Transpride March and Rally, Northampton, MA, June 7, 2008
I met my friend Diana at her house and she drove her high MPG hybrid to Northamption (we picked up her old friend/my new friend Trevor along the way).
We arrived about 10:45 AM and parked in the garage next to the parking lot where the rally would take place. We found our support group’s table, which was close to the stage, and set up for the day.
Soon after arriving in Northampton and walking around awhile, I discovered that my “comfortable” shoes were not comfortable enough, so I did not march.
I would have marched if I only had to march one way, but first I had to walk the length of the march route to the park where the march began and then march back. The two-mile trek was not in the cards. And meanwhile, my comfortable sneakers were in my car sitting in Diana's driveway, 60 miles away! I kicked myself the rest of the day for that strategic error.
(Although my shoes were march-deficient, two women working the pizza booth at the rally said they "loved" my shoes! I also received a couple of compliments on my whole outfit.)
The weather started out comfortably. It was warm and humid, but not bad. Then the skies cleared, the Sun went to work, the temperatures rose, and by noon, it was amazingly hot!
Most of the attendees were dressed appropriately for the weather (shorts, loose and/or skimpy tops), not too many skirts, dresses, and hosiery, but I was not alone in my wardrobe choice and did not feel out of place.
Actually, I was more comfortable then I expected. I went with minimal underwear: just panties, bra, and a lightweight waist cincher. My wig and makeup were not an issue and as a result, I did not perspire at all except when I used a portable toilet, which was an oven!
The march was impressive. Five hundred to 1,000 people marched (estimates varied) and were cheered by on-lookers along the route. The marchers arrived at the rally site around noon and the speakers began shortly thereafter.
I stayed at our table most of the afternoon, sipping water, listening to the speakers, and enjoying the shade provided by the beach umbrella that Lee Anne kindly provided.
It was an interesting crowd and not the typical crowd I have seen at expensive trans conferences where white middle class, middle-aged transpeople predominate (NTTIAWWT). Here, I saw all colors, ages, and classes of transpeople, which brought home the fact that the Trans Nation is as diverse as the general population.
The rally ended around 5 PM. Diana and I packed up and walked to a nearby lounge for the
GLAD after-rally party, where we hobnobbed with some of the movers and shakers in the trans community including
TransFM’s
Ethan St. Pierre and
IFGE’s
Denise Leclair, who graciously took the photo accompanying this blog posting.
There was a familiar face at the party, but I could not place her. Today, while searching the blogs for Transpride references, I placed her face when I read her blog. The face belonged to Jess, a regular reader of this blog and the author of her own blog,
Our Life In Pink. At the party, I almost asked her where I knew her from, but I am shy, did not do so and regret it so much now that we did not make a connection.
After a very long day, Diana and I left the party and travelled back our homes.
It was an amazing day. The speakers were inspiring and motivated me to come out and be proud about being trans. It is something I am seriously considering.
I Remembered A Dream!If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I seldom remember my dreams and on those rare occasions when I do remember a dream, it is usually trans related.
In light of my day at Transpride yesterday, I find it interesting that I remembered my dream last night, but it was not trans related… or was it?
Here is last night's dream:
I am driving on the I-84 in the general direction of New York City approximately 80 miles away. Suddenly, an exploding ball appears on the horizon. Then the ball disappears and the whole sky turns bright yellow-orange.
As I realize that someone dropped the big one on The City, I am transported from my car to the house where I was raised and I run downstairs to the cellar to hide from the nuclear blast. I realize that it is probably futile because if I survive the blast, I will eventually die from the radiation. Then, I woke up.
On Friday, I wrote about the upcoming New England Trans United Pride March and Rally on October 3 in Northampton, MA.
