Queer Visibilty and Activism

The annual L.A. Dyke March is an event to celebrate and make visible the lesbian community as they work toward equality and human rights, per their manifesto. The participants vary in dress and expression, but don't appear to be dressing differently from any other day in the life. They all seem content, suppported, celebrated and comfortable, and their largest march had 40,000-100,000 participants so they were definitely seen! In regards to political and social goals historically sought out by the movement, events such as these definitely foster solidarity and provide community, as for larger aims, such as laws, freedoms, and dissolving prejudice, it's hard to tell...they are empowering, exciting, a little shocking at times depemding on costume, dress, or lack therof. Micheal Warner, in his piece "What's Wrong With Normal?"seeks to connect with like-minded individuals, gain rights, & protect freedoms, but also to be accepted/celebrated by larger society, easily categorized as freaks as they challenge the 'stigmaphobe' of normalcy with honest expression. He finds two camps of participation, that of sex radical and the other assimilationist. Apparently Chellew is the latter in her article "The Naked Truth", but perhaps not, as she seems to represent those willing to sacrifice image, appearance, and visibilty for real change in rights' legislation, acceptance, and harmony. She might agree that outward expressions that place too much emphasis on sexuality leaves onlookers of these parades with a sense of participants' imbalance, or ill-health.
To gather and march is to celebrate, to encourage, to be seen. How much, or what side we should show is a question only answered by a deliberation of what activism is, whether one is an activist or not.