My pride well got tapped out this weekend, which resulted in approximately 2 hours of sleep fueling the entire endeavor and sleeping in until 1pm recovering from it yesterday. I also lost my voice a bit from all of the puberty-ridden squealing-while-attempting-to-scream that went on. It never, not once, sounded anything like hooting. More like a cracky, screeching ... I don't know what.
Essentially, when it comes to Pride Weekend, I do everything I can to drag it out as long as possible. It's like this magical little micro-world where everyone celebrates the freedom to just, well - be. Hetero, homo, bi, pan, genderqueer, male, female, cis, trans, whatever - everyone is just there expressing themselves however they want in an environment that's safe, accepting, and celebratory of diversity. Something I wish I saw in my macro-world more often.
My Pride started Thursday night with Salt Lake's first ever Miss City Weekly Drag Pageant:
All of the performers were so talented and entertaining. The range of different forms of drag performance was refreshing. And the Q & A was the best part - especially when contestant Champagne Starr was asked, "In 2010, does drag help or hinder LGBT rights and does it matter?", to which she passionately replied, "I think, first of all, that drag very much so helps LGBT rights in 2010... drag matters and our rights matter, so keep fighting!"
Oh, in the above video, I also love what guest judge Jesse Furhwirth had to say about drag's relevancy,
For the third time now I heard the phrase tranimal, which has me imagining another adorable shirt with a werewolf in a glittery pink dress and TRANIMAL!!! scrawled above in old school horror font.
Yes, please.
Friday night some friends and I went to an Equality Utah fundraiser at a local pub. The culture-meshing in that place was just, astounding - a Swedish band with bagpipes would play one moment, then one of three celebrity impersonator (Dolly Parton, Lucille Ball, and Liza Minnelli) drag queens would perform, then switch back to the Scottish band.
Saturday we had our first ever Trans March here in Salt Lake City alongside two other marches:
Dyke, Trans Marches Kick off Utah Pride Festival
Unfortunately, we showed up late for the march, but made it to the rally where the Dyke and Trans marches convened.
My entire adorable family - dad, mom, brother, and pup Ganymede - all made it to the march and justifiably nagged at me for showing up late. It was important enough for my dad to be there in support, even given the fact that he has a bicuspid aortic valve (a type of congenital heart disease involving the aortic valve), which puts him at risk for an aortic dissection if he over-exerts himself. He was careful and paced himself, all in support of his trans son. I love my super cute family!
Then we all left the rally to get geared up for my aunt's wedding. After it ended around 10:30pm, I darted off to change again and pummel in some more pride action at Princess Kennedy's Pink Party. She revealed her makeover and new song "Priorities", then Gorgeous Jared, Coko Couture, and the DC Cowboys performed. So much pride - and all through a hazy sleep-deprived lens.
Recap of the evening here:
I need to get my grandma in on that Grannies for Gays action.
Then onwards we trekked to the festival at the City County Building where Gany, my cousin and I waited for 45 minutes in direct sun for a snow cone. Once acquired, it tasted like the most delicious snow cone I ever did taste. I literally got a taste, and then my mom ate it.
At the festival, my mom, Andrew, and I competed to see who could put a condom on a dildo faster:
Which I, of course, won. I had mine completed so fast and with such an incredible amount of lightning force that the dildo plopped over while Andrew and my mom were still scrambling in a condom-sliding panic.
Later, my dad decided that he wanted to potentially purchase a Utili-Kilt, so I wandered over there with him. Upon arrival, the feller selling the kilts immediately sized me up and grabbed a kilt for me to try on, even as I explained that I was not going to be purchasing a kilt! Still, Utili-Kilts are awesome, so I went along with it.
The first size he guessed wasn't correct, and then he commented, "You have some hips on you!", to which I replied, "So goes the world of trans men." Once he found the correct size, he told me to, "Drop trou.." Wait, what? He repeated, "Come on. Unbutton, unzip, and drop em'." ... so I did, and he quickly snapped the Utili-Kilt on as passerby hooted and hollered.
And, of course, the Utili-Kilt looked great. My dad, the actual potential customer, tried one on also but the discounted kilts had been sold out already. And the non-discounted are a bit expensive. We were sent off with cards that had our size/length scribbled on them for future purchasing reference.
On another note, earlier today I called the court and my hearing for name/gender change is next Monday, the 14th. I'm a little anxious, because the judge randomly appointed my case is an older, LDS feller who graduated from Brigham Young University. When learning this, I initially felt that I should ask for a different judge, fearing that he'll discriminate or something will happen - but I'm going to try NOT to stereotype, and hope for the best. Give him a chance, see how this goes.
Essentially, when it comes to Pride Weekend, I do everything I can to drag it out as long as possible. It's like this magical little micro-world where everyone celebrates the freedom to just, well - be. Hetero, homo, bi, pan, genderqueer, male, female, cis, trans, whatever - everyone is just there expressing themselves however they want in an environment that's safe, accepting, and celebratory of diversity. Something I wish I saw in my macro-world more often.
My Pride started Thursday night with Salt Lake's first ever Miss City Weekly Drag Pageant:
All of the performers were so talented and entertaining. The range of different forms of drag performance was refreshing. And the Q & A was the best part - especially when contestant Champagne Starr was asked, "In 2010, does drag help or hinder LGBT rights and does it matter?", to which she passionately replied, "I think, first of all, that drag very much so helps LGBT rights in 2010... drag matters and our rights matter, so keep fighting!"
Oh, in the above video, I also love what guest judge Jesse Furhwirth had to say about drag's relevancy,
"Drag is still relevant because gender roles are still rather rigid and it's very difficult for people to set their own rules in terms of what gender means to them, what masculinity means to them, what femininity means to them. And so long as those roles are still rigid drag will still be incredibly relevant."
For the third time now I heard the phrase tranimal, which has me imagining another adorable shirt with a werewolf in a glittery pink dress and TRANIMAL!!! scrawled above in old school horror font.
Yes, please.
Friday night some friends and I went to an Equality Utah fundraiser at a local pub. The culture-meshing in that place was just, astounding - a Swedish band with bagpipes would play one moment, then one of three celebrity impersonator (Dolly Parton, Lucille Ball, and Liza Minnelli) drag queens would perform, then switch back to the Scottish band.
Saturday we had our first ever Trans March here in Salt Lake City alongside two other marches:
Dyke, Trans Marches Kick off Utah Pride Festival
Meanwhile, attendees at the festival’s newest march convened on the east side of the Capitol Building. The first annual Trans March drew roughly 100 people of several gender identities.
Attendee Jamie Wood said she liked the idea of the Trans March because it drew together two sections of Utah’s transgender community who she said don’t interact enough.
“It seems like there are some transgender people who go to activist things like TransAction [a Utah Pride Center group for transgender and allied youth] and who just go to support groups,” said attendee Jamie Wood. “It’s nice coming here and seeing people I haven’t seen in a year.”
As in the nearby Dyke March, a number of speakers addressed those gathered including transgender women Joni Weiss and Candice Metzler. Read more >
Unfortunately, we showed up late for the march, but made it to the rally where the Dyke and Trans marches convened.
My entire adorable family - dad, mom, brother, and pup Ganymede - all made it to the march and justifiably nagged at me for showing up late. It was important enough for my dad to be there in support, even given the fact that he has a bicuspid aortic valve (a type of congenital heart disease involving the aortic valve), which puts him at risk for an aortic dissection if he over-exerts himself. He was careful and paced himself, all in support of his trans son. I love my super cute family!
Then we all left the rally to get geared up for my aunt's wedding. After it ended around 10:30pm, I darted off to change again and pummel in some more pride action at Princess Kennedy's Pink Party. She revealed her makeover and new song "Priorities", then Gorgeous Jared, Coko Couture, and the DC Cowboys performed. So much pride - and all through a hazy sleep-deprived lens.
Recap of the evening here:
You may have missed the greatest drag show in the city's history Saturday night at Studio 27, because Gorgeous Jared and Coko brought their best to the newly adorned stage at what was once the Trapp Door. If you weren't there, you missed a fire. Read more >And then Sunday - the Pride Parade and Festival! Wooo! Kapooie! Sunshine, dehydration, rainbows, and tanning galore! I marched with Trans Action in my Trannysaurus Rex birthday shirt, which spurred smiles and compliments galore. I never knew one stupid bright green shirt could generate so much happy:
... and then other bits n' pieces from the parade, which went on for over an hour. It's getting bigger every year!
Then onwards we trekked to the festival at the City County Building where Gany, my cousin and I waited for 45 minutes in direct sun for a snow cone. Once acquired, it tasted like the most delicious snow cone I ever did taste. I literally got a taste, and then my mom ate it.
At the festival, my mom, Andrew, and I competed to see who could put a condom on a dildo faster:
Which I, of course, won. I had mine completed so fast and with such an incredible amount of lightning force that the dildo plopped over while Andrew and my mom were still scrambling in a condom-sliding panic.
Later, my dad decided that he wanted to potentially purchase a Utili-Kilt, so I wandered over there with him. Upon arrival, the feller selling the kilts immediately sized me up and grabbed a kilt for me to try on, even as I explained that I was not going to be purchasing a kilt! Still, Utili-Kilts are awesome, so I went along with it.
The first size he guessed wasn't correct, and then he commented, "You have some hips on you!", to which I replied, "So goes the world of trans men." Once he found the correct size, he told me to, "Drop trou.." Wait, what? He repeated, "Come on. Unbutton, unzip, and drop em'." ... so I did, and he quickly snapped the Utili-Kilt on as passerby hooted and hollered.
And, of course, the Utili-Kilt looked great. My dad, the actual potential customer, tried one on also but the discounted kilts had been sold out already. And the non-discounted are a bit expensive. We were sent off with cards that had our size/length scribbled on them for future purchasing reference.
On another note, earlier today I called the court and my hearing for name/gender change is next Monday, the 14th. I'm a little anxious, because the judge randomly appointed my case is an older, LDS feller who graduated from Brigham Young University. When learning this, I initially felt that I should ask for a different judge, fearing that he'll discriminate or something will happen - but I'm going to try NOT to stereotype, and hope for the best. Give him a chance, see how this goes.
hope your judge is a good one. If it's Bullock, hopefully it's pleasant. He handled my divorce and he's a doll.
ReplyDeletetranimal! i say that in TOTWK!
ReplyDelete