Another year, and another time I’ll use my blog as a blog. This year I’ll be talking about the whole of Pride weekend, marriage equality coming to Pa. and all the related stories to it.
So one month ago, a judge struck down Pa.’s DOMA, and making us the 19th state to have full marriage equality! We knew when the decision was coming down, and then knew it would be after lunch, so I was anxiously refreshing news sources to find out.
When it finally came down, I of course, was pouring over the court orders and the legal analysis. And I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any tears. It’s still so abstract, having these rights we had to fight and claw for, but wonderful of course. This does make us the first state to get marriage equality with passing our own ENDA, but there is a renewed push for HB/SB 300, so hopefully it’s coming sooner rather than later.
The best line of the court order:
We are a better people than what these laws represent, and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history.
Pittsburgh celebrated on Ellsworth Avenue, and we all waited to hear what the Governor would do. There was no stay, which meant couples could apply for marriage licenses that day (and if they could get an exception from Orphan Court, skip the waiting period). As it turns out, Corbett saw the writing on the wall and decided to not appeal. The way the lawsuit was originally written also meant that no outside party could appeal in his place, meaning that it was the official law of the land (there was a tiny chance a higher judge, such as a federal circuit judge, could have picked it up, but without someone appealing it, it was highly unlikely).
And possibly the best part of the whole thing? The judge that struck down the law was endorsed by Rick Santorum.
So leading up to Pride, Toonseum, a group I’ve worked with through Gay4Good decided to throw a special reception during Pride in the Street, Kitty Pryde Fest (get it, because Ellen Paige is gay and the new X-Men move, and Pride…I love a good pun). Bigots went nuts and cancelled their memberships, which is a shame, it’s one of only two cartoon museums in the country and as a small museum, needs all the help it can get. Although I believe that because of the outrage more people stepped up to donate.
And as it turned out, during Pride in the Street (Chaka Kahn), the public sidewalk was closed for the first time, and you had to pay to get into Pride in the Street, to get to Toonseum, which pissed a lot of people off. But points to Toonseum for sticking to their guns!
And speaking of Pride in the Street, I did hear a lot of grumbling about the price and headliner (and people calling it Van Horn Fest, which I chuckled at), but I think you’ll have that any year. Everyone who I talked to did have a great time, even if they complained about the price and logistics.
I didn’t head down to Pride in the Street, I’m not a huge fan of large crowds, and anyway, some friends came in from out of state, and combined with even more local friends, we went to the Hump film festival, which was a blast! There was a lot of laughing and cheering, and great food before and after, including Flying Dog’s Chocolate Mint Stout, which I highly recommend!
Before the march, Mayor Peduto married 19 gay couples, which I assume is a nod to the 19 plaintiffs in the Pa. DOMA case (or was it 21?). They were the first couples he married as mayor, which was cool too.
The Sunday of Pride had beautiful weather, blue skies and mid eighties. Getting ready for the Pride March though, standing in the sun on concrete was kind of crappy, at least compared to last year where it was overcast and cooler. The march was fantastic, and once again Gay4Good walked with Toonseum and Arcade Comedy Theater. I was honored to walk with some new friends, and some old friends coming to Pride for the first time. And Missy from Arcade has a special way of revving up the crowd, I’ve never seen someone get so many successful slow claps off the ground!
The roars of the crowd are amazing and such a great experience. There seemed to be fewer protesters this year, but they were spread out, but anytime they would start talking into their bullhorns, the crowd would pick up and completely drown them out! When I worked at the Boy Scouts, I always commented that the Eagle Dinner was a nice way to recharge and remember why we worked the long hours we did, and Pride is kind of the same. It’s a way to recharge and reconnect with the entire community and celebrate.
After the parade, Alex and I walked around PrideFest, taking a look at some of the booths and what not, and eventually meeting up with Todd and Rikki (and Marquis) for a few minutes. They headed off to see some of their bowling friends, and at that point, the heat and the record crowd was enough for me, so I headed home (and I checked, it was about the same time I left the year before, so I’m consistent).
I had originally planned on sticking around to see Steve Grand, and it would have been fun, but there were just too many people there for my taste. Which I guess is a good thing, it shows the acceptance of the community (and possibly the desire to come downtown and party).
After I left, there was an altercation between a police officer and PrideFest attendee. The Mayor is promising a swift investigation, which will probably take about 30 days. The reports are conflicting, and it looks really bad for the officer, but I wasn’t there, so I guess I’ll just have to wait to see what comes out of all the investigations.
After I got home, I met Alex at Dad’s for their one-year anniversary celebration on Father’s Day (they really should promote it as Dad’s Day instead), which is always a good time, especially since they have their new patio open.
All in all, a great Pride, and a a good boost. I”m so thankful for my friends in the LGBT community and our allies, the well wishes all day were great to hear and I hope more people can come down next year and celebrate with us!
Coming up later this month will be my annual post dedicated to Stonewall so look for that, and for everyone, happy Pride!
