Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride

Mar 26 2010 PG-13 1h 27m

Biography, Documentary, History

Over the course of a year, film follows Vancouver Pride Society president Ken Coolen to various international Pride events, including Poland, Hungary, Russia, Sri Lanka and others where there is great opposition to pride parades. In North America, Pride is complicated by commercialization and a sense that the festivals are turning away from their political roots toward tourism, party promotion and entertainment. Christie documents the ways larger, more mainstream Pride events have supported the global Pride movement and how human rights components are being added to more established events. In the New York sequence, leaders organize an alternative Pride parade, the Drag March, set up to protest the corporatization of New York Pride. A parade in São Paulo, the world's largest Pride festival, itself includes a completely empty float, meant to symbolize all those lost to HIV and to anti-gay violence.

Plot

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.

Written by

Bob Christie, Aerlyn Weissman

Directed by

Bob Christie

Cast

Ken Coolen

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

Canada

Languages

English

Awards

10 wins & 2 nominations

Trailers

Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride - Trailer

Scores

# of Votes

146

Average Rating

7 out of 10

Metascore

Popularity

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