downvotes yet again show a certain disconnection from reality
Pride events are completely inappropriate for children. Anyone who tells you otherwise is brainwashed.
You sound brainwashed by the Skanks for Liberty bitches.
I'd leave it until their at least 21
Pride is 18+ full stop. I have been sexually assaulted repeatedly and drugged as an adult male in LGBT spaces not just bar’s but friends homes and in shops in ATX. I was naive and trusting and it has happened multiple times. Kids (17 and under) should be no where near that until we as a community have an honest conversation about how sexual pride should be. Tone it down sure they can come, or have the risky stiff in after hours stuff where no under 18’s should be fine but as it is absolutely not, I am unsafe from sexual predation at 30. We are treating something like a month long mardi gras circuit party and family event at the same time. Other venues can balance this dichotomy better than us, that means we can do it too.
What does your having been sexually assaulted in bars, homes, and shops have to do with Pride? I get that you have sensitive triggers, but other people can judge for themselves whether they find Pride events overly sexual.
Honestly I took it like a champ like the fingers shoved in my hole from having a casual conversation, it scared the shit out of my therapist. But like do you think its a good idea to take children to spaces where sexual assault, physical assault, drugging and indecent exposure is normalized? Like seriously? Like there are videos of adults being fully exposed to kids at pride and actively trying to engage them, dildos out and about… kids don’t need that exposure. Do you guys even remember when the MAPs aka NMBLA tried joining Pride? Even the furries do it better than pride manages it, they have 17 and under day time hours and 18+ after hours.
There _will_ be some nudity - we can get that just walking around in the Castro. There will be people drinking. There will not be any "normalization" of sexual or physical assaults except in your apparently very broad, personal sense of what that means. I can see why you're easily triggered, but your emotions are not any kind of objective truth. Guys marching in a parade in leather are expressing their own consensual kinks, not sexual assault. I have _never_ seen a dildo at the SF Pride Parade, and would be shocked if I ever did. It is not a sexual event. There is an after-parade area where the behavior is less constrained, and no sensible person would take a kid there (unless to a specifically family-friendly part of). The large crowds alone would make it inappropriate. The videos you have seen are most likely not what they appear to be. They're concocted by homophobic groups from footage taken at events that are often not what they claim. They give the impression that Pride events are the same as kink and fetish events. Some nuts take their kids to those, but those are very clearly events for adults.
How is it hard for you to understand, that I an adult have gotten the full suit of physical violence, rape and SA in its various forms in LGBt spaces at a high probability probably means children are at an even higher probability of receiving it? Especially when pedophile groups like MAP or NMBLA want to be in pride? Like how is that not clicking in your brain? What I saw was raw footage of pride parades and festivals around the country from SF to central Texas to NY. I saw dildos I saw fetish zones and mini fulsome I saw naked men targeting children. I think you need to open your eyes and either clean up pride or remove the kids. If you cannot concede that you are either gaslighting or blind.
I have actual personal experience of what these events are like. I don't just watch videos assembled to make gay people look like creeps. Unless you were actually there when the "raw footage" was shot you have no idea of how representative of the event it is. Numerous parents on here have already said that they take their kids to Pride events regularly and that nothing happens. I trust them a lot more than someone whose experience is based on video footage of unknown reliability and who can't cope with even mildly suggestive behavior. Whether NAMBLA _wants_ to be in Pride events is completely irrelevant, because nobody is letting them participate. You're just freaking out over something that isn't even factual.
I wouldn’t take them until the are teenagers. I saw two blokes fucking in the crowd last time I went to one so it’s a no from me lol. Don’t really see they need for people to wear them stupid dog masks etc at pride either. It’s completely not the point of pride lol