At the Parade start, armed with beef jerky, an energy drink and a Gatorade I managed to find a shady spot to sit and wait for things to get going. It started to hit me then that this was going to be the first time I’d made an appearance like this in a long time. The adrenaline was pumping. I had people coming up and talking to me, congratulating me, taking my picture. It was kind of silly, but it was fun.
But of course that wasn’t going to happen. Saturday was going to be a long day.
Being able to perform on the Festival Stage was a great honour, and sharing with my counterpart Olivia Gardens was awesome. Olivia is quickly turning into one of my favourite queens. Her talent and professionalism is out of this world and she’s one of the few queens I’ve met who is all about sharing the spotlight. When we were trying to figure out what we were going to do on the main stage, we talked about solos as well as a group number and her response was, “No, I’m good. I’ll just do the group number. I don’t think I’m that great of a performer yet.” That wasn’t false modesty. I’m telling you, she’s amazing! I just have to figure out how to convince her to let me make an appearance in ‘Snatch.’ Ha!
After being blinded by the sun for two numbers on the Festival Stage, we decided it was time to head out. I really wanted to be able to go home and pass out, but it didn’t happen. I still needed to finish costumes for Sunday. I had to chuckle when the youngest boy comes out in his chonies and his Hard Hat hard hat (he caused quite a stir when he went up to the booth, it was pretty freaking funny!). I said to my partner, “In 10 years, he’ll be wearing THAT to Pride!” I was able to get to bed by 11-ish, which was still better than the 3:30am of the night before.
On to Sunday…
I got to sleep in. And by “sleep in” I mean I woke up at 8am, without my alarm going off. For me, that’s sleeping in. Breakfast was petit pains chocolats and coffee.
I’ve decided I’m the world’s best packer. (No, not that kind of packer!) I managed to fit 3 entire costumes, 3 pairs of shoes, including a pair of big boots, a belt, spray adhesive, hair goop and a big bottle of Downey Wrinkle Releaser into a small rolley suitcase. I was incredibly impressed with myself. No one else seemed to be as impressed as I was. Oh well. It’s the little things.
Saturday was the Community Stage. I’m going to rant for just a second here. This goes for anyone, but especially if you run for titles… You know what time you’re supposed to go on. This means you show up early and are ready at that time. It doesn’t mean you roll up 5 minutes before, not dressed, music not ready, etc. This goes back to the ABCs of drag. Dependability, accountability and professionalism. With some people, it’s a rare thing, with others it’s a habit. Showing up late, no-call no-show, committing then bailing last minute. People need to remember that others are depending on you to be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there. It’s not all about you. In talking to some of the people who were working the stage, this behavior was commonplace all weekend. This is not ok! Please, it’s a matter of pride (pun sort of intended). Your actions reflect poorly on everyone, but especially on yourself.
Ok, enough of my rant. I’ll get off my soapbox. For now.
It made me chuckle when I got off stage and was heading to grab the kids and everyone and I kept getting stopped by people who wanted to take a picture with me. No one asked me to sign their boobs though, I was a little disappointed. Oh well. One person asked to take a picture then said, “You looked a lot taller on stage.” Sigh. It happens when you’re a good 4 ft. above the ground.
For a lot of people, Pride is an excuse to go out and get drunk with the same people you go out with and get drunk with every weekend, only this time you can do it half-naked and outside. For me, especially this year, Pride was really about pride. Because my family and friends were proud of me and what I’ve accomplished, I was proud of me too. I was proud to be there with my BFF, who has been an unshakeable force in my life for a couple years now. I was proud to be there with my girlfriend, who loves me, loves what I do, and makes me think I’m the luckiest person in the world. I was especially proud of the boys, one who was proud to have people know I was his “step-Freddy,” and one who obviously loves his mom enough to put up with a park full of queers for an entire weekend. This was definitely the most fun I’ve had at Pride in years.
Thank you to Phoenix Pride for changing a few things up this year to make it a little more kid friendly. Thank you to everyone who came over to the Festival Stage and the Community Stage to support your kings and queens. You make what we do worth it. And now it’s time to kick things into high gear! Be prepared, there’s a bunch of awesome stuff on the burners. Keep an eye out for some amazing shows and fundraisers coming your way!