Critics, including Cohen, also wondered whether it was in the teenagers' best interests to position themselves so firmly as homosexual at ages starting as young as 11 years old.

After meeting with the organizers of the Gay Pride parade, a compromise was reached. The organization promised Cohen only teenagers who were accompanied by at least one parent would be allowed on the teenage boat.

Critics, including Cohen, also wondered whether it was in the teenagers' best interests to position themselves so firmly as homosexual at ages starting as young as 11 years old.

"Teenage gays have a difficult time finding a date," he explained to reporters. "They need to have more meeting places. It is important that they can meet gay peers."

Don't we all want to make life a little bit easier for our kids than it was for us?

When the Vancouver Pride Society recently lost four big backers–Air Canada, IKEA Canada, Citytv, and Hewlett-Packard–they were quickly replaced by the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel and Cathay Pacific.

Steve Scarrow, Citytv's regional promotions director, told the Straight that the company made a "business decision" and it had nothing to do with its long-standing support of the gay and lesbian community. He said the company was told it would no longer be allowed to hand out anything during the parade, which inhibited contact with the public.

"But they had also taken on so many sponsors," Scarrow said. "We are not big believers–this goes for everything we do–in being one of 25 sponsors at the bottom of a poster with a logo that is the size of a postage stamp. We just don't think we get any value out of that. We primarily go into things where we feel we are part of the community, we're being involved."

Even the term Pride has been trademarked. It was registered in 2003 by the organization that puts on the Toronto Pride parade and will be transferred to an organization called Fierté Canada Pride to administer on behalf of Pride societies across the country. The trademark is for "Clothing, namely shirts", as well as for staging an annual celebration for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people, according to a document filed with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

Hamilton said that last year, the Vancouver Pride Society told her she would have to pay for the right to use the term Pride to promote two events that she was organizing: Man Pride and Tranny Pride. Hamilton refused, and the society backed down. "They were essentially the Pride police, and they would determine who could use the word Pride and who couldn't," she said.

Stacy Clark is one member of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community who is uncomfortable with the growing corporate presence in the Pride celebrations. She told the Straight that the Vancouver Pride Society's heavy reliance on sponsorships can cause it to lose its focus on the history of the community and encouraging more people to get involved.

"As soon as you start to get very corporate, it's a double-edged sword," Clark said. "You need the money to put on the event, and then you get worried about losing the money."

Vancouver writer Michael V. Smith has questioned why companies don't invest more money in groups that feed hungry queer kids and find them shelter rather than just march in the parade. Last year, after the controversy erupted over the trademark issue, social activists helped organize the first Shame: Party Without Pride. Clark is promoting the second Shame party, which will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion at 2205 Commercial Drive on Friday (August 3). All proceeds from this gender-inclusive event will be donated to the Sista'Hood project, which is a month-long arts-and-music event.

"Nongendered, noncorporate, nonsponsored hits the nail on the head in terms of what it is we try to do," Clark said. "The Shame party is not a protest event for Pride. It's to call people out. At the event this year, we have performers doing their interpretation of what the Olympics means to them. You can only imagine how it's going to go."

Boychuk, on the other hand, said that he hopes to lure the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as a Pride Society sponsor in 2008 and 2009. He said that VANOC officials have attended planning sessions in the past six months with Pride Society officials. "They had stated to us that they were interested in partnering with Vancouver Pride to be able to have access to the gay and lesbian market," Boychuk said.

An ultimatum issued to the Georgia Straight by one of the Vancouver Pride Society's (VPS) parade directors -- who demanded an immediate explanation for alleged inaccuracies in the Vancouver weekly's Aug 2 cover story "Pride Incorporated" -- has prompted the Straight to pull out of Sunday's Pride parade.

[...]

In an Aug 2 blog follow-up to his story, Straight editor Charlie Smith writes that VPS treasurer and parade director Ken Coolen called the paper, saying the publisher "had two hours to call and explain this week's cover story."

"If the publisher didn't call," Coolen is reported to have said, "the Straight would not be allowed in the parade." Publisher Dan McLeod did not return Coolen's call. Instead, the Straight decided not to participate in the parade "for the first time in years," says Smith.

When asked about the alleged ultimatum, Coolen declined to comment and referred the matter to VPS president John Boychuk.

Boychuk admits that "a heat-of-the-moment comment was made by Ken," but says the "very passionate" parade director made the "unfortunate comment" in order to get a quick response.

"He realized it was unfair, and when I had my conversation with Charlie Smith I said that was something that was a knee-jerk reaction," says Boychuk, adding he apologized for "any misconception" regarding the Straight's float entry which "has not and will not be cancelled."

"[Smith] said to me, "Doesn't matter, we're already pulling the plug," Boychuk alleges.

When asked to elaborate on the "inaccuracies" Coolen reportedly saw in "Pride Incorporated," Boychuk says: "It was a variety of different issues. I don't have a copy in front of me so I can't go through it point by point.

[...]

The Straight's first gay columnist, Kevin Dale McKeown, says it's the Straight that's being penalized, not the Pride Society.

"I don't think they [the VPS] were trying to control what the Georgia Straight said so much as they were trying to punish them for saying things that the Society didn't want to have [said] in public at this time," McKeown alleges. "And I think that's very inappropriate. "

You know, back when Vancouver Pride™© lost the sponsorship of Air Canada, IKEA Canada, Citytv, and Hewlett-Packard and Xtra.ca wrote a story on it, I wrote a comment to Xtra.ca that was critical of Boychuck, VPS, and Fierté Canada Pride™© -- basically making the same sort of points that The Straight did in its article -- but Xtra chose not to publish it.

If I was in Vancouver this Sunday (today) I certainly wouldn't bother attending this corporate greedfest that has supplanted Pride (that's Pride without all the trademark and corporate logo symbols that Boychuck, VPS and Fierté Canada Pride™© seem to insist on; I'd be at the Shame: Party Without Pride event.

One more thing: thankfully Fierté Canada Pride™© doesn't control *every* Pride event across the country, so out here in the Kootenays we are going to continue to have our non-corporate, all-inclusive, friendly and welcoming little Pride event where we're more focused on people -- and Pride -- than on sponsorships, corporate access to the Queer Dollar and cozying up to other irresponsible greed-heads like VANOC.

And we'll do just fine, I assure you. Anyone in Vancouver (or elsewhere) who wants a refreshing change of pace should come out to Nelson on the Labour Day Weekend -- we'll be the ones having fun and showing our (non-corporate) Pride.

He said the company was told it would no longer be allowed to hand out anything during the parade, which inhibited contact with the public.

"But they had also taken on so many sponsors," Scarrow said. "We are not big believers–this goes for everything we do–in being one of 25 sponsors at the bottom of a poster with a logo that is the size of a postage stamp. We just don't think we get any value out of that. We primarily go into things where we feel we are part of the community, we're being involved."

"As soon as you start to get very corporate, it's a double-edged sword," Clark said. "You need the money to put on the event, and then you get worried about losing the money."

AMSTERDAM (ANP) – A number of homosexuals were assaulted in two separate incidents during the Gay Pride weekend in Amsterdam. On Saturday night a 34-year-old Irish man was attacked in the vicinity of the Kinkerstraat, police announced on Monday.

The Irishman was walking with his Spanish boyfriend when he got in an argument with two aggressive men. After a hand gesture by the Irishman the two struck him with a hard object, after which the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He underwent surgery to his jaw and other treatment. The police strongly suspect that the man was attacked because of his sexual orientation.

Two American men were attacked on the Nassaukade on Friday night. One was beaten and sprayed in the face with pepper spray or tear gas. The police suspect that the violence in this case was also motivated by hate towards gays, but are not ruling out the incident may have been a mugging.

During a third incident on Friday night troublemakers destroyed a wreath from the gay rights monument at the Westerkerk and threw it in the canal. The police later arrested two young men on suspicion of vandalism.

The firefighters claim they were subjected to gross sexual gestures and obscenities while riding on a city fire truck during the event.

Veteran Fire Captain John Ghiotto, engineer Jason Hewett and firefighters Chad Allison and Alexander Kane have filed a claim against their bosses, saying they were forced to ride atop a fire truck in this year's parade.

In a claim filed with the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the four men say they were ordered directly to participate in the July 21 event against their wishes.

The men, who collectively have been with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for more than 50 years, say that during their time on a fire truck, they were repeatedly sexually harassed by the crowd.

Almost 400,000 turn out for Vancouver Gay Pride

In a claim filed with the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the four men say they were ordered directly to participate in the July 21 event against their wishes.

The men, who collectively have been with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for more than 50 years, say that during their time on a fire truck, they were repeatedly sexually harassed by the crowd.

Department pursuant to Government Code section 129400)(1) [employer liable for harassment by non-employees if the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action] and section 12940(k) [employer liable for failing to take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent harassment.]

We did follow the chief' s order and took part in the parade to avoid any disciplinary action . While moving down the parade route we were subjected to verbal abuse, (show me your hose, you can put out my fire, give me mouth to mouth, fuck you fireman) sexual gestures , (showing their penis, blowing kisses, grabbing their crotch, rubbing their nipples , tongue gestures , flipping us off)- We were subject to this type of abuse and more throughout the parade route . You could not even look at the crowd without getting some type of sexual gesture . Even the Christian protesters were giving us grief for being a part of this . The experience left me feeling humiliated , embarrassed and offended by this event. These unsolicited and unwanted behaviors from a few individuals of the public toward us, reduced our morale as well as the integrity of the workplace, and destroyed our professionalism . Our department and our supervisors violated the city's own EEO policy by knowing that we were going to be subjected to this type of behavior