So, today I marched with the progressive political folks in Millcreek's Fourth of July parade. It was pretty cool. It rained, like last year. I wonder how frequently that is the case for the parade. When we were lining up, the parade marshal said something about us marching in between WCTL (a local Christian radio station) and some group called the Mudslingers. I have no idea what the Mudslingers are. I joked about us and WCTL glaring at each other for the length of the parade, but actually it was fine. Their van was ahead of us, and we walked by I think we wave, and I think that they waved back. I was amused that their mascot is apparently a lion. Does no one else get why a Christian organization choosing a lion is funny? (Hint, think about the ancient Romans, and their less than kind way of dealing with the early Christians.)
James and I carried the Erie Gay News banter, and James brought a long bamboo pole, which is much better than the foldable thing that I was using before to hold the banner. Later that night, I went over to his house to get the photos from him, and I carried the pole back in my car diagonally going through the front passenger window and the back passenger window on the other side. James said it looked like somebody had harpooned my car!
The only other GLBT person to march with us was Eric, who was carrying a homemade gay flag. (Deb was flitting about taking photos of the progressive contingent, and another gay guy as walking with the Green Party.) Eric had also marched with us last year. A couple of the other people who marched last year weren't able to make it, one having moved away, and the other one had gone to be with her granddaughter. Alas, James was the only other pagan that I was aware of. I think it was a timing thing, and am hoping for a better turnout next year. Someone had written to me with all kinds of concerns about violence and hostility, and I shared my experience is from last year. I had also pointed out that the idea of violence occurring with that many policemen, firemen, TV crews and bystanders seemed faintly absurd. However, some people just don't tend to want to test the waters.
The actual parade itself was a really wonderful experience! We have a lot of people smiling and waving at us. People also have their kids waved at us, and it just felt really wonderful and embracing. It wasn't so much that we were anything special (because of course we are not), rather it which is wonderfully affirming to experience that we were just one group among all the other groups, no different, and just as much accepted.
At one point, I saw what looked like to rather butch lesbians watching along the parade route. I am pretty sure that I saw one of them mouth "Thank you" when she waved. As far as I was concerned, that made the entire day worthwhile!
I didn't hear this myself, but at one point earache said to me that some guy on the side had said, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!" I rolled my eyes at how unbelievably trite this was. I was sort of embarrassed for Mr. Disapproving, and suggested that maybe we should get him a writer to give him some better material. Please, is that the best they can come up with? How pathetic.
Along the parade route, I saw a former coworker (we said howdy to each other), one of the women from Temple of Bast, (who ran out to hug me and James), and lots of other friends. Eric had a bunch of people waving and saying hi to him as well. Again, this doesn't indicate that we were the focus or anything ridiculous like that, just that we were there with everybody else, and everything was cool. I think someone came running out to take our picture, and it felt really friendly and embracing.
When we got to the end, Sean Lafferty from WJET TV 24 and his cohost were announcing people and groups as they went by the reviewing stand. Sort of like last year, Sean says "hi Mike! Into the microphone, so I shot back with a "hi Sean" back at him. All of the peace and Justice folks, and the rest of us us took some photos at the end.
I always roll my eyes (if only mentally) when I hear somebody talking about how dangerous it is to do something public like this. Bear in mind, I have done some form of mass media for her the past 15 years, which is slightly more than a third of the entire time I have been alive. It's sort of like telling someone that they aren't sure yet about indoor plumbing. I just feel like I have enough real world experience that I felt confident in how people react. If I had to sum up today's experience in one lesson, it would be that if you just smile and wave, people smile and wave and are friendly right back at you! The downside to staying in the closet is that you miss out on these really wonderful and uplifting experiences.
Mike
I commend you for all that you do. And you are right about smiling at people. Most of the time they smile back.
Hope to see you on the 10th.
Did you see any goblins?
Michael,
I take no exception to anyone's sexual preference and furthermore think it's wonderful that people such as yourself have a social network and support group. What I do take exception to is the flaunting of one's sexual preference in everyones face just to make a point and to garner attention. It's actions like this that upsets most normal thinking straight people...not your same sex preference. A family community event such as the Millcreek July Fourth parade should not be a venue for gay attention seeking. You and your like minded friends can say what you want about me and I really don't care...but it just isn't right. I would be just as upset if I viewed a parade contingent advancing an illicit heterosexual lifestyle. I have a good idea...why don't you organize a gay parade in conjunction with your picnic and invite others to join in on your parade.
Kodera
By the same token, Kodera, will you therefore guarantee me that I will never see a wedding announcement in the paper, and that no one will ever refer to their opposite gender spouse in my presence? I.e. homophobes selectively label phenomena: when a straight person or couple refers to their life or relationships, then they are not flaunting, they are just being themselves. When a gay person does ANYTHING that refers, no matter how obliquely, to parallel phenomena, then they are labeled as flaunting.
Who appointed you the arbiter of what was acceptable and which categories and classes within those categories are permissible? Again, the VAST majority of people that we walked past smiled and waved, just as they doubtless did for other contingents. If people were uncomfortable with Republicans or fundamentalist Christians in an area, would you make the same argument? (I.e. WTCL had as much right to be at the parade as we did.)
For your information, there IS a separate GLBT march. However, one of the most important aspects of this country is that we ALL are citizens and have the right to be here.
You seem to be unaware of the numerous people who were at yesterday's parade who found some gay folks to be no more or less remarkable than any other group.
And I am grateful for wonderful people like Toni and Eden (as well as many others), who get that being gay is relatively unremarkable. I would never dream of asking either of them to not "flaunt" their families or sexual orientation. It is as much a part of them as anything else.
Maybe if your blog consisted of anything else but ENDLESS angry diatribes, I might take you a bit more seriously. I would be EXHAUSTED being as apparently filled with rage as you are all the time. However, I am quite certain that your self-concept is no more dependent on my approval than my self-concept is on your approval. I really regard your opinion as being irrelevant for any personal/practical purpose. You are just an angry and bitter old man. Thank the Goddess my life is filled with wonderful and uplifting folks. Ultimately, that's what's real and significant.