Dyke March in Toronto
So I went down to Toronto for the Dyke March yesterday. A few people asked me how it went, so I'm just posting here instead of retelling the story a ton of times.
- I totally dyked out. Jeans, studded belt, boxers, sports bra, tanktop, short hair. I didn't quite pass for a boy but I may as well have been wearing a sign that said I AM GAY.
- I took the 7 AM bus out of Ottawa. Luckily the 1 starts at 6:30 AM on Saturdays, yay!
- Sat behind this guy in full army colours. He asked me to wake him up if he fell asleep. I agreed. He later introduced himself and we shook hands and he commented on how soft they were. We talked a bit and he was really nice and asked a lot of questions so I moved up to sit next to him. He asked me why I was going to Toronto. I said I was going to Pride. He kept pointing out that I fidgetted. I told him the army beret looks better than the wedge and he said "that's sweet" and kissed me on the cheek. I was a little like wtf but had no idea how to respond to that. Later he reached for my chin, said "if you don't mind" and tried to full on kiss me. I jerked away.
Him: Why?
Me: I'M GAY.
Him: How do you know you're gay?
Me: How do you know you're straight?
Him: Hmm good question. I like to think I'm straight.
Me: Well, I've tried not being gay. It didn't work out. I know I'm gay.
Him: So if you make out with a guy does that mean you are cheating on all women?
Me: ..............What? First of all, no because I'm not in a relationship. Second of all, that's just not something I would do because I AM GAY.
- As luck would have it, somebody had taken my seat that I had vacated so I was stuck there. The couple in front of us were giving me these wide-eyed looks as I tried to keep my voice down and not slap this guy. Luckily he got the hint and didn't try again.
- So we got to Toronto around 11:30 AM or so. I put my stuff in a locker at the Greyhound terminal and went off trying to find the Village. Mapless. Because I'm cool like that. Luckily I found a scantily clad obviously gay boy every time I doubted my choice of direction.
- I reached the Village and immediately started grinning like an idiot. Gays, straights, bis, trans... everyone was just smiling and happy. There were these people performing for kids in one section. There were some Asians Against AIDS performers in another part (and the MC was soooo hot). Everywhere I looked I saw couples not afraid to hold hands or put a hand ont he other's back, usual stuff that for some reason isn't seen every day. I ended up just sitting down and watching everyone with this stupid smile.
- At 1:30 PM we started lining up for the Dyke March. The Toronto Pride group really started annoying everyone with constant demands for donations but hey, whatever keeps Pride going. It was their 30th year after all.
- The first group was Dykes on Bikes themed, with a bunch of police officers on bikes and dykes on motorcylces. They all had little rainbow flags in their helmets. It was so cute!
- Behind them was a typical float with these giant interlinked female signs for the older dykes to ride on.
- Then there were a couple of other groups, I don't remember their causes or the order. They ranged from this Women for Recreation, Information and Business group to your usually Gay ____ and Family. There was a Bisexual Women of Toronto group. A Latino group - which had awesome drums yay.
- And then there was Queers Against Apartheid. I understand the movement and everything, but I felt they kind of dampened the celebratory aspect of the March. Everyone else's attitude was "so what if I'm gay?" and this just clashed. They brought up the rear of the parade was well, so anybody that joined in was stuck behind listening to their chants.
- I happily followed the parade because hey why not and a cute girl decided to do it. It was fun, but it could have been more fun. I expected a bit more celebration and less cliquey behaviour. Nobody seemed interested in talking to people out of their social group, even to the point of texting and calling other friends constantly. I was a little discouraged.
- After the parade I ended up tagging along with this adorable butchy lesbian and her two straight friends. The straight friends were vegan, which okay whatever, but the dyke wanted food and they insisted on us going across downtown to a vegan place... and then didn't order any food. They were a bit rude about how the dyke wanted to go back to Pride, not understanding the effect it has on us. They were also hardcore activitists and such and a bit preachy. Anyway, the dyke was cute, and we understood each other.
- We ended up back at Queen's Park, where they were having Dyke Day concerts. This was at about 4:15 PM or so, during a switch in sets.
- The first band I saw play was The Cliks. It's a Toronto band that's actually quite well-known. It had a drummer, a backup vocalist on tambourine/shaker (pretty) and a transman vocalist/guitarist. THey also borrowed a bassist from the previous act. I was absolutely amazed by this band. Not only was the music good, but... it was led by a transman. I found that incredibly inspiring. He even took off his shirt and you could see the scars from his top surgery, but he looked 100% male and sounded 100% male... and had a good singing voice despite the hormones. I don't know why I thought that would be difficult, but I did. I ended up getting their album. (I later realized that I am terrible at figuring out lyrics - I thought "I am your Dirty King" was "I have to turn you gay". Frankly the latter would be an awesome song ok.)
- The second band was Saidah Baba Taibah. She's a backup vocalist on American Idol. She had a huge badn with her. A keyboard player, a cellist, a tuba, a drummer, a trombone, a trumpet, and the world's cutest guitarist ever. Seriously, I couldn't take my eyes off this girl. Which is an impressive feat considering that Saidah was gyrating like no other. If I ever had any doubts that I was gay, the things that this act did to my head... yeah definitely gay.
- The third band was Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees. I didn't really like this band. They had a drummer and a rocking guitarist, though his tight pleather short shorts and vest kind of... yeah no. The vocalist was good too but the music style consisted mostly of assaulting your ears and repeating the same line of vocals in pieces. A lot of people liked them, though. (I got a Yogen Fruz.)
- It was now 7:30 PM. The next band on the stage was Dragonette. A drummer, a keyboardist/guitarist (who had some kind of Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but softer vibe going on) and a vocalist. The vocalist was in this white leotard and some strange meshy shirt. I barely noticed the rest of the band. The music was awesome, even if I didn't know most of the songs. Really fun.
- At 9:00 PM, it was time for Cyndi Lauper. I was getting really tired and wanted to find soemwhere to sit, only to look behind me and see a sea of people. I was like ohshit. Turns out this really cute girl next to me also felt the same. Instead we were stuck in a mass of pushy drunk gay men and cuddly lesbians and the occasional male/female couple. She played a few Bluesy songs because that's her kick right now. She was wearing a rainbow wig and I may be hurt for what I am about to say, but she strongly reminded me of Heath Ledger's Joker at points. Her voice was still spectacular. Anyway, she ended up leaving and then came back. Sang another Bluesy song. Then one of her 80s hits (I forget which) and finally "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". I think we sang louder than she did. It was awesome. Then she sang.. fuck I can't remember the details but it was one of her softer hits from that era.
- Then she sang another Blues song, I think, and brought Lucas (frontman for The Cliks) back out. They sang "True Colours". I almost started crying, as stereotypical as that sounds. There's just something about a crowd of thousands singing the chorus while someone as famous as Cyndi Lauper shares the stage with a local transman.
- That ended the set and I was pretty damn tired. My hips were killing me after spending most of the day standing. The cute girl with me, I never got her name sadly, also wanted to leave. She then helped me find my way back to the Greyhound and on the way we talked. She said she was a vegetarian and considered herself an activist not a protestor. Obviously the G20 was still fresh in a lot of people's minds. We spoke about it and she confirmed what I had read. She was really pleasant to speak to. I really wish I had gotten her name. Anyway, we got a bit lost but ended up at the Greyhound station around 11:15 PM or so. I gave her a hug, wished her a happy Pride and she wished me a good trip home.
- Got on the midnight bus headed home. Sat next to a girl reading Stephen King and told her she could read if she wanted because she had good taste, which made her chuckle. Slept most of the way home. Got to Ottawa and took a taxi home. Tipped him 9$ but whatever, poor guy was working a taxi at 4 AM, he deserved it.
All in all, I had a pretty good time. I think I had at least a pack of cigarettes via second hand smoke and may have smoked at least a joint again second-hand. I'm glad I left when I did, though, as I was pretty done by then.
So yep, that's the story of my first Dyke March.
- I totally dyked out. Jeans, studded belt, boxers, sports bra, tanktop, short hair. I didn't quite pass for a boy but I may as well have been wearing a sign that said I AM GAY.
- I took the 7 AM bus out of Ottawa. Luckily the 1 starts at 6:30 AM on Saturdays, yay!
- Sat behind this guy in full army colours. He asked me to wake him up if he fell asleep. I agreed. He later introduced himself and we shook hands and he commented on how soft they were. We talked a bit and he was really nice and asked a lot of questions so I moved up to sit next to him. He asked me why I was going to Toronto. I said I was going to Pride. He kept pointing out that I fidgetted. I told him the army beret looks better than the wedge and he said "that's sweet" and kissed me on the cheek. I was a little like wtf but had no idea how to respond to that. Later he reached for my chin, said "if you don't mind" and tried to full on kiss me. I jerked away.
Him: Why?
Me: I'M GAY.
Him: How do you know you're gay?
Me: How do you know you're straight?
Him: Hmm good question. I like to think I'm straight.
Me: Well, I've tried not being gay. It didn't work out. I know I'm gay.
Him: So if you make out with a guy does that mean you are cheating on all women?
Me: ..............What? First of all, no because I'm not in a relationship. Second of all, that's just not something I would do because I AM GAY.
- As luck would have it, somebody had taken my seat that I had vacated so I was stuck there. The couple in front of us were giving me these wide-eyed looks as I tried to keep my voice down and not slap this guy. Luckily he got the hint and didn't try again.
- So we got to Toronto around 11:30 AM or so. I put my stuff in a locker at the Greyhound terminal and went off trying to find the Village. Mapless. Because I'm cool like that. Luckily I found a scantily clad obviously gay boy every time I doubted my choice of direction.
- I reached the Village and immediately started grinning like an idiot. Gays, straights, bis, trans... everyone was just smiling and happy. There were these people performing for kids in one section. There were some Asians Against AIDS performers in another part (and the MC was soooo hot). Everywhere I looked I saw couples not afraid to hold hands or put a hand ont he other's back, usual stuff that for some reason isn't seen every day. I ended up just sitting down and watching everyone with this stupid smile.
- At 1:30 PM we started lining up for the Dyke March. The Toronto Pride group really started annoying everyone with constant demands for donations but hey, whatever keeps Pride going. It was their 30th year after all.
- The first group was Dykes on Bikes themed, with a bunch of police officers on bikes and dykes on motorcylces. They all had little rainbow flags in their helmets. It was so cute!
- Behind them was a typical float with these giant interlinked female signs for the older dykes to ride on.
- Then there were a couple of other groups, I don't remember their causes or the order. They ranged from this Women for Recreation, Information and Business group to your usually Gay ____ and Family. There was a Bisexual Women of Toronto group. A Latino group - which had awesome drums yay.
- And then there was Queers Against Apartheid. I understand the movement and everything, but I felt they kind of dampened the celebratory aspect of the March. Everyone else's attitude was "so what if I'm gay?" and this just clashed. They brought up the rear of the parade was well, so anybody that joined in was stuck behind listening to their chants.
- I happily followed the parade because hey why not and a cute girl decided to do it. It was fun, but it could have been more fun. I expected a bit more celebration and less cliquey behaviour. Nobody seemed interested in talking to people out of their social group, even to the point of texting and calling other friends constantly. I was a little discouraged.
- After the parade I ended up tagging along with this adorable butchy lesbian and her two straight friends. The straight friends were vegan, which okay whatever, but the dyke wanted food and they insisted on us going across downtown to a vegan place... and then didn't order any food. They were a bit rude about how the dyke wanted to go back to Pride, not understanding the effect it has on us. They were also hardcore activitists and such and a bit preachy. Anyway, the dyke was cute, and we understood each other.
- We ended up back at Queen's Park, where they were having Dyke Day concerts. This was at about 4:15 PM or so, during a switch in sets.
- The first band I saw play was The Cliks. It's a Toronto band that's actually quite well-known. It had a drummer, a backup vocalist on tambourine/shaker (pretty) and a transman vocalist/guitarist. THey also borrowed a bassist from the previous act. I was absolutely amazed by this band. Not only was the music good, but... it was led by a transman. I found that incredibly inspiring. He even took off his shirt and you could see the scars from his top surgery, but he looked 100% male and sounded 100% male... and had a good singing voice despite the hormones. I don't know why I thought that would be difficult, but I did. I ended up getting their album. (I later realized that I am terrible at figuring out lyrics - I thought "I am your Dirty King" was "I have to turn you gay". Frankly the latter would be an awesome song ok.)
- The second band was Saidah Baba Taibah. She's a backup vocalist on American Idol. She had a huge badn with her. A keyboard player, a cellist, a tuba, a drummer, a trombone, a trumpet, and the world's cutest guitarist ever. Seriously, I couldn't take my eyes off this girl. Which is an impressive feat considering that Saidah was gyrating like no other. If I ever had any doubts that I was gay, the things that this act did to my head... yeah definitely gay.
- The third band was Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees. I didn't really like this band. They had a drummer and a rocking guitarist, though his tight pleather short shorts and vest kind of... yeah no. The vocalist was good too but the music style consisted mostly of assaulting your ears and repeating the same line of vocals in pieces. A lot of people liked them, though. (I got a Yogen Fruz.)
- It was now 7:30 PM. The next band on the stage was Dragonette. A drummer, a keyboardist/guitarist (who had some kind of Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but softer vibe going on) and a vocalist. The vocalist was in this white leotard and some strange meshy shirt. I barely noticed the rest of the band. The music was awesome, even if I didn't know most of the songs. Really fun.
- At 9:00 PM, it was time for Cyndi Lauper. I was getting really tired and wanted to find soemwhere to sit, only to look behind me and see a sea of people. I was like ohshit. Turns out this really cute girl next to me also felt the same. Instead we were stuck in a mass of pushy drunk gay men and cuddly lesbians and the occasional male/female couple. She played a few Bluesy songs because that's her kick right now. She was wearing a rainbow wig and I may be hurt for what I am about to say, but she strongly reminded me of Heath Ledger's Joker at points. Her voice was still spectacular. Anyway, she ended up leaving and then came back. Sang another Bluesy song. Then one of her 80s hits (I forget which) and finally "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". I think we sang louder than she did. It was awesome. Then she sang.. fuck I can't remember the details but it was one of her softer hits from that era.
- Then she sang another Blues song, I think, and brought Lucas (frontman for The Cliks) back out. They sang "True Colours". I almost started crying, as stereotypical as that sounds. There's just something about a crowd of thousands singing the chorus while someone as famous as Cyndi Lauper shares the stage with a local transman.
- That ended the set and I was pretty damn tired. My hips were killing me after spending most of the day standing. The cute girl with me, I never got her name sadly, also wanted to leave. She then helped me find my way back to the Greyhound and on the way we talked. She said she was a vegetarian and considered herself an activist not a protestor. Obviously the G20 was still fresh in a lot of people's minds. We spoke about it and she confirmed what I had read. She was really pleasant to speak to. I really wish I had gotten her name. Anyway, we got a bit lost but ended up at the Greyhound station around 11:15 PM or so. I gave her a hug, wished her a happy Pride and she wished me a good trip home.
- Got on the midnight bus headed home. Sat next to a girl reading Stephen King and told her she could read if she wanted because she had good taste, which made her chuckle. Slept most of the way home. Got to Ottawa and took a taxi home. Tipped him 9$ but whatever, poor guy was working a taxi at 4 AM, he deserved it.
All in all, I had a pretty good time. I think I had at least a pack of cigarettes via second hand smoke and may have smoked at least a joint again second-hand. I'm glad I left when I did, though, as I was pretty done by then.
So yep, that's the story of my first Dyke March.