Showing posts with label Rose Parade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rose Parade. Show all posts

Cultural exhibitionism or political grandstanding? The motives behind the Rose Parade gay wedding

The motivation behind a Rose Parade float featuring a gay wedding depends on who you ask. The float, sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), featured a wedding cake with two men on top, who married during the parade. Millions witnessed the wedding this morning, in person or on television, during the annual New Year's tradition.

According to AHF, the theme of the float was "Love is the Best Protection." It seems like an odd, if not dangerous, statement to make for an organization trying to stop the spread of AIDS (doctors would argue a condom or abstinence might protect a bit better). They also say the float was meant to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage in several states. Their website included an op-ed from the LA Daily News stating gay marriage is now as mainstream as the Rose Parade itself. From their standpoint, the float, and the wedding, were part of a larger political statement.