Pride Shout Out
By Kuono • Jun 30th, 2008 • Category: Events, Politics, pop cultureThis weekend San Francisco was literally shaking with Pride. From recent lifting of the Marriage Ban (read about the struggles and slow triumphs of a similar marriage ban such as the history of Anti-Miscegenation laws), to powerful political urges still fighting for justice — for example, the TransMarch focus this Pride was for a transgender-inclusive civil rights to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Good Vibrations’ own President CEO Theresa Sparks road in the Pride Parade and was honored with Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal.
Other folks from Good Vibrations had a great Pride weekend as well. Here’s a quick shout out from Jack, and our own bloggers Misty and smartyboots:
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From Misty:
“My sweetie and I had the pleasure of being guests at the wedding of two former GV staffers. City Hall was opened up special so they, and two other couples, could be married. This ceremony was extra special as it was presided over by former GV Board Member Margaret Cho. She’s shooting a new show and who better to star in an episode than people she’s already worked with!
The brides were both decked in 80s-style back and white and with only a few days to throw it all together – it went off smashingly.
It was a short ceremony but totally gorgeous with the nuptials occurring on the sweeping staircase right in the center of City Hall.
Usually I spend my Pink Saturday lounging it the park – and I look forward to running into old friends. But this, truly, was worth missing all of that. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
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From Jack: How I Spent My Pride Sunday, or Who Wore What
“I got up early on Sunday so that I could help my friend John Burnside get ready for the Pride parade. John is 91, the widow of Harry Hay and was one of organizers of the first Radical Faerie gathering in 1979. He rode in a car with Joey Cain who was one of the Grand Marshals of the parade.
Joey is a community organizer, a past president of the Pride Board and works at the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic. John wore puss-print jacket and a hat with orange flowers. Joey was in gold lame wearing a purple feather hat.
Since both John and Joey are Radical Faeries, Joey was able to place his grand marshal car right in front of the Radical Faerie contingent, which is where I marched with my friend Clayton, who was much photographed in his rainbow dress that was seven and a half feet wide.
At the end of the parade we hung out at Faerie Village, a fenced-off grassy area in the Pride Celebration at Civic Center. It turns out that Clayton’s dress could seat four or more Faeries. I wore a turquoise dress with the Hindu god Ganesh on the front and a turquoise feather wig.
I was not able to see Theresa Sparks, Good Vibrations CEO in her grand marshal car riding with Violet Blue and Margaret Cho, but I was able to snag a photo from the Internet.”
(here’s another image that is copy written so we couldn’t post it here: http://flickr.com/photos/mrdodgy/2623931626/)
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From smartyboots: Dyke March and No Pride
“When the little woman got home from work we bundled up in our winter coats (it being summer in San Francisco) to catch what we could of the Dyke March. I’ve never watched it from the sidelines before and I have to say, it’s definitely better people watching there than when you’re actually in the parade. Standing on Valencia we got a great view of the drummers and the gay boys hanging from the fire escape across the street and the OH GOOD LORD WHY AREN’T THEY WEARING SHIRTS AREN’T THEY COLD?!??? I have never exactly understood how marching down the street topless is empowering, but let’s all just blame that on my conservative heartland upbringing and move on, shall we? Afterward we stopped at the Valencia GV store to say hi to folks, have a free beer and check out the dancers. The dj kicked ass and the store was packed. Afterwards we proceeded to have some not-especially-gay sushi. Sunday we were even less gay and went to the Alameda County Fair instead of Pride. We saw a pig sitting on another pig’s head, so, while it wasn’t gay, it was a little queer.”
Kuono >> Magazine Editor, Web Producer at GoodVibes.com and manager of the Good Vibrations Affiliate Program (GVAffiliates.com). Okay, back to work.
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