Yes, I’m using a tactic to boost ratings that Chris, Brian, and I love so much: a show of skin. Usually, one picture suffices, but I’ve treated you to a triptych. Oh, and there is a point to this. It was Pride Weekend in San Diego and there was no shortage of skin. There were plenty of clothed people, but posting nearly naked men is more fun.
My friends Scott, Jaylen, and Kay staked out a table in Starbuck’s outdoor patio on University and Cleveland at 9:00am, Saturday morning. Some more friends would join them, but I could only chat with them briefly. I was marching with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the parade. I would see them when the St. Paul’s group passed by them.
Since I was marching with St. Paul’s, that meant waiting for a couple of hours at the Hillcrest DMV before the parade. There were approximately 50-60 people who showed up to march, which was a larger turnout from the two or three previous years. Integrity had organized the parade contingent in the past; however, this was the first time the Cathedral was wholly represented. Many of the gay membership was present, but many others showed up to show their support. Clergy also participated. The Reverend Canon Allisyn Thomas (pictured with Martin holding the Gay Agenda sign) has long dreamed of having a large fantastic float, something that represents the Cathedral. No big float yet, but there were two silver convertibles and plenty of people for starters. Hopefully, Allisyn can have her float next year and will be big and fabulous.
Left to right: The Reverend Canon Andrew Rank, St. Paul’s members, the Very Reverend Scott Richardson and the Reverend Canon Allisyn Thomas, my friend Daniel and me, one of the cars used for the parade.
Since waiting for the parade to begin took a couple of hours, I wandered (not too far) and took some pictures. A fun float a few places ahead of us was Hairspray Salon, which had a Flintstones theme this year:
I couldn’t resist catching these t-shirt captions:
Left: We know what he likes. Right: We know how he likes it.
Here are some people I met during my wandering around:
Left to right: Me with Scott from MCC (not to be confused with my other friend Scott), Priest with Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, me with Miss San Diego Rodeo, and some Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
When it came time for the parade to start, Tutti of Lipps sent us off with a bang. She bantered with us about the time when Lipps was across the street from St. Paul’s, how Lipps is now the holiest place in their new location, and what does one call a female priest: priestess? priestessess? priest? At certain points, commentators told the spectators of the floats, but Tutti was the most fun.
Tutti of Lipps sends St Paul’s off.
Our group was very well received on the parade route. Well, not by everyone:
These nutjobs show up on 8th and University every year. This is the one spot protesters are allowed their First Amendment rights. Their numbers used to be larger, but it seems like the really cute, but loudly homophobic guys came out of the closet and left. Who knows? Hopefully, they will get love wherever they find it. They certainly won’t find it behind a horse’s ass.
After the parade, I got to meet in person Ted, one of my blog friends. Ted was one of the first people I “met” out in the blogosphere” earlier this year when I began interacting with other bloggers on a regular basis. He’s a writer, teacher, anthroplogist, doctoral candidate, a fellow holder of an MFA, and along with his husband, an editor of From Boys to Men: Gay Men Write About Growing Up. I got to meet his partner Rob, who will be a co-worker of mine in the fall, and I got to meet a mutual acquaintance of ours I haven’t seen in years. Our interaction was brief, but I don’t think I’ve seen the last of Ted.
No pride event is complete without token straight boys. God bless them, especially when they’re cute. This guy was in front of me in line at Chipotle’s on 7th and University and I couldn’t resist taking his picture. One of his girlfriends helped me out with taking this pic by telling him to own what’s written on his arm. After I got this pic and ordered my burrrito, I met my friends for lunch. Chipotle’s was crowded and we couldn’t sit with our group for a while, so Scott, Daniel, and I sat outside. After a while, we joined the rest of the group inside and met up with Amber and Julie, who could only be there for a short while.
The festival was like any other festival I’ve been to, only bigger. This time, the grounds extended to 6th and Laurel and there were more beer gardens than before. As usual, there were many obscure bands, but the headlining band was Erasure on Sunday night.
Like the True Colors set of a month ago, Erasure’s set was a truncated one. Given that is was more practical to take a minimalist approach, Andy Bell and Vince Clark avoided the flamboyant theatrical devices that typically accompany their shows. While Bell and company didn’t do many costume changes, they did have some interesting outfits. Bell and Clark wore Andy Warhol patterns. Vince Clark had a Debbie Harry t-shirt underneath his jacket, while Andy Bell sported a Warhol print of Debbie Harry on his silver jacket. Vince Clark masqueraded as Andy Warhol with his wig, and the back-up divas wore fluorescent cheongsams and wigs to match. They played material from their new album along with some standard crowd pleasers from the 1980′s, but Erasure delivered a show that ultimately satisfied festival goers.
See more of my Pride pictures on Flickr.
