Twirl Girls

Our household has been busy preparing for a practice multistate exam and getting wonderful news from friends...but enough personal stuff, you're here to read about Chicago!

Today was the annual Chicago Pride Parade, the second annual one disc0 and I have attended. Last year our neighborhood was smack dab at the end of the route, and we sat in the patio of a lovely restaurant and had brunch while watching the festivities, surrounded mostly by families and older folks. Our neighborhood this year is a little more wild, and great in a different way. Lots of people, revelers out in the streets, and good times. In fact they are still out there reminding us that we chose to live in a high traffic, boisterous hood.

I was, again, blown away by the Pride Parade in Chicago. I'm used to Pride in the deep south. And not to say that LGBT folks have it easy up here--I mean there are state legislators proposing equal marriage rights but it hasn't exactly happened yet and there was a requisite hate corner (guy with bullhorn, surrounded by jackasses, talking about the lake of fire for like two hours) near the parade site. BUT...there are commissions on LGBT rights and relations, every politician under the sun rides in this parade, there is an LGBT JUDGES ASSOCIATION, a HUGE LGBT Veterans group, an LGBT Police Officer's association, all of whom are out and proud in the parade.
And for pure fun there are not one but TWO GAY HONOR GAURDS and a GAY MARCHING BAND and a GAY SPIRIT TEAM. Those were my favorite parts, that and the three year old who's shirt read "My Parents Met in a Gay Bar."

I really need to do more research about the politics around here. Right now I'm really basking in the blueness of it all, but I don't want to get too complacent--even though it's hard because it is just so much better than anywhere I've ever lived/been politically active before, and the temptation to be satisfied is high. There are still plenty of good old American problems in this city but today it was nice to celebrate the fact that LGBT folks are a constituency that the city cares about.