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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

What’s that Definition of Insanity Again?

posted by on February 6 at 15:48 PM

Oh, right: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

So it looks like the local dumbfucks that couldn’t run a gay community center—no, wait. I’m not being fair. Those dumbfucks could run a gay community center… straight into the ground.

Anyway…

Seattle’s gay community center had to close its doors earlier this year after losing shitloads of money—no one knows exactly how much—running Queerfest, a competing pride parade on Capitol Hill. (SOAP, the group that runs Seattle’s official pride parade, moved the event downtown two years ago.) You might think that the fuckwits running our currently homeless LGBT Community Center would drop Queerfest, the money-loser that forced ‘em to shut their doors. But the stupidity of the LGBT Center’s “leadership” should never be underestimated.

RSS icon Comments

1

Who keeps giving these fucks money to throw away on this crap?

Posted by Mittens Schrodinger | February 6, 2008 3:51 PM
2

That definition of insanity is bullshit. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is know as practice!!

Posted by muckfetro | February 6, 2008 3:55 PM
3

You gays!

Posted by Will/HA | February 6, 2008 3:56 PM
4

Meh. I plan to enjoy both as long as they last; after all, it's not my money.

Posted by Greg | February 6, 2008 3:56 PM
5

I love your scathing commentaries. You can still make me laugh after all these years—we've got a good thing going on Dan Savage.

Posted by Carollani | February 6, 2008 4:00 PM
6

one thing i don't get;

they represent (in their own words) the lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, and queer community of seattle.

arent all these things a part of the set of queer?

Posted by Bellevue Ave | February 6, 2008 4:03 PM
7

if erica had written this, i'd say it was immature, meanspirited, and uninformative. but because it was written by a guy with a steely pair, i think it's comic genius. amen, brother!

Posted by some dude | February 6, 2008 4:08 PM
8

(I have to confess, when I clicked the link, and before the page could even load, the browser banner screamed "GROWING FORWARD!!!!" I giggled. A little.)

Posted by Andy Niable | February 6, 2008 4:15 PM
9

some dude, youre full of shit because erica is never as eloquent as this and if she ever has any content to her posts, it is all a fucking quote from someone else.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | February 6, 2008 4:18 PM
10

Fuck off, Bellevue Ave. Erica writes long, original posts for Slog every damn day.

Posted by Dan Savage | February 6, 2008 4:20 PM
11

Leave it to the craaaaaaaaaaazy queers to keep flogging a dead horse! (I blame the lesbos)

@7: Thanks for the only Laugh Out Loud moment via Slog today!

Posted by Queen_of_Sleaze | February 6, 2008 4:22 PM
12

maybe you're right Dan, I could be confusing her with charles who posts pictures and one liners together.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | February 6, 2008 4:26 PM
13

WTF? What idiots... And we thought SOAP was bad. At least SOAP owned up to their mistakes and are now making a valient effort to make things better. And they throw a kick ass parade. The LGBT Community Center has no business doing pride events. Just stick with your other stuff that you do well.

Posted by moshit | February 6, 2008 4:28 PM
14

OOH Bellevue Ave just got TOLD

Posted by Non | February 6, 2008 4:30 PM
15

@14, people from the stranger like confronting me, what can i say?

Posted by Bellevue Ave | February 6, 2008 4:32 PM
16

I have to point out that SOAP put on a decent parade last year, for the first time, and that was probably largely due to the Stranger putting up the prize money for the floats...In previous years, the parade was a big fucking bore, without any floats or hoopla.

Posted by michael strangeways | February 6, 2008 4:37 PM
17

The question is this: Did the LGBT Center do any market research to determine if there was truly a need for this program? How will it not duplicate efforts by other organizations? Is there a way to partner with SOAP so as to further enhance an already existing event (that does need help, imo.) What are these decisions being based upon? Personalities? "We did it last year"? Or on something that either shows a way to lead a community or is something that the community they serve actually wants/needs?

If LGBT Center can do it better, go for it. If not, they should consider shifting their resources to something that is of higher priority that serves their mission.

Posted by la | February 6, 2008 4:39 PM
18

Confidential to Bellevue Ave:

You're a dick.

Posted by *gong* | February 6, 2008 4:52 PM
19

Actually @2, the definition of "practice" in this context would be more along the lines of: "doing the same thing over and over again, but achieving a slightly improved result each time".

'Cause, you know, practice making perfect, and all that.

Posted by COMTE | February 6, 2008 5:03 PM
20

@15 Don't flatter yourself by misreading the attention, people from Stranger think you're retarded.

Posted by Carollani | February 6, 2008 5:10 PM
21

Bellevue Ave:

they represent (in their own words) the lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, and queer community of seattle.

arent all these things a part of the set of queer?

Those are all labels, and like all labels they are taken differently by each person. There are gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals who take offense to being called Queer, but then there are some folks (like myself) who prefer the over-arching label.

It's in an effort to please as many people as possible.

Posted by Phelix | February 6, 2008 5:10 PM
22

Carollani, I know they think I'm retarded. I commend them on their ability to tolerate it.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | February 6, 2008 5:13 PM
23

One would think the LGBT Center would focus on building themselves back up, but NO they want to flush more money down the toilette by throwing another Queer Fest. I thought they owed vendors about 30K from last year? Too bad they don't stick to their core mission.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn | February 6, 2008 5:29 PM
24

Well hell, if they have money to throw away, they should just send it to me. At least I'd buy myself a Nintendo Wii, a game or two and a pizza.

Posted by Silverhand | February 6, 2008 5:35 PM
25

I think the term "queer" is so ... tired.

Back in the 90's we were all about "empowering" ourselves and being "out and proud" and back then we were a Queer Nation and we were ACTing UP ... when it really MEANT something ...

Now it's just stupid. To me, "queer" sounds like "forced relevance." Like, "No, really! We're QUEER! We're so cutting edge! I even bought this shirt at Hot Topic that says Queer and wore it to my prom!" Efh!

"Chicano" went away. "Negro" went away. "Womyn" is gone. And "queer" should most certainly go away. It's outlived its sociopolitical relevance, lost its sting. Now it's used by, in my opinion, poseurs.

And for god's sake stop having two goddamned parades you friggin' idiots! Take a lesson from Dubya - you can't force solidarity and the people chose the Center because for once in a long time, the parade DIDN'T SUCK.

Posted by Brad in Seattle | February 6, 2008 5:53 PM
26

Brad #25 what did you mean "the people chose the Center because for once in a long time, the parade DIDN'T SUCK."? Last year Seattle's Gay citizens (200K of them) showed up at the 4th Ave parade put on by SOAP. The LGBT center's parade had about 150 people. Fill me in buddy.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn | February 6, 2008 6:12 PM
27

Is this the HEY FAGGOT dictatorship according to Dan ???

I liked both events, don't like it, don't go - the downtown ending at the old and tired and stripped down Center really sucks compared to V. Park

There are definitely some power and control issues here, or Dan is absolutely totally a cynic trying to dominate with pathetic anguish about - EVERYTHING

Loosen up Dan - there is a war to end that you liked in the beginning

Posted by zak | February 6, 2008 7:16 PM
28

@25, IMHO, queer still has relevance. It's a different term with a different connotation than gay or lesbian or bi. I personally prefer to refer to myself as a queer as opposed to as a lesbian, because of my own definition of my sexuality, which isn't as lesbian-y as it really could be, but I don't identify as bi. Yes, we no longer need to use queer to 'take it back' from the het community, but it's still a way of identifying for some people.

Posted by Beth | February 7, 2008 6:56 AM
29

The only remaining usefulness of "queer" is that it rhymes with "here."

Posted by Gitai | February 7, 2008 10:28 AM
30

they don't have the money for a walk-in facility anymore, and they didn't have money to pay the last ED and the last I heard, they owed money for the LAST dumbass Queerfest AND the last event helped get them into theyre present finacial situation yet, they want to put on another fucking, boring ass, money losing event?

MAKES. NO. SENSE.

Posted by wtf? | February 7, 2008 11:28 AM

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