Bev Rage & the Drinks

So PrideFest was was a riot (as it should be) and I wondered up and down the street and danced a little and got tons of free shit. It was crowded, it was hot and it was fun. Going to block parties with food and shenanigans is always an experience.

And it was an experience because it is always good to see people being free to be.. themselves? In this enclosed environment, for several hours during the weekend, the Queers were out in full force: it was refreshing to actually see the LGBTQ+ menagerie out in the street, free, without fear of judgement, homophobia, transphobia or racism. Because we are not post-gay or post-racism, as some people in the interwebs would try to make you believe. Homophobia and racism are alive and kicking people in the teeth.

For many of these people, 'coming out' was not a choice: they are as queer as they come. They don't have to tell their employers or their co-workers that they are gay. They just ARE. I did see some of the A-gays, as Upton calls them (the A-gays are the muscle-obsessed, masc4masc, circuit-party attending gayteratti). Yes, they were there too. But I think I enjoyed more watching and talking to people who were less... common? 

I really enjoyed the girls in micro-mini skirts and low-cut/transparent blouses, who walked around without fear of being touched or abused; the leather-clad, thigh-high wearing person in crutches; the fab couple walking around with the gayest dog ever (a French poodle sporting rainbow everything, a tutu and the cutest hat ever); the pups, who did not care about the heat and were walking around in full puppy-mask; the incredibly handsome men walking around in Daisy Dukes; the people wearing ALL OF THE MAKEUP; Transpeople not caring if they 'passed' or not; the genderqueers, the Ace people walking around proudly wrapped in their flag, the younger people dancing their heads off in the Teen section, the little kids running around with bubble sticks and rainbow flags (yes, there were children there, and I did not mind them) and all the awesome performers I enjoyed. 

The freedom I saw there lead me to compliment people I thought looked cool (they DID look fab, natch!) and the reactions were awesome: nothing like feeling SEEN without judgement or fear of violence. I complimented the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, all honey skin and the most awesome breasts EVER. The young queerling on full Nightmare Before Xmas attire (the young ones are just discovering Jack. Don't judge) and absolutely astounding makeup, the man walking around with literally nothing (he was only wearing short-short-short shorts and boots) and one of the most beautiful bodies I've seen this side of Eugen Sandow; the couple in full matching Gucci attire (couple that fashions together stays together, they say) and so on and so forth.

It was fantastic. And I'm posting here @BevRageandTheDrinks, one of the first acts I saw and to tell you the truth, one of the ones I liked best. Oh, there was @jordy and @eureka! and @crystalwaters and @sheacoulee and @bettywho among many, many others, but I liked @BevRageandTheDrinks better than anything I saw over the weekend: they gave me unadulterated queer garage pop realness.

@bevrageandthedrinks tour, in case they drop by your neck of the woods.

@bevrageandthedrinks

And this was just PrideFest. Can't wait for the Pride parade because what is Pride if not Punk Rock?

Happy Pride!

XOXO

P.S. Some of the photos I shot. My friends took more, but I have yet to receive them. You know how it is...

It was madness getting in. When we got there, there were already lines!

This was the roster for the two days. Fun!!

@bevandthedrinks in action

People were walking around with the gayest dogs I've ever seen! 

The kinksters were out in full force. I got a t-shirt with one of these...

Oh, and there was a Teen corner. There were also tons of kids running around unbothered by the Furries, and the boobs and the Daisy Dukes. I even saw baby strollers during the day...