Pride Day, 2010
So I spent a couple Saturdaysago (October 16, 2010) with about 3,500 folks in a celebration, primarily, of gay being. It used to be “Gay Pride Day”’ but I think they changed it so that no other group would feel they weren’t invited. These people are that nice. If they played hockey, it would be non-goal-oriented hockey.
Which makes what they go through that much sadder. Nobody bullies young people who are, well, bullies. When was the last time you heard of anybody beating up Young Republicans for fun? Nobody suggests that if too many left-handed people teach school, we’ll wind up with a generation of southpaws.
Discovering who we are and where we fit in the world is tough enough for anybody. Toadd an extra layer of self-doubt, isolation and anxiety is a substantial burden.
However, when these folks get healthy, they do love to celebrate. They are smart, kind, creative, and they love to be beautiful for each other. How, in the name of all that is self-affirmative and rational, can this be construed as anything other than healthy?
When I told my 85-year-old Catholic mom where and ho I’d spent my day, she sounded as if she were concerned for my safety. Which brings us to another useless bugaboo – honestly, gay folks ARE interested in things besides sex. There seems to be a residual image of gay folk as people who are continually scurrying around in dim places, furtively seeking compulsive sex. Well, sometimes we all……….never mind.
Anyhow, I didn’t sell as much stuff as I could have because I spent more time than I should have out roaming and meeting and mingling – and having FUN!
Enjoy the pics – and respond, comment, question orshare humor – as you please. Peace and love, y’all. ~John
Pictures are property of Dylan Blue and JohnMadsen- do not copy without written permission, all ya gotta really do it ask- don't steal.
