Here I am, about a month behind as always. Summer is always hard to keep up with, the "extra time" of vacation filling up almost instantaneously with activities in the sunshine- including Pride festivals.
Pride this year has been special because this is my first June being open about my sexuality, and participating in the celebrations with my female partner. On the aggregate, it has been intensely freeing and joyful to be in these places with "my people," celebrating all of the colors that make us who we are. It's also been a little scary and awkward and strange at times, as transitional moments tend to be.
Started Pride month off with a bang, at the Cleveland Pride festival, where Holly and I both marched with COC and sang with Windsong. We also happened to have our new family member, Alice, along with us. (remember that puppy we couldn't get our minds off at Memorial day? We brought her home May 31st. We didn't think we needed a puppy- but it turns out we needed a puppy, in so many ways...)
There's a puppy in that bag! Our purchase was so impulsive we didn't have a dog carrier yet so we ran to target and found this appropriately colored purse that she fit in perfectly..
... when she wasn't being held by pretty much every queer person in Cleveland, that is. Talk about socializing this baby thing!
Meeting up with friends before marching...
And marching with our COC crew. It was hot but fun to walk in the parade, and Alice was a hit, with parade-watchers running out to see her when they got a glimpse.
We met Nat, Ivy, Melinda, and the twins after the parade. It was, for me, an intense moment of melding two previously separate lives. And here's where needing the puppy really came in. She was the perfect way to smooth over any awkward edges, a focus for our attention that kept minds off all the changes to past reality. Nothing keeps you present like a two pound ball of fluff.
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After handing Alice off to the kids, we went to perform on the mainstage- tons of fun! Enthusiastic crowd including some of our dearest COC friends who stuck around to watch us sing, as did Nat and Melinda. Worlds combine...
We stayed at the festival until we were good and fried, then put Ivy in charge of the puppy at Holly's place and went to the after-party at Twist to close out the day.
Jumping ahead to more Pride (will double back to the non-pride events in between in the next post)...
MIX at the Art Museum was full or rainbows and drag shows and a full on club feel on the dance floor and was great fun.
Then the next day- off to perform again at Brecksville-Broadview Heights Pride. This little festival was hard won, with some in the community voicing dissent in the spring and the mayor coming forward to allow it to continue. As a result there was a heavy police presence at the perimeter-- for our protection but still strange. But inside-- nothing but love. Just a comfy, friendly day. I got to sing as part of a trio on One Voice which was pretty exciting. And Alice made friends everywhere once again... including Sherrod Brown and Connie Shultz! Baby's first meeting a senator! Connie is one of my role models in life and meeting her was everything. As was the moment that Sherrod (after sending his staff to "get my wife, she has to see this dog!") reached over to move the dog sling and read my "F*** capitalism, kiss girls" shirt (lol) and then asking if H and I were married and saying we ought to get on it to give this dog a stable upbringing. It was QUITE the moment. As we walked back to the Windsong booth H asked, "are you PRANCING??" Yes. Yes I was.
This is what a 2 pound puppy looks like after a pride festival, in case you were wondering. This dog. So very needed.
One more festival coming up this weekend, in Cleveland Heights. Going to be another chance for me to forge through the strangeness of crossing worlds, with many community members sure to be in attendance. But Alice has already helped smooth the way into small talk and laughter at swim meets and I am trusting her to do the same on Saturday. It gets easier every time.
