SHOW ME YOUR HOSE!

On July 21, 2007 it seems that a portion of the San Diego Fire Department was "forced" to march in the San Diego Gay Pride Parade. For the record the picture on the right is not one from the actual parade in San Diego. These overly enthusiastic Firemen are from Melbourne according to the info on the pic which I stole from This Chump's photo stream over at Flickr.

From what I've gathered about this story from radio, print, and online sources is that for 15 years the San Diego Fire Department has been participating in the local Gay Pride Parade. An engine crew had volunteered to represent the Department in the parade before the day of the event on the 21st. At the last moment, the crew that volunteered canceled because one of their men had a family emergency. Subsequently, at the last minute, four firefighters because they were assigned to a station near the parade route were asked to represent the city in the parade. The men expressed their concern in doing so and said they would only do it if it was an order. Apparently they were ordered.

One of the firefighters was quoted by the AP as saying: "I was forced into a situation that would compromise what I hold true and what I believe in." The complaint continues to state that the men had to endure harassment in the form of catcalls and shouts of "Show me your hose" and "You can put out my fire." The men have since retained lawyers as well as the help of the Thomas More Law Center with their fight.

A spokesperson for the fire department said:
"At the last minute the crew in that community was asked to step up and represent our agency in the parade," he said. "We have a responsibility and we take it seriously to participate in these parades."



So let's think about this for a moment. Why do firemen march in parades to begin with? To show their support for the community. To remind everyone that they're the guys working at a moments notice to protect the city from the destructive nature of fire. To give something for all the little boys to stare and marvel at. It sounds to me as though they were not asked to do anything different in this parade from what they normally do in other parades.

No one asked them to wear skimpy yellow swim trunks and red leather vests and to dance and gyrate their hips along the parade route like the chaps pictured above. They were asked to represent the Fire Department in a parade that celebrated part of the community they serve. It is as simple as that. If the department was not represented in the parade it may have given the wrong impression to those within the community. By no means am I saying that it would be right for the gays in the community to make a big sassy stink because for the first time in 15 years a firetruck was not part of the festivities. All that I am saying is that these men were asked and subsequently ordered to do their job which, I'm sorry sometimes includes marching in parades.

I do think these men have rights though. Not agreeing with their lawsuit does not mean that I believe they do not have the right to refuse marching in the parade. It is a sensitive issue and one needs a little more than last minute notice to decide to march in a Gay Pride Parade. There is the stigma of simply having marched in the parade to consider isn't there? Maybe these men were afraid that by marching in the parade others would think they were gay? Maybe they were concerned that just by being in the parade they would find their formerly masculine firefighting selves suddenly bursting into flames of gayness from which they would never emerge straight again. They've seen it happen before. They've seen their friends marching in the St Patrick's Day Parade turning into pale skinned, loud mouthed, drunks right before their eyes. They've seen their buddies in the Italian American Day Parade transform into hairy, overweight mobsters in the course of an hour and a half. You shouldn't expect them to subject themselves to the chance that they might be changed forever by this experience, and you shouldn't be surprised that they are suing.