I can’t say I’ve experienced pride a decade ago, since I’ve been closeted for years and only recently had the epiphany that I can just show up as an undercover ally now that it’s more socially acceptable to have solidarity with the queers.

I can see where you are coming from. Before I realized I was queer, I was an ally and I thought about it a similar way, happy to see people support a group one of my friends belonged to that has suffered historically.

I think our difference of opinion is summed up by your last paragraph:

no, those rainbow ads don’t mean anything more than the green and red ones in December, or the red hearts in February. But the fact that corporations are openly showing support without fear of death threats, or “more importantly” losing money, means something to me.

I genuinely don’t care about symbolic actions. I worry that corporations will heel turn the moment it is no longer safe or profitable to pander to the queers. Having rainbows in june does feel nice, but I’ve come to notice that it merely distracts me from the pain of the closet.

I think it’s more important that pride comes from a stronger base than the whim of a corporation chasing profit. As long as we are profitable, we get support. The moment things change, we lose it all.

I also have a problem with the corporatization of pride. When I went to my local pride parade, I wouldn’t be allowed to march, since I wasn’t a member of an organization/corporation, since pride was no longer for the people, it was for the corporation.

Queer protestors interrupted the parade to try and stand in solidarity with Palestinians, and they were beaten by the cops. Pride used to be a protest, but now protest was no longer possible in pride.

When unaffiliated queers tried to march through the street, cops blocked them and were preparing to arrest people before that crowd took a different route. Had that group of people been an employee of the local military contractor, they would have been able to stroll down the road with them unopposed.

My expression of pride was reduced to standing on the sidelines and watching corporations parade down the street with rainbow banners, interrupted by real people in organizations. There was a sterility of the corporate floats compared to a random organization marching down the road.

For example, there was a group of furries marching down the streets in their fursuits and the pride flags that represent them. There were multiple groups of drag queens strutting down the street with a car following them blasting music. These displays had a completely different feel than seeing some airline company march down the street with their little carts throwing pride themed merch at us.

To me, the big thing I want is solidarity, and corporations are incapable of giving that. And solidarity is what is going to matter if things come crashing down around us.