Your first Pride Day

[Camilo]

Hey guys,

 

So Matt and I attended our first Pride Day in Northampton yesterday, by accident. We were walking around and wondered why there were so many gay people walking around.... Then I had an epiphany, it's Pride Day!!! Let's just say I was very very very excited. The whole town was covered with gays and lesbians walking around, not very different than usual , but still lots of them! Okay, mostly lesbians, but still a sprinkling of gay guys amidst the many many many lesbians. It was really fun because Matt and I got to kiss in public and hold hands and, yeah.

 

So, the questions is: Have you attended a Pride Day event? If so, where and when? And, did you enjoy it?

[Ramon]

I volunteered during Vancouver Pride last year. I got to meet and talk to a lot of nice people during the Terry Wallace pancake breakfast on Saturday. The parade itself, on Sunday, was amazing and lots of fun. Interesting costumes, fun environment, and a lot of hot people wearing very little. Then the festival at Sunset Beach was sort of fun, but I had to stand guard at the side of the stage for about 6 hours. It was the first event I've ever been too wear clothing was almost optional and where people openly try to shove their tongues into other people's throats, so that something. Overall, it was great, and I'd probably be volunteering again this year just minus the security gig during the festival.

[Fishwings]

I volunteered during Vancouver Pride last year. I got to meet and talk to a lot of nice people during the Terry Wallace pancake breakfast on Saturday. The parade itself, on Sunday, was amazing and lots of fun. Interesting costumes, fun environment, and a lot of hot people wearing very little. Then the festival at Sunset Beach was sort of fun, but I had to stand guard at the side of the stage for about 6 hours. It was the first event I've ever been too wear clothing was almost optional and where people openly try to shove their tongues into other people's throats, so that something. Overall, it was great, and I'd probably be volunteering again this year just minus the security gig during the festival.

 

 

 

That is waaayy cool! I attended pride parade the first time last year, was bit of a culture shock for me to say the least! But it was wayyyyyy enjoyable.

 

If you know what I mean.

 

I loved the Fitness world float, nom nom nom.

[Tarin]

Glad you had a good time Cammy, tj, and Fishie.

 

I went (intentionally) to Michigan Pride two years ago. I did not have a ton of fun, it was okay I guess; plenty of eye candy. The parade was how shall we say . . . lame? There had been a movement to get the parade canceled, which made it a bit awkward and last-minute. I did not go to the ceremonies (weddings) because I would have had to follow the parade across downtown. The rest was okay, the guy at the nuts cart was supercute. I almost got hooked up with him too. Yes, I know it's funny he worked at the hot, salty nut station. Oh, and I got a 15% off coupon at the sex-toy store.

 

What was most unfortunate about the day is that the couple I was hanging out with decided to go drinking and I was only 19, so I was stuck with the rest of the group that I didn't like as much.

 

 

[Tommy_B]

My first pride was San Francisco Pride in 2008 and to be honest I was pretty intimidated. There were over a million people there, that alone was pretty intimidating, and since I go to a Catholic school and I am not out, I tried to avoid all the TV cameras and anyone with a camera.

 

It was cool to feel affirmed (i hate that word, but don't how else to say it) and not alone.

 

It also made me wish I had the patent on construction boots, cut off jeans and wife-beaters. I'd be a zillionaire.

 

[Y_B]

*Vomit.

 

The idea's kinda cool I guess

 

But the practice of it...the extravagant, flashy, over-the-top practice of it is...well....

[wildone]

Good and Bad memories

 

I went to visit a friend in Dallas that lived a half block off of Cedar Springs behind the grocery store that is in the heart of the gay strip. So after two and a half days of driving I arrive to find that it is Gay Pride and the parade is going down Cedar Springs. After negotiating several road blocks I make it to his apartment only to find someone parked across the entrance to his parking garage. I call him on his cell and he tells me to double park and walk over to the corner where he'll be waiting for me.

 

Unfortunately got there toward the end but it was the same experiences a lot of you had. Felt really neat to be in situation where you weren't the minority and not afraid of being 'gay' if you wanted to be.

 

Twenty minutes later we decided to head back to move my truck to find it was towed. So a couple of hours later waiting for the tow truck to show up to the impound lot and $250 later, got my truck back.

 

Went back to his place and safely parked my truck and then we went an enjoyed the bars till the wee hours of the morning.

 

 

[PrivateTim]

Hey guys,

 

So Matt and I attended our first Pride Day in Northampton yesterday, by accident. We were walking around and wondered why there were so many gay people walking around.... Then I had an epiphany, it's Pride Day!!! Let's just say I was very very very excited. The whole town was covered with gays and lesbians walking around, not very different than usual , but still lots of them! Okay, mostly lesbians, but still a sprinkling of gay guys amidst the many many many lesbians. It was really fun because Matt and I got to kiss in public and hold hands and, yeah.

 

So, the questions is: Have you attended a Pride Day event? If so, where and when? And, did you enjoy it?

 

My first gay pride was bitter sweet I suppose. I went to L.A. Pride as I was dealing with the feelings I had, I liked women and men, I didn't have any gay or bi friends since no one knew I was struggling with those feelings so I went alone. I remember how alone and isolated I felt despite being in a crowd of 300,000+ people. That is the bitter part.

 

The sweet part was that there were enough normal looking, happy people who weren't terrified about their sexuality that it was the first time I ever believed I could make it through life with the feelings I had.

[Toast]

In 1970, I think, before Gay Pride Day existed, I went to New York on a school trip. During some free time I went to Central Park and found a free concert going on. Lots of people. The band was good, so I stayed around. I caught the last thirty minutes. At the end of the concert, the lead singer announced "Thanks for attending the first Central Park Gay Rights Rally!" I was kind of stunned.

[TetRefine]

Hey guys,

 

So Matt and I attended our first Pride Day in Northampton yesterday, by accident. We were walking around and wondered why there were so many gay people walking around.... Then I had an epiphany, it's Pride Day!!! Let's just say I was very very very excited. The whole town was covered with gays and lesbians walking around, not very different than usual , but still lots of them! Okay, mostly lesbians, but still a sprinkling of gay guys amidst the many many many lesbians. It was really fun because Matt and I got to kiss in public and hold hands and, yeah.

 

So, the questions is: Have you attended a Pride Day event? If so, where and when? And, did you enjoy it?

 

 

Yay! It was so much fun!

[paya]

Yay! It was so much fun!

 

I'm really envious! 1) you have someone to go there, 2) in this highly homophobe society such things are not going to happen... (though there was an attempt or two...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KJames]

My first Pride festival was with my ex-, and it was for Orange County--held on the campus of UC Irvine, so parking (unlike most festivals) wasn't a problem. Honestly, I was with him and that was all that mattered at the time. In retrospect, I was actually very intimidated, as I had never been to one, and really didn't know anyone who might be there.

 

Since then, Rob and I have been to five of the Long Beach Pride festivals, three as a vendor, and won't be vendors again as it's way too expensive--we might go as paying 'visitors' for the fun (but even that's $20/pp!), but the big hoopla of standing in line for 2 hours to buy a 10oz. tap beer is just not my thing--we've been to an LA Gay event, which was a bit crowded on the small street it was on, and been to a couple Bear runs in Dallas, and a Folsom Street in San Francisco. San Francisco is interesting--it's one of the only places in the US, if not the only one, where public nudity is not considered an arrestable offense (unless someone complains, loudly)...so there was definitely a lot of eye candy for everyone to watch...I'm not quite as intimidated anymore, either.

[Elias Rosine]

I attended my first pride day this year. I made a promise last year to go because when the celebration was going on my family drove right past it to our vacation spot. I absolutely loved it! And I got to mess with the protesters. Went on Sunday, June fourth I believe, down in Utah. :3

[Tipdin]

Oh gosh, my first Pride festival was such a blast! I was afraid and excited; there were so many people! My neck nearly broke, my head was swiveling around so fast and often.

 

So many cute guys!!! It was a hot day and I had very short shorts on and I had to buy a fanny pack so that I could cover my.... uhm, self. Too many cute guys!!! If I had a pacemaker, the alarm would have been screaming! I remember seeing shirtless men holding hands and walking around as if it was perfectly normal!

 

GREAT music in those days; I danced in the street with complete strangers. Now, however, it's different, at least where I live.

 

Each year it became a more surreal experience. Every year I started seeing things that I didn't even know existed!

 

Nearly naked leather bound men showing everyone that they are completely hairless; emaciated twinks wearing a bit of dental floss and a multi-colored clown's wig, obese women with their tits flapping under thread-bare camouflaged T-shirts spitting tobacco; who needs it?

 

It used to be about pride, but it seems to have devolved into a contest to see who has the biggest F-you attitude. But I suppose that reflects the general attitude of people all over the nation now.

 

I have a few gray-haired friends that still gather and talk about when we were young - and how our fight for pride has been twisted into a demand for absolute reverence no matter how debauched the act. Sadly, common sense and decency are no longer common.

Edited July 4, 2010 by Tipdin

[JamesSavik]

Never been to one. I've never heard of a Pride parade in Mississippi.

[Hoskins]

Where there's a float, there will be a queen, in Jackson, October 5-10.

5 days of solid gay pride in MS.

 

 

That's better than we can do in Michigan...

[JamesSavik]

[Former Member]

I've attended pride festivals for several years now. London, Helsinki, and Berlin most notably. Berlin was my first. It's not been a big deal there since the Wall "fell" about public displaying of GLBT affection, and it's common enough to see wherever you go since the "hauptstadt" is the arguable gay capital of Germany (some say its Köln).

 

What I love about Berlin's pride festival is in the crowds you see "traditional" couples with their kids, old and young, absolutely everyone, all nationalities, all everything! And everyone's dancing and having a great time. Sure you see some of the skimpy clad fellows and ladies, and they're fun too, but you also see the professionals, the dancers, the MAYOR (who is gay) and other political and popular figures. It's a celebration day for everyone, but then Berlin has tons of festivals, and most people go to many of them whatever kind of group it is.

 

Since they have Love Parade, gay pride promoters make good use of those house-sized boomboxes, and for days afterward your head is still throbbing to techno, but it's all good! LOL

 

As Tipdin put it, and I've compared the pride festivals I've been to...and the ones where it seems most about "in your face" attitudes, extremely sexualized, protestors on the sides and an aggression, frenetic feel from both. To each his own, but it's losing some of what, yes as he said, the older generation began this functions for.

 

In Lithuania this year, in Estonia, in Macedonia and especially Russia, gay pride festivals are still being met with violence and intolerance, and to participate in any way you put at risk your health, life and possibly that of your family just in support of all people having equality. It is not about dancing down the avenue for them, behaving and dressing (or not dressing at all! :-) and sexual displays, things even such revelers DON'T do normally in public, but about just having the basic dignity to love whom you wish without not just a few individuals or groups bothering you, but their whole government against them.

 

I'm not saying all westerners are disrespecting the foundation spirit of gay pride festivals, but sometimes it seems like it has hit a type of carelessness and abuse in some cases. Self-expression certainly is important, and that is what the society I grew up in Berlin fully supports, but common sense says if you push too much on one side, the opposition is going to push back harder, as it were, and theres no need for that.

 

That being said, I LOVE gay pride festivals and will continue my yearly journey to one of my choice, but I tend to avoid them in the USA.

[methodwriter85]

It was 1998, and I was 12 years old. They were holding a Gay Pride Festival in Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware. Gay Pride Delaware events moved down to the beach in later years, so I haven't really gone out to those.

 

The closest I've gotten to a Gay Pride event in recent years was when I saw a Marry-In, which consisted of lgbt students performing marriage vows and getting mock married by the Trabant food court in Newark.