Honey, are we ever spoiled.

While we see Pride as a chance to model a new outfit, millions of gays around the world live in repressive

societies, where they long for a chance just to attend a Pride and…model a new outfit.

It seems that each summer we read of countries staging their first Pride and this summer has been no exception. Several countries birthed a Pride parade — and one nation could’ve used an epidural.

The first Pride parade in Panama took place on June 25 in Panama City. About 70 people marched and at least that many walked the sidewalks, away from cameras. Afterwards, participants released 600 balloons —100 for each color of the rainbow flag. I’m not sure which has done more to advance the gay cause around the world: gay-rights groups, the internet or that flag, which may someday — dare we hope? — even become as internationally recognized a symbol as the Golden Arches.

Javier Rodriguez of the organizing group summed up the importance of a nation’s first Pride when he said, “This, for me, is the first time that I’ve been able to gauge an actual ‘gay community’ in Panama. All these years,

everyone’s been talking about such a community. To me, it had never existed until now.”

Over in Europe, some 500 folks marched in what one report described as “Athens’ first large-scale gay Pride parade.” I presume it was a first for the country of Greece, which certainly strikes me as ironic. Apparently an

advancing phalanx of Spartan soldiers/lovers around 600 B.C. didn’t count as a Pride parade. Nor did it rate when Sappho and the gals strolled to the beach for a picnic.

I heard of no big troubles in Panama or Greece. But Latvia endured natal trauma. Its first Pride, in the capital city of Riga, got off to a bad start by almost not getting off at all. Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis went on TV to say it was unacceptable that “a parade of sexual minorities will take place in the very heart of Riga, right next to the Dome (Cathedral).” The leader of this former component of the Soviet Union said, “We are a state based on Christian

values and we cannot promote things that, say, are

unacceptable to a large part of society.”

Hours later the city council of Riga canceled the parade, citing potential violence from opponents. A Latvian court rejected that argument and the parade was on again. The next day, about 50 brave souls marched. Hundred of huffy souls lined the parade route, shouting insults and throwing eggs. Amnesty International claims some threw tear gas. But they didn’t stop Latvia’s very first Pride — likely prompting tears from both sides.

In the Middle East, the city of Jerusalem held not its first but its fourth Pride parade. About 10,000 folks marched. Over 1,000 people protested, which included throwing

bottles of urine and bags of feces at the gays. Not an image the Israeli tourist board will be featuring in its brochures.

It gets worse. An ultra-Orthodox man stabbed three marchers. He’s reported to have said during his

interrogation, “I came to murder on behalf of God. We can’t have such abomination in the country.”

Too bad, smiley. In ever more countries, these

abominable Pride parades will be born and grow up. Just as long as marchers are willing to cope with stretch marks and spit-up.