Feel Proud.

This past weekend was Pride here in Phoenix, AZ.

(Yes I know it wasn't in June which is really weird. But its freaking HOT in June here in Phoenix! So rather than commemorating the 6/28/69 Stonewall Riots like typical Prides, we had it the day after the National Day of Silence. Kind of a cute idea I thought; to have like this huge celebration right after a day of protest.)

This was my first Pride, and it was crazy!

I wore a t-shirt and jeans. I was way too dressed up. There was a drag queen in a full ball gown and feather boa, and she was possibly the only person there wearing more clothing than me.

There was a parade that was SUPER long. It started out very slow, but by the end everyone was super excited... and hungry.

The festival itself had many, many, booths set up. Everyone was shopping and and grabbing their share of free merchandise. Condoms were abundant.

Some of the local gay clubs had set up two big dance floors as well. It was as close to Queer As Folk's Babylon as I could imagine.

Was it worth the fifteen bucks? Absolutely. Will I go again? Most likely. Was it everything I expected? No.

Like I've said, yes, there were nearly naked drunk boys running around handing out condoms and dancing quite provocatively. But it wasn't entirely the big party scene I had envisioned. Instead there was something cooler that I saw. There were Gay and Lesbian couples there with their children. It was sort of a family event. Families were eating meals together and playing in the grassy areas. Displaying genuine family values.

I hope that someday that will be me.



By the way.... In conjunction with this post, congrats GQ. Much better job on the May issue.