Pride!

Yesterday is the first time in a long time that I did not drink when I could have had drinks and everyone else was drinking.  So, that’s good.  I also had a great time, much better than I would have had if I had been drinking (and looking for my next drink and having to pee in porta-potties much more than I would while sober).  I met up with a group of friends at the Pride parade in Minneapolis which was great, it’s the first time I had gone.  Good vibes, good feelings.

On the bus on the way there, I sat next to a little old lady with a t-shirt stating “Marriage Rights, Not Just for Straight People” and flowers in her hair, high fiving people walking down the bus aisle in their various Pride costumes/tshirts/makeup, etc.  It was lovely.  There are so many shitty things happening out there right now (Orlando, racism, fights over gun rights, Islamophobia, Trump) and I’ve unfollowed a lot of people on Facebook because of it whether or not I agree with them, just because I’m so tired of vitriol being spewed all over the internet.  It was really inspiring to hang with thousands of people that are cool about who they are and supportive about who other people are.  Pride was also a reminder that when people mobilize for a righteous cause things CAN change.  It hasn’t been that long since men and women have been arrested for their sexuality, and society forced them to live in the closet.  There is still progress to be made but anti-discriminatory laws and equal marriage rights are huge steps.

Change is possible.