Pride 2012

A giant Viagra pill during my WTF? moment at Vancouver Pride 2012 - image from The Georgia Straight

"Heterosexuality isn't normal, it's just common.”

- Dorothy Parker

Such a good day, in the shade, beside the beach with my friend Sam. I had a cooling tie and a fabulous hat, and lasted the whole 2 hours on my feet without taking a break until I got a snack over at Gay Day on the Beach. It was a great afternoon in Vancouver.

I am a little tired now, but that could be because of the wobbly-pops I've had since getting home.

So many families today. So many hotties. So many fabulous young women.

One weird naked guy in a straw hat whom I can only hope for his sake is a "grower".

Photo - Reuters

Cool thing: Manny Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks and Patrick Burke of You Can Play (and the Philadelphia Flyers organization) came out in support of gay athletes and the end of homophobia in sports. I love this group a lot. I will write more about them, their videos and their community involvement once (if) hockey season starts.

Ho hum music this year. I mean seriously, NO Gloria Gaynor! No Sister Sledge! Okay, there was some Village People, but it was the fucking *YMCA* who were playing it. The only time I heard "Born This Way" was when the Vancouver Gay Men's Choir sang it as they escorted Grand Marshal Bill Monroe:

Don't be a drag, just be a queen. - Photo Reuters

But I DID hear Flo Rida and LMFAO multiple times. Clearly the youth of today have no idea what good music is for a gay parade.

Pride goodies were also kind of lame. I only got:

• 1 lubricated condom
• a button demanding a freeze of tuition fees
• a card demanding the immediate reversal of the ban on gay men giving blood
• the best crowd-handout Pride flag ever
• a button and a pen from the CBC tent
• a 30SPF sunscreen towellette
• 3 Trojan condoms that have some sort of additive that will make it more intense. (um, yeah, I've now looked at the intensified package... not sure that I'm letting something with ginger in it *near* my vag.) (Just saying...)
• a promotional card for the, uh, marital aids that Trojan is now selling to *the ladies*
• a bumper sticker for Pierced and Culture Craze, and 
• a promotional piece for the Terminal City Rollergirls.

A disappointing haul as compared to previous Gay Halloweens along the parade route. But I guess the with economy being as it is Pride swag gets cut.

Also, the marshalling was *so* bad that at one point people left our area because nothing showed up for more than five minutes and all we could see was crowds of people coming from downtown. Then all of a sudden Hedy Frey and Co. rounded the corner whilst she sashayed 3 inches at a time in a mermaid costume.

The bonus part was we got to move in closer to the curb when so many people left.

Then there were times when there were five floats on top of each other and then nothing for five minutes, even after Hedy's wardrobe slow down.

All in all I'm glad I travelled the way I did (and I'm not telling because it was awesome, not crowded and got me to the part of the parade route I wanted to be at with little sun exposure or distance) and I'm glad I got to hang out with Sam.

Happy Pride Vancouver!

Yes, that is Bert and Ernie. They announced their marriage today. - Bert and Ernie Love - Vancouver Pride 2012 by Petitecornichon, on Flickr