Never been one for Pride Marches

Hi All,

I've been really been one for gay pride marches. I'm unashamedly Jewish and lesbian with a magnificent Sephardi heritage.  Yet I really don't see the need to go on a pride march advertising these things, they just are, rather than being something to boast about to others . But  I suppose if I were to list my reasons for not bothering with such :

1. They're full of exhibitionists, almost nudists without any thought than someone else might not want to look at a 50 year old man in a  spandex codpiece  , and my most radical moment was the first time I put on Jeans, as Jewish women are brought up to dress modestly in public  and not to wear clothing of the opposite sex (so the more Orthodox you are, the longer your dress and the greater the likelihood you cover your arms and have tights on even in the summer).

2. It isn't really gay pride anymore, as in gay men and lesbian women, but  a whole host of others who've jumped on the bandwagon. So it rather defeats the point of gay pride when you have transgendered, bisexuals and many other parts of what has know become an alphabet soup of LGBTQWERTY.

3. They take place during Shabbat

4. The very fact that gay people are now accepted in society means we don't need them. In fact if we are to be inclusive, then we don't need gay pride marches as they are exclusive and not inclusive.

5. They make me feel embarrassed and uncomfortable and I don't think they represent all gay and lesbian people, just the loud shouty ones who think they speak for all gay people.

6. They're too loud for my tastes

7.  I and Sarah have a broad spectrum of friends, some of whom would be uncomfortable in such a place. We don't want to make our friends uncomfortable and besides which we have friends from all different communities, religions and sexualities. It is far cooler to enjoy the company of all your friends. The same goes with our family.

8. I also have British cultural heritage and the stiff upper lip when it comes to talking about sex and sexuality in public. Hence one of our rules about discussing our sex life on this blog and how lesbians make love or whether we use vibrators, strap ons or just  fingers and tongues etc.

9. It's in the public street. I think beach parties and the like are more appropriate because they are on private property and not in a place where others could be easily offended.

10.  We are not prudish or Taliban type Jews either .

For example I've been to the Eilat festival a couple of times, which includes belly dancing :

And of course belly dancing is part of Sephardim culture :