Despite seeing all the threads on pride the last couple weeks, it only occurred to me tonight that my city might be having one. And sure enough, they are, this Saturday. Now, I'm not going. I don't think I'm comfortable enough to go by myself yet, and I don't have anyone else to go with me. I don't really need convincing to go, since I'm okay with the fact that I'm not going. Honestly, I just found it interesting that I've hit a point where I actually want to go to this event, even though I'm terrified. I also realize in retrospect how easy it is for me to push other people on here to go to their respective pride's, but when it's my turn to go I have no intention of making the effort (yet). I did, however, e-mail this bi-weekly men's group thing, looking for some more info. If it runs on a weekend I'm not working, that I would consider going to. I suppose it's progress, in some sense of the word. :rolle:
LOSER! hahaha! jk dude, your avatar looks so unafraid...guess it running away? Is the event near a shopping area, park, or other major area people usually are anyways? Mine is. So, duh, Im scared I wil see peeps and be outed, or lie...and i not lie knowingly. But here my plan, to go close to it, but at a cafe, peek, see if any of it looks more "normal" and if they have anything not scary like a snow cone stand...I will be on outskirts. That is, unless I accidentally see 2 EC peeps who happen to also live here. There will be hundreds. so doubt it, but if we recognize from our profile pix, I may be willing to hang out with them. (if my gay buddy were not very ill i would go with him) u r asking me to tease u, ya know? fun games time! mwaaahaahaa!
I think I mentioned this in one of the other threads: one of the things I truly feared was infact going by myself...and that, the last bit of that fear quickly went away once I saw the pride crowd If you feel you want to go "just do it" - try & push that going alone fear aside...(lets say you did go, I wouldn't be surprised if it just quickly goes away once you arrived) If you don't feel your ready...well then yeah don't go :lol:
Hey BudderMC! So, I'll just tell you, I'd been out for 3 years, but that was the first time where I went to a Pride event. So, if you aren't comfortable enough yet to go to one, then don't go. I do recommend you go at least once though. Seriously, I was petrified and nervous, butterflies galore, but, I was so excited at the same time! And all those nerves were gone as soon as I got there. I never felt so free to be who I was than when I was there. If you don't go, there's always next year, or the year after that, etc. If you do go, I think you'll have a wonderful time, and I sure hope you do! :icon_bigg
I ended up being out of town anyway, and should be leaving town again later today, so I actually can't really go. But the bus I came back into town on happened to stop where pride was gathering (serves me right for getting on a bus I'm not sure about). Go figure! I don't know if it's just my city, or the fact that it was 40 minutes before pride was supposed to "officially start" (by the website), but it seemed really... underwhelming. It was just some guy (probably a city official or something) giving some talk, with about 40 people or so gathered in the square outside city hall? I had errands to run and more buses to catch, so I didn't hang around... but beyond the feeling that I still "didn't belong there" somehow, it didn't really look that appealing either. Anyone else get this impression, or was it just my place? I will still go one year (next year, hopefully!) just to say I did at least. I feel like it's a semi-obligatory event to do at least once.
I had strange first time pride experience last week. My LGBT group was getting together at a bar and was then going to watch the parade. Now, I live with my parents and am not out to them so I would have to think of a good lie to go. I also had all this anxiety about being outed by my mother who is a notorious snoop. This was compounded by guilt about the complete inconsistency of lying to go to pride. I finally get the nerve to leave about an hour before the parade, which will take an hour to get to. I run into train troubles, and arrive at the tail end of the parade. I see some of it, and walk up and down the parade route along the sidewalk hoping that I might run into someone from my group even though I know it won't happen. I was there about a half-hour and then took the hour train ride home. I felt like an outsider only because it was a very neighborhood oriented event and I don't live in that area. I was also as reminded that I don't like streets, bars or restaurants crowded with sweaty people, though I might have felt differently if I were with my group. All in all, my biggest regret about that debacle was not getting to spend time with some really nice people from my LGBT group that I was just starting to get to know. It also feels good to have gone and dipped my toe in the water. There's another pride event in my area so I might make another attempt later in the month. And there's always next year.
A lot of straight people go to pride too. My best-friend who is straight asked me if I wanted to go because Basshunter is there and there's lots of alcohol, I was like, no. I don't really think it's for me at all. Back to you though, you could just tell people that you're going and go with a group of friends. If you're friends with any gay people you could just say you're going to support them.
...niiiiiiiice. At least they wanted to go? Some support is better than no support :rolle: And yeah, I don't really have any gay friends. Nor do I have any friends here, since they're all gone for Father's Day. Even if they were here, I don't think it's necessarily their cup of tea... a rather quiet girl and a sheltered Mennonite guy, and our new housemate whom I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him the last 6 weeks.
