The Commodification of Gaylandia

The Gay Pride Weekend's invasion of the Civic Center neighborhood was heralded by a rainbow color scheme at the San Francisco Opera House Friday night.



On Saturday morning, the tents and booths and $5 donation gauntlets were being set up all over the neighborhood. When I asked the greeter if he was trying to profit off of my fabulous homosexuality, he laughed and I continued freely on my way home through the plaza.



The commodification of the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/questioning/what-have-you scene has been going on for many years, but it really is beginning to hit new levels of absurdity.



For instance, what in god's name is a "Gay Home Loan" and how is it different from, say, a Jewish or a Chicano Home Loan?



Then there's the relentless cheap liquor marketing...



...along with calling plans that were using a small army of beautiful young salespeople who didn't look particularly gay, which in itself was fairly heartening.



In the middle of Civic Center Plaza, Cheer was practicing. This is yet another organization that started in the fertile period of the late 1970s and early 1980s when affinity groups galore were being created. It began as a few gay boys from Hayward who used to be high school cheerleaders, and over the years has morphed into a huge collection of ex-high school cheerleaders of all genders and sexual preferences who just want to have fun.



Also staring down at the Civic Center is the large Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks which is supposed to make us think about being victimized Homos in the Nazi era, but instead reminds me of a nice, iconic representation of a woman's private parts, and you can come up with your own name for them yourself.