Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Annual Shame parade attracts record number of participants, but no spectators

Parade organizer: "Frankly, we'd prefer to keep it that way."

"Of course we're ashamed to be marching in public, declaring our shame before the world," said one participant. "That's the whole point."
"Of course we're ashamed to be marching in public, declaring our shame before the world," said one participant. "That's the whole point."

SOMETIME AFTER PRIDE, HILLCREST — There are no banners at the Shame parade. No floats. No music. No smiling politicians, eager to latch on to the general good feeling. And no spectators, save for the few passersby who pause to shake their heads and sneer. Just the heavy tread of guilt-laden marchers and the steady snuffle of weeping, punctuated by the occasional moan of interior desolation. If Pride is a celebration of sexuality, Shame is mourning over it.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"We take all sorts here," said Shame Founder Mort Ifae. "Straight or gay, cis or queer. Anyone whose sexual desire has led them to do things they told themselves they wouldn't do, for whatever reason. Sometimes, it's a religious thing, but more often than not, the shame arises within the context of a relationship. Though of course, sometimes, that relationship is with a computer. We started small, but a few years ago, there was a rumor that Tiger Woods participated — I mean, who else would have a Nike swoosh on his hood? Anyway, that drew a lot of interest, and now we're up over a thousand."

"I guess it's possible for some people to be proud of their sexuality," said a marcher, who, like all the others, chose to remain anonymous. "But my twisted desires led to the destruction of my marriage, and even after that disaster, I still can't control them. Oh God, it's awful."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
"Of course we're ashamed to be marching in public, declaring our shame before the world," said one participant. "That's the whole point."
"Of course we're ashamed to be marching in public, declaring our shame before the world," said one participant. "That's the whole point."

SOMETIME AFTER PRIDE, HILLCREST — There are no banners at the Shame parade. No floats. No music. No smiling politicians, eager to latch on to the general good feeling. And no spectators, save for the few passersby who pause to shake their heads and sneer. Just the heavy tread of guilt-laden marchers and the steady snuffle of weeping, punctuated by the occasional moan of interior desolation. If Pride is a celebration of sexuality, Shame is mourning over it.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"We take all sorts here," said Shame Founder Mort Ifae. "Straight or gay, cis or queer. Anyone whose sexual desire has led them to do things they told themselves they wouldn't do, for whatever reason. Sometimes, it's a religious thing, but more often than not, the shame arises within the context of a relationship. Though of course, sometimes, that relationship is with a computer. We started small, but a few years ago, there was a rumor that Tiger Woods participated — I mean, who else would have a Nike swoosh on his hood? Anyway, that drew a lot of interest, and now we're up over a thousand."

"I guess it's possible for some people to be proud of their sexuality," said a marcher, who, like all the others, chose to remain anonymous. "But my twisted desires led to the destruction of my marriage, and even after that disaster, I still can't control them. Oh God, it's awful."

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.