Jun 15, 2012

Be You!


Ah....June - the official month of all things LGBT.  The amazing folks at Pride St. Louis have been busting their ass to once again present the community with a fantastic, fun-filled weekend chocked full of amazing performers and emcees.  The festivities kick off at 11am on Saturday, June 23rd at Tower Grove Park in St. Louis.  The fabulously sexy Lola Van Ella and Sammich the Tramp will be your hosts on Saturday.  The dynamic bust-gusting duo of Dieta Pepsi and Trish Busch will be your emcees on Sunday.

Here is a little teaser as far as the entertainment PrideSTL has lined up for you on the Bud Light Main Stage. 
Saturday - June 23
Anti-Gravity - Ricky Phoenix - Summer Osborne - Selena Luna - Lola Van Ella - Margaret Cho

Sunday - June 24
Jammie Qualls - MCC Choir - Frenchie Davis - Pandora Boxx - Kristine W - Deborah Cox

Team Saint Louis teamed up with Pride St. Louis and established Athlete's Village, which has several athletic events scheduled throughout the weekend.  The activities including a volleyball tourney, rugby and soccer scrimmages, rock climbing, and the annual Pride 5K Run/Walk via St. Louis Frontrunners on Sunday morning.  Be sure to check out the Athlete's Village section  on the PrideSTL website for a full schedule. 

I am always engaged with one activity or another during Pride weekend.  Saturday - you can find me with my amazing wife at the Team Saint Louis booth slinging those delicious and refreshing cocktails from 1 - 3PM.  Saturday night is the annual ULTRA White Party at Erney's 32° in the Grove - yes, I will be there wearing my one white outfit for the year.  Sunday is the annual Pride Parade, and I have the distinct honor of riding with the fabulous group from the Handle Bar located in the Grove across from my other favorite bar - Just John's. 

Here is your ten minute history lesson today, kids. 
Why we celebrate LGBT pride in the month of June?
Here's a hint:

Hop in the way back machine and travel with me back to the evening of June 28, 1969 - Stonewall Inn - Christopher Street - New York City.  Back in the day, it was common for patrons of known gay establishments to be the victims of police harassment.  This was ongoing because of the laws in place at the time which forbid any homosexual behavior in public and private businesses - namely and more specifically - gay bars.

On the evening of June 28th, 1969 - the patrons of the Stonewall Inn said no more to such harassment and fought back.  A riot quickly ensued as the patrons began to hurl objects back at police officers outside of the bar.  News about the riot quickly spread throughout the city as more gay men and women flocked to Stonewall to join in the fight.  Police were dispatched to diffuse the situation and began beating...yes, you read correctly - beating individuals in the crowd.  The next evening - the crowd returned with even greater numbers and more pissed off than ever .  They continued to protest and riot outside the Stonewall Inn until the riot mob squad came in to disperse the crowd.  The protests and demonstrations continued on for several days.  Shit got serious, folks.

This moment in LGBT history became known as the Stonewall Riots and so began the gay liberation movement, which has since then evolved into a global celebration of LGBT pride.  In June 2000, Bill Clinton - of all people - declared the month of June as Gay & Lesbian Pride Month.  Yes, the same Bill Clinton that initiated the whole DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) thing.  We sure use our share of acronyms don't we?  So there you have it... this, my friends, is why we celebrate who we are in the month of June.  PrideSTL did an excellent job in capturing this through their Be You theme and campaign, and I greatly thank the folks at PrideSTL for the use of their 2012 Pridefest logo.  For more information on Pridefest 2012 including a full schedule of all events - visit the PrideSTL online.

On that note - I give you a great track by The Electric Six.  This track was featured in the documentary Small Town Gay Bar.  Check it out - great documentary. 

See you at Pridefest 2012!