I am admiring the two-coloured lipstick on a young
friend. She is wearing a fetching
combination of blue, blue overlapped with pink and then pink on her lips. I was initially surprised to learn that
it was an interpretation of the bisexuality flag but then I felt silly as I
look up around me at the crowd dispersed along the walking paths and greenery
of Quidi Vidi Lake. I notice the
smallest woman Mountie (RCMP) I have ever seen, a drag queen walking a German
shepherd dog, and several members of my local dance society covered in
sparkles. Oh yes, and I see some
of my fellow board members from an artist-run-centre. This is in effect the after-party
for the PRIDE parade.
You could say these are "my people" as I am a
culture-worker and family, friends and colleagues dot the crowd. Through out the week I have stopped in
at events: Youth Day–
characterized by clay crafting, Mario Cart video gaming and bowling, Queer
Uncensored – where I am struck by the practice of listing trigger warnings
before recitations– for things like sexual abuse. I inquired after others. I hear rave reviews of the diverse
voices at the Coming Out in Faith panel at the Rocket Room downtown, the beach
bonfire and the Trans Parade. You
know I am going to be treated to at least one choral rendition of Somewhere
Over the Rainbow before the week is out.
 |
| For the first time the Trans Parade was a separate event from the Pride Parade. |
On CBC radio one morning I listened to an activist patiently
decoding the expanding alphabet soup that started out as LGBTQ. Two-spirited has joined the acronym as
2S, reflecting the aboriginal tradition of an individual who possesses both
masculine and feminine attributes in a variety of ways be they spiritual,
gender based or sexual. They don't
tackle the permutations of relationships, such as polyamorous, nor is their
talk of asexuality.
While it didn't make the media, I noticed that the Trans
parade's conclusion was rerouted away from the Harbourside Park to the Humus
Hut because the park was declared unsafe.
The revised destination was intended to ward off a potential
conflict. Apparently, a large
group of vocal gospel singers had turned up to challenge the transgender march,
which was a deliberately unsanctioned event during Pride Week. Many in the trans community feel
eclipsed by the gay community, its issues and increasing acceptance by
society. Safety, medical
treatment, and the need for legislative changes are among some of the issues
facing the trans community. If
mainstream straight society thought same sex marriage was going to silence the
culture of difference that is blossoming…they are in for a surprise. The "queer" umbrella keeps
getting broader and it ain't going away.
 |
| Strictly speaking, this is a lesbian lipstick flag. |
No comments:
Post a Comment