DING DONG

DOMA is dead, DOMA is dead, Ding – Dong, the wicked DOMA is dead! (sung to the tune of “Wicked Witch is Dead” from the Wizard of Oz). Thank you to the courageous Plaintiffs, their legal team, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) for ending this idiotic legislation and overturning Proposition 8. SCOTUS also reinstated same-sex marriage in California and it will become legal in Minnesota as of August 1st, 2013.

PRIDE Festival 2013 was a joyous occasion. I volunteered at a booth on Sunday, June 30th and then walked around afterwards. I was fortunate to locate parking within a few blocks of Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis. I arrived early and opened the booth. It was a pleasant morning and people were very happy. www.tcpride.org

PRIDE has evolved a lot from when I began attending during the 1980s. Back then; there were a couple dozen booths and a few people playing guitars on the one and only stage. The parade was brief and we had a lot of police around because “gay bashers” would target attendees to beat up. I remember being heckled by a young man saying that all I needed was a good “fuck” to be straight. My friends were concerned but I laughed and said loudly, “I am straight but you aren’t good enough for me.” The heckler looked stunned and walked away.

The Festival now has hundreds of booths and several performance areas. The parade is huge and parking is horrendous. The organizers need to move to a better location, perhaps the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It has become very “corporate” and lost its folksy charm. There are still the “on the edge” booths featuring nudists, fetish clubs, penis and vagina artwork. Some of the attendees are outrageous in a benign manner but some were rather lewd. Parents would need to talk with their kids about appropriate behavior and good boundaries both before and after the event.

Crowds swarmed the park after the conclusion of the PRIDE Parade. I was invited to march with several units but I don’t really like parades too much. Noise and visual stimulation can be overwhelming at times. I enjoyed walking around and bumping into people that I know. Nice to see so many wedding-related booths. I listened to the profoundly talented Mayda perform. She did not appear well. I hope she feels better soon and gains some weight. Her talent is too huge to lose.

Every Fourth of July, we Americans celebrate our Independence Day. Our ancestors chose to break away from another country to operate as an elected democracy. Democracy is a challenging process but moves us closer to true equity for all. Thus, it is imperative that the members of our community who are homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered receive the same rights, and subsequently, responsibilities. Same-sex marriage is a positive evolution for democracy. If you don’t agree with same-sex marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same gender. More weddings will bring about more divorces and custody battles, a win-win situation for the legal community. However, its about recognizing love and the stability of marriage. Hip-hip-hooray!

Equity for All: All for Equity.
Copyright © 2013 by Ima B. Musing: all rights reserved.