Ditto! I love how the State theater looks in that shot. Did you tweak the color saturation?

Perhaps we should have put "lap dances" in quotation marks, to indicate the silliness of the action. The person in that picture is obviously horsing around with other festival-goers, not dispensing what anyone familiar with the subject would recognize as an actual lap dance (note our description of the scene as a "tongue-in-cheek performance").

Furthermore, as a member of the LGBT community myself, I can tell you that many in the community are comfortable engaging with the topic of sexuality in public discourse, and that jokes about and involving sexuality are a common occurrence in LGBT life. Obscuring a scene that our photographer came across—of a young person mocking the idea of a lap dance—would have been dishonest and bad journalism.

I saw these pics as soon as they went live on the site yesterday. I knew as soon as I saw the pic of the "lapdance" someone would have an issue with it. People would rather be outraged than tolerant. Sad. I love all the pics! This was the first year in the last 5 that I have missed the celebrations due to my daughter's fast pitch tournmanet. Thanks for sharing!

"People would rather be outraged than tolerant." Well said, MJB. Sadly, I think you're right.

I loved all the photos! Thank you for posting them. I would advise those who are easily offended to avoid pictures of Pride altogether. For 364 days, we (the LGBT community) observe a multitude of small and mass-marketed celebrations of heterosexuality but on the 365th day, we get to celebrate. In and around the parade, we get to laugh, sing, hug, hold hands, flirt, kiss and dance with each other, including silly lap dances. On that day, we are surrounded by people like us and family, friends and strangers who also embrace us in our wholeness. One of the reasons it is such a big event is because we just get the one day. I often find myself irritated at heterosexual displays of affection and so I look away. I don’t go to the manager of the restaurant/grocery store/office/movie theatre/street/park/bus/train/airplane and ask that the offending couple be removed, I look away. I turn off my TV. I don’t read about Kate and William. It is more difficult not to read about Brangelina, because they’re both so pretty, but I try. It’s most difficult not to listen to my co-worker drone on and on endlessly for years about her boyfriend and now upcoming wedding, and then have to tell her why I won’t be attending her celebration with all it's economic and social benefits. For people who are offended by coverage of Pride celebrations (even if it’s only one picture), you get 364 days a year to express yourselves. Is it too much to ask that you, for one day, just look away?

"People would rather be outraged than tolerant." That statement seems to pertain to AmberG as much, if not more, than it applies to Orono. It was nice of her to show us that it's not just straights that need to learn tolerance.

@Ken Coy - I read AmberG's point a little differently. I think she was saying that she would rather Orono "looked away" rather than stared and criticized. There's a whole other debate that we could have about tolerance vs. acceptance, as you point out in your comment, but I think AmberG (and correct me if I'm wrong, Amber) was advocating for the former and not holding herself up as an example of the latter.

Why are you people making this a gay thing? It is an inappropriate thing. I dont give a crap who is lapdancing whom. If there was a woman kneeling in front of a guy would it be appropriate to title the picture "blow job" as long as the title was meant tongue in cheek? MJB you are a huge hypocrite. I dont like the picture so I am being intolerant? You yourself admit that you knew someone wouldnt like the picture so clearly you too saw something wrong with it.

James last I checked this was a public forum. The Patch isnt a gay website that I have invaded. It is a community website that happens to cater to everyone. I happened to click the link to the Pride pictures. I had no idea what it meant. My 5 year old daughter happened to be sitting on my lap reading the “tongue in cheek” titles to the pictures. Sorry, but I have no interest in trying to explain to her what a lap dance is. Instead of actually being open minded you immediately assumed I was gay bashing. Being it is a community website, I didn’t think I needed to be careful (Amber) while reading some of the different stories. While I don’t agree with the very negative comments being posted, I am more appalled by your arrogance and complete inability to represent an entire community. If you cant remove you being gay from being the “editor” I think the website should find you a replacement. Perferably someone not so quick to jump on its readers. You need us way more than we need you.

@Orono... I knew someone would have an issue with it because it was two men. After seeing all the comments on the Gay Marriage article on the patch, I knew one of the Patch gay haters would have an issue. I personally don't see anything wrong with it. For me to be a hypocrite, I would have to of had an issue with the photo and then say I didnt. The fact is Orono, like James Sanna said "Obscuring a scene that our photographer came across—of a young person mocking the idea of a lap dance—would have been dishonest and bad journalism". The journalist took the pictures and posted them. He did his job. Thats it. If it was labeled something besides lap dance, would you still have an issue with it?

@Orono - I didn't accuse you of "gay bashing"—I don't think your comment comes close, and I don't think I intimated that with my previous remarks—but I was trying to explain my decision to run that photo. Our photographer saw that, took a picture, and I ran it because it didn't involve actual lap dancing, risque attire, etc. and because it illustrated the sex-based jokes that frequently get made on the sidelines of events like this. Again, in that context, obscuring a scene like this that our photographer stumbled upon would have been dishonest and bad journalism.

You are wrong James. Your first picture is a woman with very colorful eyelashes. Like I stated previously, my 5 year old daughter was sitting on my lap and wanted me to click the pictures. I did. She started reading the titles. She reads "lap dance" and asks what it is. My wife is near by and ask me what type of website am I allowing my daughter to look at. The picture itself is harmless. The title makes it totally inappropriate. To hide behind some claim that this is the way gays are (Furthermore, as a member of the LGBT community myself, I can tell you that many in the community are comfortable engaging with the topic of sexuality in public discourse, and that jokes about and involving sexuality are a common occurrence in LGBT life.) proves you have no business being the editor of a community focused website. Take off your gay glasses and look at it from a parents perspective. Your gay readers can question and complain about my comments. You cant. You need to represent everyone not just your gay lifestyle. By your logic, if some extreme homophobe was the editor and posted the pictures with some stupid comments, he could justify the comments by claiming that as a member of the extreme homophobe community he typically hates on gays all the time and to change it would be dishonest to the journalist taking the picture.

Pretending that you werent being defensive about my initial comment is a lie. Allowing Jeff and Betsy to pile on is wrong. Do your job.

As a parent, I have no problem showing or explaining the photos to my 3 kids, one of which is the same age as Orono's. It's called parenting. The photo is of two people having fun, horsing around, fully clothed, in public. Big deal. Let's move on.

Your kids are going to encounter far more controversial things out in the big scary world, and gays should be the least of their worries.

It IS a community website, Orono. You are correct.
The Southwest Minneapolis "community" is more tolerant of the LGBT community than most other places in the state or the county. I would even wager that a majority of the 'community' find NOTHING wrong with any of these photos.

David, thank you very much for the fabulous parental advice. Now some advice for you. Try actually sounding out all the words that I have written and when you get stuck on some of the confusing words, ask someone for help. Then maybe, just maybe, you will actually understand what I have written. You can try as hard as you want but I am not making an anti-gay argument. I strongly object to explaining to my kid what a lap dance is. Obviously you’re a way better parent than me and your child is way more advanced but we all can’t be super like you. I realize the your incredibly fabulous photos were posted on the SW MPLS Patch but The Patch allows even us less tolerant in Orono to seamlessly see them from our Patch site. As for my daughter, life will indeed present many scary days in her future. Like the day she encounters the children of a pompous Richfield photog wannabe.

So his general comments are wrong but your personal attacks are perfectly acceptable? I dont agree with what he said but you are personally attacking him. You are a huge hypocrite. Since you are obviously big into assumptions, how about I share my assumptions about you?

Wow, that's a whole lotta angry Maria! I wonder where you learned about the "wrong/immoral/unethical/sick/gross" lifestyle you speak of? I hope you're young & that when you have more of a chance to experience the world, you might open your mind & heart a tad bit. There are all sorts of interesting characters out there...and some of them are gonna believe in things you don't.

Why dont you also blame it on Bush. I am sure he started it.

Betsy, You work for the Patch and yet you still respond with stupid comments like this? How can you call yourself a reporter when you clearly are so biased you cant even control it? What a joke.

Voicing an opinion without looking at the pictures or reading the article seems strange. If you can't say anything nice, why say anything at all?

Also, don't get defensive when people question your knowledge on a topic when you admit you skipped over any attempt to understand the subject.

To Maria M.
Based on your uneducated comment, I have to assume you are a huge "bible thumper" who hates all things that are forbidden in the bible. Seems to me if you reading that you are the one who does not know what an original thought would be. People like you just regurgitate key scriptures from the bible and follow beliefs based on fear and not common sense and humanity. Try really reading it and you will realize God loves all.

Leah, if youre going to make assumptions, you better be able to handle it when they are made about you.

an actual professional response from the staff at The Patch. The editor should take lessons from you. Well done.