PARTY TIME

Women Bring Love to March (Astrid Poei, Toronto Sun, June 26th, 2005)

Come hell, high water or a broken ankle, nothing could stop newlyweds Paula Kruse and Ann Hudson from proudly stomping in yesterday's Dyke March.

Same-sex marriage was on the minds of hundreds of women marching together on Church and Yonge Sts., as signs that blared "Just 'Legally' Married" and "If You Knew My Girlfriend, You'd Want To Marry Her Too" hovered above the heads of participants.[...]

Lisa Hayes, co-founder of the event, which started in 1996, explained the need for such a strong title as Dyke March.

"It's about reclaiming the word because the word has been used in the derogatory, demeaning way to describe lesbians so this is about us reclaiming the word and making it into something that we're proud of," Hayes, 37, said.

Being throughly modern and enlightened, we here at Brothersjudd recognize there is no rational connection whatsoever between this innocent, happy celebration and the snake. Neither homophobic nor ophidiophobic, we would reject any allegorical associations as being Biblical claptrap and an abject surrender of reason to the dark and dangerous forces of theocracy and priestly domination. Whether one chooses a hissing viper or Fluffy the poodle to take on a pleasant stroll downtown is entirely a matter of personal taste, and is completely unrelated to character. We see clearly that society’s longstanding prejudice against reptiles is cruel and unscientific. Be assured we understand fully that concrete symbols of objective right and wrong befit ignorant old peasant women, not the learned, critically-thinking characters that are we. We just thought it was one heck of a mind-blowing snake!