The Conformity of 'Diversity'

The queer community is up in arms about Pride parade organizers "censoring" the Israeli Apartheid banner from this year's festivities. NOW Magazine's Susan G. Cole, a lesbian, is delighted by her community's response to the "censorship". She's particularly tickled that's it's been so passionate and so--what's that word beloved by those who march in lockstep with each other?, oh yeah--"diverse":

...Though many artists have stepped away from the Pride roster, unable to bear the idea of supporting censorship – Keith Cole, who was slated to host the Alterna-Queer stage, and DJ John Caffrey, to name just two – others, like the queers of colour from Blockorama, who have felt dismissed and diminished by their experience with Pride, said they intend to operate their Pride stage and rock the politics.

The openness was staggering, emblematic of a political maturity that’s rare in a group of fuming activists. [Former Ceeb 'Word Lady' Jane, who rescinded her Pride dyke honour] Farrow moderated the meet with humour and skill, and there was none of the bitchy bickering that often characterizes gatherings where people have different ideas about what to do next.

The range of opinion reflected the spectacular diversity of people present. I have never seen such a mix – people of all skin colours, queers old enough to be at the first Pride in 1981 and others who’ve only experienced the festival as one big corporate bend-over.

Look for passionate responses of all kinds – from civil disobedience and freer speech at Pride to a pointedly political alternative march.

Wow. How edgy and courageous and way groovy and in-your-face, in a 1968 kind of way. In other word, totally conformormist circa 2010, since "diversity" refers to the plethora of epidermis shades and not to different ways of seeing and understanding things; in that regard, "diversity" is scant to non-existent. But then, these days, the real non-conformists are the Martin Gladstones, the gay chap who championed the nixing of the Big Lie as part of Pride parade revelry, and who is thus decidedly out of step with his non-diverse confreres/soeurs.

Update: FYI, I just learned via the Pride Guide 2010 pullout in NOW that the acronym has become even more bloated. You'd better grab a pencil and write it down, because there's no way you're going to remember it all. Here goes: 

LGBTTIQQ2SA

Which stands for (big breath): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, 2-Spirited, and Allies.

Holy moley. That's complicated enough to be used as a computer password!