(no subject)
There's a lot of not so good things to be said for the last couple of days, but I'll just ignore those in favor of concentrating on the good that happened yesterday.
Yesterday there was the Christopher Street Day parade in Mannheim (also often abbreviated "CSD"; Pride in most parts of the world), which is about half an hour away from where I live. I was firmly convinced that it was on Sunday, i.e. today, but fortunately my mom, who knew I wanted to go, heard it on the radio and called me. We ended up going together, combined with some shopping before the parade.
I've started an experiment. I'm trying to find a happy place every day, a picture that makes me smile, a story, a video, a memory, and I'll keep that with me until I find the next one.
Since yesterday, my happy place is this:
It also made me tear up a bit. So much love and support. I saw a guy wearing a shirt saying "Supporter", which I found awesome. Sadly I couldn't take a picture, he was gone too fast.
I saw the whole parade twice. It wasn't that long (I really have to go to Cologne again next year) and they did a loop, so I stood near the beginning of the track, and when everybody had passed I collected my mom from a café near the end and we watched it again.
Which is also when the one not so good thing about yesterday happened:
Dear guy standing next to me,
Telling a girl wearing a rainbow ley around her neck, who's clearly enjoying herself where she is, that you think marriage should be kept between man and woman, and what about the children if men marry men and women marry women will not win you any points. And how you could imagine you had even a tiny, minuscule chance hitting on her is completely beyond me.
No love,
me
I just left, eventually. Would've done sooner, but my mom was sitting a few feet away behind me on a bench and I didn't want to leave her, or force her to get up,when I could just ignore the guy. At least at first. Asshole.
We walked back to the train station when it was over, but the train in our direction had just left. So we passed some time browsing the bookstore and I bought a book. When I paid the girl behind the counter said something like if she could have one of the pins on my messenger bag. I have three Supernatural ones on it, and she recognized them and we talked a bit. She said that her English wasn't that good but she was very excited about season 4 starting on German tv on Monday. I said I'd make her a pin and bring it by. Of course I could've just given her one of mine and made a new one for me, but hey: Meeting a fellow fan close to where I live, that's a bit like Christmas. Maybe we can meet some time.
So, pictures from yesterday.
(Pictures can be slightly out of order due to watching the whole thing twice.)
The first float...
... also sporting the motto: "I am colorful, I am CSD!"
A homosexual church group. I'm not sure if the man in the wheelchair belonged to them or if he was his own group.
Demonstrating for equal rights in marriage. The sign says "Everybody is equal before the law??" Homosexual partners can marry in Germany, but they still don't have all the same rights as heterosexual couples.
A political party, "Bündnis 90, Die Grünen". Of all major parties we have, only CDU/CSU, the conservatives, didn't have their own float. Neither did the right-wing extrimist NPD, who'd tried to organize a demonstration against the CSD in the neighboring city, but cancelled it out of "respect" for a children festival there. I'm sure we were all very sad about that.
I liked those. They offer advice and an open ear for people questioning their sexuality.
The canvas says: "Dear Mr. Mappus (the president of my state, Baden-Württemberg)! Our Baden-Württemberg is colorful. More colorful than your government thinks [it is]." Markers (in various colors, of course) were hanging from the top with which you could put your signature here. Let me tell you, it's not easy when the canvas is moving and the only really free space is way above or below your range.
Don't know which group he was walking for, but hey, if you have impressive head and shoulder gear, who cares! :)
The car of the Aids Organization in Heidelberg.
I had to google it, but it's a network group for homosexual employees of software producer SAP. I love that SAP offers such a thing.
The leather fraction. ;)
A car for a gay magazine with...
... pictures. The right one critizises the homosexual rights in Baden-Württemberg, saying they are "für den Arsch (for the ass)", which is a German idiom meaning they're not worth anything. They also gave out condoms saying "für den Arsch".
People watching. It's near the end of the parade, so the lines are thinner. I was delighted to see quite a few kids. Of course I don't know how much they understand of what the parade is actually about, but better than bringing them up ignorant or hateful.
Two people walking home from the parade. They might unknowingly become a new icon of mine.
Decoration in a street the parade came through. The sign above says "Air & Love", which I found fitting. Even if it actually is a shop for juggling equipment.
Yesterday there was the Christopher Street Day parade in Mannheim (also often abbreviated "CSD"; Pride in most parts of the world), which is about half an hour away from where I live. I was firmly convinced that it was on Sunday, i.e. today, but fortunately my mom, who knew I wanted to go, heard it on the radio and called me. We ended up going together, combined with some shopping before the parade.
I've started an experiment. I'm trying to find a happy place every day, a picture that makes me smile, a story, a video, a memory, and I'll keep that with me until I find the next one.
Since yesterday, my happy place is this:
It also made me tear up a bit. So much love and support. I saw a guy wearing a shirt saying "Supporter", which I found awesome. Sadly I couldn't take a picture, he was gone too fast.
I saw the whole parade twice. It wasn't that long (I really have to go to Cologne again next year) and they did a loop, so I stood near the beginning of the track, and when everybody had passed I collected my mom from a café near the end and we watched it again.
Which is also when the one not so good thing about yesterday happened:
Dear guy standing next to me,
Telling a girl wearing a rainbow ley around her neck, who's clearly enjoying herself where she is, that you think marriage should be kept between man and woman, and what about the children if men marry men and women marry women will not win you any points. And how you could imagine you had even a tiny, minuscule chance hitting on her is completely beyond me.
No love,
me
I just left, eventually. Would've done sooner, but my mom was sitting a few feet away behind me on a bench and I didn't want to leave her, or force her to get up,when I could just ignore the guy. At least at first. Asshole.
We walked back to the train station when it was over, but the train in our direction had just left. So we passed some time browsing the bookstore and I bought a book. When I paid the girl behind the counter said something like if she could have one of the pins on my messenger bag. I have three Supernatural ones on it, and she recognized them and we talked a bit. She said that her English wasn't that good but she was very excited about season 4 starting on German tv on Monday. I said I'd make her a pin and bring it by. Of course I could've just given her one of mine and made a new one for me, but hey: Meeting a fellow fan close to where I live, that's a bit like Christmas. Maybe we can meet some time.
So, pictures from yesterday.
(Pictures can be slightly out of order due to watching the whole thing twice.)
The first float...
... also sporting the motto: "I am colorful, I am CSD!"
A homosexual church group. I'm not sure if the man in the wheelchair belonged to them or if he was his own group.
Demonstrating for equal rights in marriage. The sign says "Everybody is equal before the law??" Homosexual partners can marry in Germany, but they still don't have all the same rights as heterosexual couples.
A political party, "Bündnis 90, Die Grünen". Of all major parties we have, only CDU/CSU, the conservatives, didn't have their own float. Neither did the right-wing extrimist NPD, who'd tried to organize a demonstration against the CSD in the neighboring city, but cancelled it out of "respect" for a children festival there. I'm sure we were all very sad about that.
I liked those. They offer advice and an open ear for people questioning their sexuality.
The canvas says: "Dear Mr. Mappus (the president of my state, Baden-Württemberg)! Our Baden-Württemberg is colorful. More colorful than your government thinks [it is]." Markers (in various colors, of course) were hanging from the top with which you could put your signature here. Let me tell you, it's not easy when the canvas is moving and the only really free space is way above or below your range.
Don't know which group he was walking for, but hey, if you have impressive head and shoulder gear, who cares! :)
The car of the Aids Organization in Heidelberg.
I had to google it, but it's a network group for homosexual employees of software producer SAP. I love that SAP offers such a thing.
The leather fraction. ;)
A car for a gay magazine with...
... pictures. The right one critizises the homosexual rights in Baden-Württemberg, saying they are "für den Arsch (for the ass)", which is a German idiom meaning they're not worth anything. They also gave out condoms saying "für den Arsch".
People watching. It's near the end of the parade, so the lines are thinner. I was delighted to see quite a few kids. Of course I don't know how much they understand of what the parade is actually about, but better than bringing them up ignorant or hateful.
Two people walking home from the parade. They might unknowingly become a new icon of mine.
Decoration in a street the parade came through. The sign above says "Air & Love", which I found fitting. Even if it actually is a shop for juggling equipment.