Pride Season

[DonMike]

Anyone got any good Pride season stories? I spent all of Long Beach Pride working the leather expo tent, but it was fun. I got lots of snide remarks from the so called "normal" gay folk who thought me and my kind were all freaks, but I also had some really great conversations from people who really wanted to learn about the kinky lifestyle. My favorite was this one cute young man (18 years old, of course) who sat through several of the demonstrations and seminars who came up to me and asked a few questions and then, very meekly,asked "um... do you HAVE to wear leather...". Hmm, I thought about it for a moment and said "not really, it's about who you are more than what you wear" and he very meekly replied, "um... cause... I'm a vegetarian". LOL!!!

It was really cute.

Then I sliced my finger open while cleaning up and had to be rushed to the 1st aid tent. There was only red material for me to wrap my finger in so on the way we stopped for directions and the poor girl selling pride t-shirts nearly passed out when I held up a finger bandaged completely in blood red cloth and asked where the first aid tent was. LOL! Poor thing.

[Jasun]

I rode my motorcycle in the parade.

This was the first year in anyone's memory that any Gay Pride Parade wasn't lead by the Dykes on Bikes, but by The Oedopus Riders.

Although there were more members of the SoCal Gay Sportbikers than anything else.

Many women weren't too pleased, but the guys loved us, and we had a blast.

My favorite part was this cute young 21 year-old blonde stud I met in Saint Louis Obisbo on one of our club rides. He's only recently out, doesn't have any gay friends or gay role models at all (he lives in a small town up north), he had somuch run riding with us, but he got all depressed after the weekend was over and he had to go back home. I talked him into coming down to ride with us in the parade... he'd never been to one before..

Halfway through the route, I looked up and saw him right up front, weaving back and forth along the road, with a BIG HUGE SMILE on his face... It was like seeing a puppy get to run out on a big open field for the first time..I was so happy for him, I thought I was going to cry.