In a move which will surprise exactly no one with all the gay stuff I post on my facebook page and the development of Max and Juno's adventures...I am...not straight.
💓💛💚💙💜
This is exactly what I told my parents when I got home from my first ever Pride yesterday, and to say they were nonplussed would be the biggest understatement of the century. I got absolutely no reaction from them (and this was with me literally waving the pride flag I bought that day at them, lol)
Apparently they'd been 'wondering for about a year' so it wasn't exactly a shock, although I did have to explain that I was pansexual and not actually a lesbian, although they were completely unfased by that as well, with my mum's first question being whether or not I had a girlfriend on the go (I should be so lucky, lmao) and within five minutes we were all back to watching a documentary on tudor fish traps on the seaside, as if I hadn't just dropped a major bombshell about myself that I'd been sitting on for years.
Obviously all my friends and everyone on facebook knew as I'm not exactly subtle about it, but I just couldn't find the right moment to tell my parents and I felt like I couldn't truly consider myself 'out' until they knew. It felt like I was almost lying by omission by not telling them, and even though I knew they wouldn't react negatively to it, it was still kind of a big deal and I wanted to get it right. When I told them I was going to Pride I expected a raised eyebrow or a questioning look but they didn't so much as bat an eyelid. In all honestly my mum was more perturbed by the knowledge that there were some folk on the march wearing onesies than anything about my sexuality. XD
I count myself incredibly lucky that I'm surrounded by so much acceptance and love from my family and friends as I know many people who have had the opposite reaction when coming out and I only wish I could extend what I have to them. 
I've wanted to go to a Pride event for years, but somehow never quite managed it. I had no one to go with last year but this time round things were different, as my friend Murphy was going too, so we arranged to meet up. Unfortunately I was laid low with an absolutely horrendous stomach bug for most of the week, and I think it was through sheer force of will that I managed to feel well enough to go out at all!
I gave myself a super gay manicure in preparation and to cheer myself up...
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| holo polish and sharpies ftw! |
...donned my favourite unicorn socks...
...and made my way to Glasgow Green, where the event was being held. The place was a sea of rainbows and colour everywhere, although in true Glasgow fashion, the weather wasn't quite as appealing.
Murphy was there already with a couple of friends, who were apparently dressed in rainbow suits, which he assured me would make them fairly easy to spot.
He wasn't wrong. 😂
Throughout the day they kept getting stopped for photos, so Murphy and I had to shuffle awkwardly to one side so we weren't in the way. XD
The big parade around the centre of Glasgow was due to be starting soon, so we loitered around until it headed off, taking in the sights and sounds (and many, many dogs!) of the place.
There was a bit of bother before the march began, when some protesters tried to disrupt it. We missed what actually happened but apparently some were objecting to the fact that Police Scotland were leading the march this year, because of the history of persecution by the police to the queer community, and also the commercialisation of Pride this year, as many companies had their own spots in the parade to show their support, which was kind of also a big advert for them. I can totally understand why those views were had, and can agree with them on some level, but their behaviour was uncalled for and while Pride has always been a form of protest, we've got it pretty damn good here in Scotland, and I don't think anyone would have objected if they'd been in the parade with their banners like everyone else; it just wasn't the right way in this circumstance to show their discontent.
Anyway, I think a couple were arrested, and then the march began as intended. It was led by a brilliant pipe band, then the LGBTQ members of Police Scotland. (there are more videos to the right of this one, click the arrow)
EDIT: What I failed to understand at the time was that one of the protesters was arrested for having a perceived slur on their sign - a word which is often reclaimed by the community as a sign of power over bigotry, and the police responded to this peaceful protest with aggression and hostility, forcing one or more to the ground while they were cuffed. This kind of behaviour has absolutely no place here, and I'm honestly embarrassed by my previous statement, as in hindsight, it was the police that were in the wrong.
EDIT: What I failed to understand at the time was that one of the protesters was arrested for having a perceived slur on their sign - a word which is often reclaimed by the community as a sign of power over bigotry, and the police responded to this peaceful protest with aggression and hostility, forcing one or more to the ground while they were cuffed. This kind of behaviour has absolutely no place here, and I'm honestly embarrassed by my previous statement, as in hindsight, it was the police that were in the wrong.
The 'Older And Proud' group followed suit in a big bus and we slotted in somewhere after them, with the Trans rights crowd.
I fail at selfies. XD
At one point we passed by a couple of religious hatemongers, with big signs telling us to 'Prepare to Meet Thy God' and that 'Judgement Day Is Coming'
They didn't do anything other than stand there, scowling and holding their placards, so they were pretty much ignored or laughed at by everyone.
It's testament to how progressive Scotland is these days, that that was really it in terms of homophobia on the march - everyone else was incredibly friendly and welcoming.
I think this next photo is my favourite from the whole day as it just sums it all up. That's my old college building in the background too!
I didn't photograph enough of them, but there were SO MANY DOGS!
I'd bought a Pride flag when I first arrived, but once we made it back to Glasgow Green, I picked up a wee Pan one too as you almost never see them about and I wanted to represent!
The weather by this point had taken a turn for the worse, and the rain was absolutely pelting down (the kind of rain you can feel trickling down your scalp and soaking into seemingly every fibre of your being, urghhh) with a bit of a blustery wind too. A string of balloons escaped from one of the floats and made a bid for freedom at one point. XD
You don't appreciate it here, but my flag (which I'd wedged into my backpack so I didn't have to carry it everywhere) was soaked, and kept slapping me in the face.😄
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was due to officially open the event, being the first serving head of any UK government in history to address a Pride rally. Before she came on, there were speeches from a few folk, and probably the best quote of the whole day came from the wonderful trans woman who spoke during the opening. This was in response to the recent outrage at trans folk in the US being denied the right to join the military thanks to Trump, and...because she wasn't allowed to swear on stage. 😂
(not to get too political or anything, but honestly, if you're a Trump supporter and you're offended by this, I have absolutely no sympathy or regrets - the man's horrific; he's actively hurting our community and those of minorities and other persecuted groups, and represents everything that is wrong with America right now. /rant)
The rain was atrocious by this point, but Murphy had bought himself a new umbrella on one of the stands so we were protected from at least some of it. (my brolly died as soon as I opened it! T.T)
In the lull between speeches, I couldn't resist getting everyone's favourite plastic lesbians out for a quick photo. XD
Finally, on came Nicola, and my arms cramped from holding my phone for so long but I managed to get her whole speech on camera. This is the kind of progressive, inclusive and outward looking politician I love, and I'm honestly so proud to live in a country where hatred and bigotry is being actively targeted, and the rights of everyone are fought long and hard for, and aren't disregarded as being less important than maintaining the status quo or pandering to religious groups.
Finally, on came Nicola, and my arms cramped from holding my phone for so long but I managed to get her whole speech on camera. This is the kind of progressive, inclusive and outward looking politician I love, and I'm honestly so proud to live in a country where hatred and bigotry is being actively targeted, and the rights of everyone are fought long and hard for, and aren't disregarded as being less important than maintaining the status quo or pandering to religious groups.
💓
Finally it was all over. Though the day was still young, we were all knackered and absolutely soaked, so we headed off, though we're definitely coming back next year! (and perhaps then Murphy can persuade me to go on some of the fairground rides that were there, because I certainly wasn't keen this time round! XD)
So yeah, I'm here, I'm queer, and if anyone has a problem with that then, well, that's your loss. 👍
🌈 I have absolutely no time for intolerance and bigotry! 🌈
I don't think I'll get anything like that from any of my regular readers though, you all seem like truly lovely people. :) 💓💓💓💓
Woot! That looked awesome! It's on my bucket list to go to a pride event one year (lesbian here, hi *waves*) but like you I have no-one to go with :( May bite the bullet next year and go solo - if I'm still single which seems highly likely *sigh*.
ReplyDeleteI realize this is your first pride, you aren't active in LGBT campaigning and you're not trans(?), but the actions of the police officers were a lot less than ok, including putting peaceful trans protesters in chokeholds, read more here for an explanation of why there was a protest and how trans people are disproportionately affected by police violence:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/37132/1/lgbtq-activists-protesting-police-at-glasgow-pride-arrested
I know it sucks and it would be best if we could just all get along, but there is still a hell of a lot of way to go especially for trans people who currently suffer horrible rates of assault, hate crime, etc, etc. I'm not here to be an asshole, I'm very sorry if I come off this way, but I'm involved with the NUS trans people and the misinformation being spread is not great.
Yeah, no, I found out more details afterwards and it's awful. :( I wrote this out after only really seeing one or two reports which obviously supported the police's side, but I've since seen more which proves otherwise. On the one hand I can totally understand why the police leading the march is seen as a betrayal because of the history of police brutality, but on the other, I do feel for the queer officers who were marching for themselves too. It's a tricky situation, but yes, the police really did overdo things in this particular instance and I really hope there's will be repercussions!
DeleteI have many trans friends, so I'm always striving to do more to help them and their cause. :3
You definitely didn't come over badly, I may edit my original post to better reflect what actually happened. We saw a few folk with signs and flags, and some police, but didn't see anything actually happen so apologies if my initial reaction was harmful in any way.
I didn't go to my first Pride until I was in my mid thirties even though I had been out since I was a teenager. It was quite the experience and very interesting. After about 3 years of Pride I was over it, lol. I'm not a fan of crowds but I don't regret going or the camaraderie I felt. Good on you for going!
ReplyDelete