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SubscribeThe Gay Pride PSA That Never Aired
A Video Blog
June 14, 2010
Episode 19: The Gay Pride PSA That Never Aired
"Gay Pride" is easily confused by our culture with lesser values -- having the perfect body, drink specials, and the almighty dance floor. It must be just as confusing for younger gay men today to find "the pride inside" as it was for me a generation ago. Anyway, that was on my mind when I created this video, a send-up of earnest public service announcements and a swipe at nightclub culture. Here's hoping your quest for real pride doesn't bear the cost of my own misspent youth.
Thanks for watching, and please be well.
Mark
Read more of My Fabulous Disease, Mark S. King's video blog, at TheBody.com.
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Reader Comments:
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Comment by: Craig W.
(Atlanta, GA)
Mon., Jul. 26, 2010 at 1:10 pm EDT
brilliant transcandent i got such life from this Mark. i love you in spite of how i treat you!
brilliant transcandent i got such life from this Mark. i love you in spite of how i treat you!
Comment by: Kris
(Orlando, FL)
Mon., Jul. 19, 2010 at 2:22 pm EDT
Very Good job Mark. However, I will admit that my husband (21 yrs. and still very happily married) and I still go to PRIDE (this year Chicago) and manage to have fun. I'm 44 and he is 51. We are as Out, Loud & Proud as you can be before 11:00 PM. I wish there was a way to make some of the younger gay men understand how far we have come and how hard some people had to fight and die for the advancement of HIV & AIDS that we enjoy today. I suppose every generation and culture says the same thing, but Youth really is wasted on young people. I was guilty myself. We do very often meet other couples in loving and lasting relationships that we keep in touch with through out the country. Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Very Good job Mark. However, I will admit that my husband (21 yrs. and still very happily married) and I still go to PRIDE (this year Chicago) and manage to have fun. I'm 44 and he is 51. We are as Out, Loud & Proud as you can be before 11:00 PM. I wish there was a way to make some of the younger gay men understand how far we have come and how hard some people had to fight and die for the advancement of HIV & AIDS that we enjoy today. I suppose every generation and culture says the same thing, but Youth really is wasted on young people. I was guilty myself. We do very often meet other couples in loving and lasting relationships that we keep in touch with through out the country. Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Comment by: Pals4Life
(Hollywood, CA)
Sun., Jul. 18, 2010 at 2:48 pm EDT
Whoa - I felt you in the second to last one. Great job
Whoa - I felt you in the second to last one. Great job
Comment by: Karl
(Phoenix, Az)
Thu., Jul. 8, 2010 at 9:37 pm EDT
That be all well and good but I can't even bring myself to say that 4 letter word, still. I was officially dianosed on Nov 20, 2007. I hate having this crap. But the video was fangastic and fagolious. Keep up the good work!
That be all well and good but I can't even bring myself to say that 4 letter word, still. I was officially dianosed on Nov 20, 2007. I hate having this crap. But the video was fangastic and fagolious. Keep up the good work!
Comment by: JOHN PENDLETON GAINES
(Fort Lauderdale Florida)
Sat., Jun. 19, 2010 at 9:23 am EDT
You never cease to amaze me. Thank you for making me laugh for all these years, and to make me cry at the passion we share in living with our fabulous disease. Miss seeing you, big hugs sweet man!!
You never cease to amaze me. Thank you for making me laugh for all these years, and to make me cry at the passion we share in living with our fabulous disease. Miss seeing you, big hugs sweet man!!
Comment by: Mark
(Aztec, New Mexico)
Thu., Jun. 17, 2010 at 12:19 am EDT
OK, I loved it.
Great message, well put together.
Oh, and on a personal note, I almost hurt myself laughing when you mentioned being 49 and not being able to stay awake for Letterman.
I'm there with you.
OK, I loved it.
Great message, well put together.
Oh, and on a personal note, I almost hurt myself laughing when you mentioned being 49 and not being able to stay awake for Letterman.
I'm there with you.
Comment by: StevenIga
(Atlanta, GA)
Tue., Jun. 15, 2010 at 1:10 pm EDT
Brilliant - as always! I love your ability to mix humor, realism, vulnerability - it's all there! You capture the realism of what it is to be a Gay man struggling to find your identity in our diverse community.
Brilliant - as always! I love your ability to mix humor, realism, vulnerability - it's all there! You capture the realism of what it is to be a Gay man struggling to find your identity in our diverse community.
Comment by: Joshua Murphy
(Culver City, CA)
Mon., Jun. 14, 2010 at 10:42 pm EDT
Mark--it couldn't have been said or done better! I personally declined participating in any way in the "Gay Pride" festivities here in Los Angeles this year, for many of the same reasons that your video so eloquently "sends-up." Where are the brave, compassionate, big-hearted, caring men who sat and held the hands and heads of an entire generation of Gay Men as they died of AIDS? Well, to be blunt, they're "parTying"--doing "Tina," "Meth," "Crystal,"--whatever name or abbreviation it is given, it is destroying the souls of so many young gay men, and I'm not speaking in a spiritual or religious sense. Users are walking "Portraits of Dorian Gray"--pretty on the outside, hideous parodies of human beings on the inside. To me, that is the number one reason why "lesser values" have come to dominate Gay culture, and why so many of us have lost our sense of pride in the courage and foresight of our Gay predecessors who made it okay to be who we are as a subculture. One can only hope that a widespread awakening will soon occur, that the Gay community will again learn to mix pleasure with responsibility, indulgence with self-awareness and concern for others, as well as the future of Gay culture in general. Thank you for your contribution to awareness of the darkness that has descended upon urban gay culture in the 21st century.
Mark--it couldn't have been said or done better! I personally declined participating in any way in the "Gay Pride" festivities here in Los Angeles this year, for many of the same reasons that your video so eloquently "sends-up." Where are the brave, compassionate, big-hearted, caring men who sat and held the hands and heads of an entire generation of Gay Men as they died of AIDS? Well, to be blunt, they're "parTying"--doing "Tina," "Meth," "Crystal,"--whatever name or abbreviation it is given, it is destroying the souls of so many young gay men, and I'm not speaking in a spiritual or religious sense. Users are walking "Portraits of Dorian Gray"--pretty on the outside, hideous parodies of human beings on the inside. To me, that is the number one reason why "lesser values" have come to dominate Gay culture, and why so many of us have lost our sense of pride in the courage and foresight of our Gay predecessors who made it okay to be who we are as a subculture. One can only hope that a widespread awakening will soon occur, that the Gay community will again learn to mix pleasure with responsibility, indulgence with self-awareness and concern for others, as well as the future of Gay culture in general. Thank you for your contribution to awareness of the darkness that has descended upon urban gay culture in the 21st century.
Comment by: Your Friend John
(Atlanta)
Mon., Jun. 14, 2010 at 8:13 pm EDT
Overwhelmed. Fabulous. You have come such a long way and the road has not been easy. Its good to see you well.
Overwhelmed. Fabulous. You have come such a long way and the road has not been easy. Its good to see you well.
Comment by: Keith
(Atlanta, GA)
Mon., Jun. 14, 2010 at 6:48 pm EDT
Hey Mark, this is a fabulous PSA you've put together. The message is real and hits right home for me. If you don't mind, I have re-posted this on my site http://www.partyfavorz.net along with a link back to your personal site. I hope this doesn't offend you. When you get there, take a look around and you'll see what I'm about.
HAPPY PRIDE! (even if it's in early October)
Hey Mark, this is a fabulous PSA you've put together. The message is real and hits right home for me. If you don't mind, I have re-posted this on my site http://www.partyfavorz.net along with a link back to your personal site. I hope this doesn't offend you. When you get there, take a look around and you'll see what I'm about.
HAPPY PRIDE! (even if it's in early October)
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