Gay "Pride?"

[TheN3rdyOutcast]

Like I and pretty much anyone who's seen my signature within the last few months knows, I am gay. However, whenever I'm drawing two male and two female stick figures holding hands on the back of my binders I think to myself. "I'm saying LOVE=LOVE and Fuck yeah, Gay pride! on my papers, but is that really gay pride?"

Anybody can be for LGBT pride on paper, but actions speak louder than words and vocalized words speak much louder than written words. To avoid people saying tl;dr, I'll cut to the chase.

Does gay pride have to be visually expressed?
Can a closeted person be LGBT proud?
And most importantly
I live in a progressive county in a southern, redneck, conservative state, How dangerous would it be to show gay pride?

[Blood]

Does gay pride have to be visually expressed? No. Different people show pride in different ways. If you're uncomfortable expressing your pride visually, that doesn't mean you have any more or any less than the next person.
Can a closeted person be LGBT proud? That would ultimately depend on the person and their reasons for being closeted. But yes, I would say they can be LGBT proud.
And most importantly
I live in a progressive county in a southern, redneck, conservative state, How dangerous would it be to show gay pride? It can be very, very dangerous. Take it from someone who has been born and raised in the deep south. If you want to show your gay pride, do it at your own risks. Also, bigger cities in the south will tend to be more accepting.

[Rayquaza]

Well here in London it's not called Gay Pride anymore, it's just called 'Pride' to encompass everyone LGBT+. It doesn't need to be visually expressed, but visual expression is the most powerful. A closeted LGBT+ person can be proud, but it depends on the person and it doesn't matter what other people say about their pride. It would dangerous to show pride in a backwards state, however you would be surprised at the fact that there actually are people in these states are support equality but are too afraid to express it.

[jessie3]

Does gay pride have to be visually expressed?

No gay pride does not have to be visually expressed, it can also be heard through people's voice or through song like Macklemore's song " Same Love "

Can a closeted person be LGBT proud?

Well they are closeted for a reason, but in the times of social media and being allowed to block people from seeing certin things such as gay pride then yes a person can be LGBT proud.

And most importantly
I live in a progressive county in a southern, redneck, conservative state, How dangerous would it be to show gay pride?

Well im from Texas, born and raised and alot of people down here especially older folks do not like seeing someone of the same sex together, it's like a taboo to them. Resturants, movie theatrers, stores and just basically anything pubic here have the right to kick you out, ban you and refuse to serve you if you are LGBT and if they want they could call the local priest/ father and they would try to talk to you into becoming straight or " A son of God " and if that don't work they could call the police and maybe have you arrested.

[peyton2000]

My dad's more into the rainbow pflag gay pride stuff than I am. I hear sad stories about parents disown in you for being gay but my dad is totally the opposite he's super gay pride dad. I went too the gay pride parade in st. Louis and he marched beside me just daring someone would yell a homophobic phrase.

[Pulp501]

Does gay pride have to be visually expressed?
Can a closeted person be LGBT proud?
And most importantly
I live in a progressive county in a southern, redneck, conservative state, How dangerous would it be to show gay pride?

No, gay pride doesn't have to be visually expressed, just writing stuff down isn't very effective.
I'm bisexual but closeted, and while I'm not really LGBT proud, because I don't see why I should be proud of any sexuality, I suppose someone could support LGBT causes while being closeted themselves and have gay pride.
I also live in Missouri a mostly conservative state and am conservative myself, I would come out here, but in some even more conservative states you might get a lot of hate for coming out. I don't come out because of my family, not everyone else.

[phuckphace]

closet for life, yo. to be honest it's not something I regularly think about...I don't see myself as part of "the LGBT community", if you can even call it that. I just want to have good friends, lead a normal life and be known as a good person by everyone who knows me. so far I've managed to pull it off just fine (even in a "redneck" state) so that's all I'm worried about.

[ImCoolBeans]

I don't have pro-LGBT shirts, go to rallies/pride festivals, I've never participated in a day of silence, or any other overt LGBT activities. That doesn't mean that I'm not pro-LGBT, or that I don't have any "pride", to be frank, that's just not my style. I don't love the whole walking around in skimpy clothes with rainbows painted all over your body kind of scene. I think it's kind of degrading actually. But to each his own, and if you want to do that then by all means go for it.

I don't wear shirts, or protest publicly because honestly, I don't want to draw all of the attention in the world to the fact that I'm gay. I'm proud of who I am, and am not afraid to admit it, but I don't see myself as any different than a straight male, I just play a slightly different game than he would. We are humans, men and women alike, and I just happen to like different humans than some other males do. It's really that simple.

[CuteGuy889]

I think they help gays express themselves and be confident.
I had a closeted gay friend who was really shy, sensitive & probly anorexic (ws skinny as hell). He came out to another openly gay friend when he went to US for studies..
There he met a very good gay support grp. They took him under their wing, got him out of the closet and made him confident to stand out as who he is.
He was taken to a "Gay Pride" in another state. He has initially felt sensitive and awkward. But all guys there has been understanding and gentle. Gradually he has grown so confident & comfortable take his tee off...By the end he has ventured to take his pants off too and parade in his tighty whities!!!
I did not belive it until he sent me phots of him parading in the pride just in his briefs. He really has grown confident and has recoved frm anorexia, no longer the shy, sticklike weakling he used to be and has filled out and is quite plump and cute by straight standards too.
I am proud of him and I think he owes it to the support grups he found in USA.

[Gamma Male]

Gay pride has never really been about pride in my eyes, but about fostering acceptance and not apologizing for who we are.

I'm not "proud" to be gay anymore than I'm proud to be white, or American, or 6 feet tall, or to have hazel eyes. It's stupid to be proud of thing which you have no control over.

[Cognizant]

I think the whole "pride parade" thing has less of a meaning nowadays, especially in areas like San Francisco where we've already passed gay marriage and there isn't that much of a "need" to have it. That isn't to say that we shouldn't stop being proud of being LGBT, I'm just saying that the whole "pride parade with rainbows and people riding Metro in nothing other than a jockstrap" is less (to me) about having pride in your sexuality, but just a fun way to spend your weekend. For me, I just show my pride in my sexuality by saying that I'm proud of who I am, and that goes a whole lot further than just watching people on floats roll by.

As far as your final question is concerned, I'm afraid I cannot help you there, as a majority of California (except maybe the very northern part of the state) is generally accepting of gay marriage, pride, etc. I think that if you wanted, you could go to a pride celebration in your community. While it isn't as meaningful as stating out loud that you're gay and proud, it get's the job done.