YAY! CHEER FOR EVERYTHING!
For the last 9 years I have marched in the Pride Parade, and worked at the Pride Festival like clockwork. Giving my heart and my all for the Faeries. This year, given the dearth of faeries involved in stuff, we just couldn't get our shit together in time and for the first time we had no parade contingent, and no Tarot readers at the festival.
So this year, for the first time, I got to see the Capital Pride Parade as an observer. Nothing fancy, just showing up. I had originally planned to meet people at 18th and New Hampshire, but that just didn't happen. It didn't occur to me that not being able to cross the parade route would be a factor. I was just trying to find the spot that would be relatively open. As my partner and I walked down R Street we ran into Peggy Lee (the faerie, not the chanteuse) and we all settled in at New Hampshire and R. JD ran across the parade itself to see if there were any faeries down at 18th and NH, but it didn't appear that there were any. Or any that he could find that is.
I stuck around and just watched the parade. It was wonderful. I cheered wildly, loudly, and crazily for every contingent that came around the corner. I didn't care who they were or what they were supporting. The folks around me were dying of laughter because I was so gung ho about everyone. Here's a little recap:
YAY! GAY PRESBYTERIANS!
YAY! GAY DOG WALKERS!
YAY! GAY BABIES!
YAY! GAY LATINOS! ELLE TIENE FUEGO!
YAY! GAY BANKING PEOPLE!
YAY! GAY VEGANS!
YAY! GAY RUGBY!
YAY! GAY LIBRARIANS!
YAY! GAY PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS!
YAY! GAY PEOPLE WHO WORK AT MACY'S!
It was riotously fun. I got all the swag. Beads, bracelets, bandannas, beer cozies, candy, pens, business cards... I could go on and on. It was totally ridiculous.
The best part of that though, was that because I was at a lull point in the parade my cheering them on got them all riled up to be more excited along the route. All of them turned the corner and were silent because they just went through the Dupont Circle gauntlet of people and were creeping their way to the 17th street gauntlet. My little pocket at R Street was so tame. So I got them all fired up again as they worked their way to the middle patch. Every time I specifically shouted out for them I was the first one to scream for them, and then the whole group just lit up again. The church groups were especially fun, because when you shout out something like "YAY! GAY EPISCOPALIANS!" they just get a kick out of it. No one ever cheers you on as a gay Episcopalian in daily life. The phrase itself and the vigor of its joy is something you just don't get at all. It's absurd, and it's the absurdity of it all that makes it totally hilarious, but also completely invigorating.
It makes me want to go to the park and just cheer people on in their daily life. You just don't get enough of that.
I remember when the American Library Association conference was last in DC. The Hooters girls were outside on the street and anyone that walked by with an ALA badge got cheered on "YAY LIBRARIANS!" I'm sure that it was a method to drum up business, but it was also a real moment of joy. Not because they're Hooters girls, but because they were cheering people who were just living their normal life.
What if we all made it a point to cheer people on who were just doing their regular job. What if when the garbage collectors come we give them a standing ovation? What if we got on the bus and gave the bus driver a round of applause? What if you were writing your monthly sales report and a whole squad of cheerleaders just came in to give you a "2-4-6-8" to get you going?
There is joy in recognition. And there should be more recognition that is riotously joyful every day.
So this year, for the first time, I got to see the Capital Pride Parade as an observer. Nothing fancy, just showing up. I had originally planned to meet people at 18th and New Hampshire, but that just didn't happen. It didn't occur to me that not being able to cross the parade route would be a factor. I was just trying to find the spot that would be relatively open. As my partner and I walked down R Street we ran into Peggy Lee (the faerie, not the chanteuse) and we all settled in at New Hampshire and R. JD ran across the parade itself to see if there were any faeries down at 18th and NH, but it didn't appear that there were any. Or any that he could find that is.
I stuck around and just watched the parade. It was wonderful. I cheered wildly, loudly, and crazily for every contingent that came around the corner. I didn't care who they were or what they were supporting. The folks around me were dying of laughter because I was so gung ho about everyone. Here's a little recap:
YAY! GAY PRESBYTERIANS!
YAY! GAY DOG WALKERS!
YAY! GAY BABIES!
YAY! GAY LATINOS! ELLE TIENE FUEGO!
YAY! GAY BANKING PEOPLE!
YAY! GAY VEGANS!
YAY! GAY RUGBY!
YAY! GAY LIBRARIANS!
YAY! GAY PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS!
YAY! GAY PEOPLE WHO WORK AT MACY'S!
It was riotously fun. I got all the swag. Beads, bracelets, bandannas, beer cozies, candy, pens, business cards... I could go on and on. It was totally ridiculous.
The best part of that though, was that because I was at a lull point in the parade my cheering them on got them all riled up to be more excited along the route. All of them turned the corner and were silent because they just went through the Dupont Circle gauntlet of people and were creeping their way to the 17th street gauntlet. My little pocket at R Street was so tame. So I got them all fired up again as they worked their way to the middle patch. Every time I specifically shouted out for them I was the first one to scream for them, and then the whole group just lit up again. The church groups were especially fun, because when you shout out something like "YAY! GAY EPISCOPALIANS!" they just get a kick out of it. No one ever cheers you on as a gay Episcopalian in daily life. The phrase itself and the vigor of its joy is something you just don't get at all. It's absurd, and it's the absurdity of it all that makes it totally hilarious, but also completely invigorating.
It makes me want to go to the park and just cheer people on in their daily life. You just don't get enough of that.
I remember when the American Library Association conference was last in DC. The Hooters girls were outside on the street and anyone that walked by with an ALA badge got cheered on "YAY LIBRARIANS!" I'm sure that it was a method to drum up business, but it was also a real moment of joy. Not because they're Hooters girls, but because they were cheering people who were just living their normal life.
What if we all made it a point to cheer people on who were just doing their regular job. What if when the garbage collectors come we give them a standing ovation? What if we got on the bus and gave the bus driver a round of applause? What if you were writing your monthly sales report and a whole squad of cheerleaders just came in to give you a "2-4-6-8" to get you going?
There is joy in recognition. And there should be more recognition that is riotously joyful every day.