Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride

Synopsis:

Before the 30th anniversary, Vancouver’s Gay Pride Parade director examines relevance of Pride celebrations internationally. He travels to places where Pride is steeped in protest to experience the powerful oppression that still exists. Pride is more than a parade, it’s a giant step on the road to equality.

Quick Thoughts:

“Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride” is an interesting queer news film & documentary. On one hand, it’s quite informative about the various realities of holding Pride events & parades around the world – including in counties such as Russia and Poland where simply being homosexual can get you arrested! Yet those informative segments are almost lost amid the frivolity and celebration of Pride events where queer people have improved or equal rights. Ken Coolen, the organizer of Vancouver Pride’s parade, is the key figure throughout this queer news film as the camera follows him around the world to various events. He tries to highlight that we all must remember that pride is NOT an equal celebration around the world, and that there is greater work to be done.

However, that message gets lost and even diminished amid the segments where it’s just one big party. Is “Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride” and important queer news film to watch? Sure! However, it’s also a tad dated now as even things in the US have changed since this film premiered in 2010. I can personally attest that things have gone downhill in Russia as I had to be quite cautious just going out when I visited in 2017. If you have the time to spare and are intrigued about world-wide LGBTQ hurdles, then I recommend watching this queer news film. But it’s also OK if you skip it.