Off To Pride

Wish me luck.

My tummy is turning and I'm feeling apprehensive.

I can't believe that it's been almost a year and the LGBTQ community is looking the way it is and I've heard so many are planning on not showing up.

Jesus, people, the bad guys win this way!!!!

I'll try to find pictures...

Bye.

Back From Pride!

It was 36 degrees Celsius.

Seriously.

Two marches and a lot to talk about.

Will do so a bit later, but thankfully my apprehension was for nought and there was none of the violence that I anticipated.

I'll tell you all about it and maybe add pictures :D.

Now, I'm going to eat!

Pride 2010

I was apprehensive, as you know, due to the fact that over the past week there had been a lot of incitement towards the Radical Queer part of the LGBTQ community.

It's really fucking insane that the head of the LGBT Centre in Tel-Aviv would say that we planned on coming with Turkish flags and call for the destruction of the State.

Anyway, backing up.

I first stopped over at the Pride Happening in the park in which the Tel-Aviv LGBT Centre is situated in which the different organisation had a booth. I was asked to make a sign for the BDSM Pride group, which I dropped off before heading to the Radical March meeting place. I sat around the BDSM booth for nearly an hour, because I was super early and I did a bit of explaining about why there was a booth, why there was a need for BDSM Visibility and why it's not skeezy or creepy.
It was fun.

Someone said I was elegant and that I made them reconsider what they had previously thought about the subject.

Awesome.

I left the Happening and took a cab to the meeting area, there were about 20 people and I helped make some signs.
So much craft!
The Trans visibility is always big in the radical blocs and marches, they really are a driving force in the Radical Queer community, it was really amazing to see all that they've done over the past few years. By the end of the march, back at the park, we were about 400 people strong.

I loved the fact that I was marching with people whose ideas and ideals I share, a march that was distinctly political and critical and oh so Queer and not just Gay.

I marched with the Socialists/Communists in this march and I held a red flag and a rainbow flag.
It was heavy, but it felt awesome to carry both those flags together.

I met my favourite lecturer at the Radical March and she seemed really happy to see me *squee*.
We talked a bit and she told me that this felt like Parades in days gone by... *sigh*

We arrived at the Park around one pm and had about half an hour before the Municipal (traditional and commercialised) March was set to go. I really had to pee.

I gave the flags back to the Socialists and had planned on zig-zagging between groups, but ended up being, ahem, tied up with the BDSM group and when I say group, I mean it was me and two other BDSMers walking with the flags. It was really fun, people asked us what the flags meant and we spieled! I handed out flyers :)

After I kissed the two other Leather Ladies goodbye (no one was in actual leather, 36 degrees Celsius OMG!) I joined up with the other Socialists and we went to lunch complaining about how commercialised, loud and full of too many people it was.

The thing about the Parade being so massive and is produced to be a great big party in which those represented are mainly White-Jewish-Cis-Gay-Men, I feel that the different groups should insist on being visible and not be marginalised even more.

I had a great time. I felt I made a good decision going to the Radical March and then continuing on to the Traditional one. I really disagree with the split that's gone on.

Any way, here's a pic of me: ( under the cut )

Happy Pride Y'all!!!