Some things I forgot yesterday

I wrote that last post in a sleepy haze and kept remembering things about my weekend today so I thought I'd give you some more highlights of Pridaho.

1. The bar was called Charley's and every time the DJ said "Charley's" I yelled, "Ccchhhaaarrrllliiieee!!! Want to go to candy mountain?!" Of course, no one knew what in the hell I was talking about.

2. For pretty much every 80s song I yelled, "Oh my gosh! I LOVE this song!"

3. We made friends with a lesbian couple and I liked hanging out with them! I now have favorite lesbian friends! Woo hoo!

4. I am a wonderful fairy princess. Every gay man should want me to be theirs!

5. Gay men--unless they are your friend or have known you for more than one day--will NEVER remember a girl's name (straight or gay). This is a long-standing hypothesis of mine and it was proven over and over and over again this weekend. Not that I minded for you see, I realize they do not want to get to know me--they want to get to know my gay.

Gay ('gA): 1a: happily excited: MERRY (in a gay mood) b: keenly alive and exuberant: having or inducing high spirits (a bird's gay spring song)

UPDATED!
If ever there was an example of why and how much I love gay people, this weekend was it.

In a small town, a gay bar is the center of all social activities for the gay community there. One would think that a small town gay bar and the gays who congregate there would be quite boring. On the contrary. In a gay bar like this, I realized why I truly love hanging out with gay people.

This weekend, I took a little road trip to Pocatello, Idaho to attend their Gay Pride event, Pridaho to see my favorite hobbit, Adam. My fellow road trip passengers (David & Milton) and I were leery about going and rightfully so. I mean, it WAS Pride in a small town in Idaho. (We did find out that alcohol is stronger and much cheaper there though)!

We ended up having a blast.

We spent both Friday and Saturday nights at the bar and made friends with every single local gay person there. We became quite popular over the weekend and by the time we left the bar Saturday; we were able to stand outside and comment and who was going home with who and laugh about it.

I affectionately became known as the girl who jumped and spun around on the dance floor (and I wasn't even drunk!). But really, who could blame me? The DJ played great tunes both nights from disco to 80's dance classics to techno to dance hits of today. One of the highlights on the dance floor was when "Mama Mia" by ABBA came on and the locals stood at the front of the dance floor and performed along. Apparently, they do this every time the song is played and I loved every minute of it.

L to R: Some guy, Ryan, Doug (aka Handcuff Boy)

We were quite surprised when half of the people there were from Salt Lake but we met plenty of new friends! Like, my new friend Mark:

Mark, as you can see, is very nice to look at. His boyfriend of 12 years is also. They live here in the Salt Lake Valley and are so sweet. They are smart and fun too! Hopefully, we will be hanging out with them again very soon.

I found myself being so happy around these total strangers because they were so nice--even the lesbians! As the weekend went on, I found myself thinking that I love hanging out with gay people because they are just so happy and welcoming and fun all the time. We encountered a group of people who knew each other but were so open and cheerful towards us. They let us into their homes and told us about their lives. They called their group a family and warmly welcomed us into it. They were truly proud to be gay and didn't gay who knew it. Never did we have a dull moment and forever will we have the memories.

Oh and we are planning on going back next year, in case you want to come along.

Proof that God hearts the gays too!

I honestly didn't know there was a "Gay Pride Month" until I read this either.

Gay Pride makes me sick.

Literally.

I've been down sick since Tuesday with something. At first, I thought I was just very tired and needed to recover from the weekend but I've realized it's much more than that.

15,000 gay people made me sick.

Utah Pride 2006 was this past weekend. This year, in addition to being Jesse's Assistant Volunteer Coordinator, I wanted to take on more responsiblity and asked Jere what help he needed. I ended up being the Festival Site Manager which basically meant I had to be on-site all of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I really didn't mind the extra responsibility because at the beginning, I really wanted to take over Jere's job. However, as the days progressed, I realized I didn't want the job.

I'm off to self-medicate myself but if you'd like to read more about Utah Pride, check out Jesse's & and Jere's blogs.

Utah Pride 2006

My first gay pride fest was in 2004. It wasn't too much fun nor very memorable.

Last year, Jesse told me that he was going to be the volunteer coordinator for Pride. I was excited and wanted to be his assistant. He was hesitant at first because he thought I wouldn't want to take orders from him and be his subordinate. I really didn't care and we actually had a lot of fun (and I only got mad at him and threatened to leave once).

So much fun, that we're doing it again!

Last year, when the festival was over, we spent a week and wrote over six pages of ideas and suggestions of how to improve things. A lot of our ideas are being implemented this year and we are very happy.

The point of this post is not to tell you how wonderful Jesse and I are (even though we are) but to solicit volunteers. Volunteers get in free to the event, a snazzy Pride t-shirt, and free food! You only have to volunteer for 2 hours before, during, or after the event.

So, if you live in Utah, get your friends together, and volunteer for this year's Pride.

I FORGOT: Pride is June 3 & 4.

Pride

This was in Sunday's bulletin from my church:

What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., think of the world today had he lived? What would he have to say? What causes would he be speaking out for or against? Many ask that question every year as we approach his January 15th birthday. The truth is that we will never know because no human being stands still in time, but we all grow and mature just by living. For example, by reading Dr. King's sermons and writings in the last five years of his life, we know that he prioritized economic issues and working for peace in a world of war. Thus, I believe that Dr. King would have spoken out forcefully against the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States, and the war in Iraq.

But what about an issue, such as same sex marriage, which had not been raised during Dr. King's lifetime? Recently there have been some African American clergy who have tried to expropriate Dr. King in their fight against same sex marriage, some even beginning a march at his grave site. I don't profess to know what Dr. King's position on same sex marriage would have been, but I do believe that Dr. King would have supported the full humanity and the inclusion of all children of God in our society. Just as he supported Bayard Rustin, the labor unionist and gay man who was the genius behind the March on Washington and many of the strategies of the civil rights movement, I believe Dr. King would have reached out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community.

Whatever Dr. King might have said about the issues of today, I know that he would have urged each and every American to work for justice and peace in our nation and the world. This year, as we celebrate Dr. King's birthday, let's all find a concrete way to work for such a world.

Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson

Early morning, April 4
A shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took his life.
But they could not take his pride.
In the name of love.

"(Pride) In The Name of Love" U2