I Was Touched and Got Wet at KC Pridefest

Don't be jealous

My friend caught me while I wasn’t paying attention (Author’s photo)

First, let’s talk about getting wet.

The KC Pride Parade was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 7th. I arrived early, which was unnecessary, since the parade didn’t start on schedule.

I’m not sure any parades ever start on time. People are late, horses (or unicorns) shit at inconvenient times, and sometimes the skies above decide that queers and queens with their fabulous hair and gowns are simply not wet enough.

The parade began with a few trucks, and then… nothing. I was invited onto the

GenXy

Daily Whatever Live podcast to showcase the parade, but there was nothing to show.

Then, just like a straight-acting dude comes out of the closet, surprise! More floats and bands start marching down the glittery street. I was glad to be able to show the Whatevers (

GenXy

’s affectionately-named daily show audience) some of the parade.

It was bigger than I expected.

That’s what he said.

The parade, I mean. Bands played “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan (who is also from Missouri), church groups held signs with messages like “Everyone is Welcome,” a youth dance troupe performed, and a unicorn trotted by.

Even as the rain picked up, soaking floats, attendees, and bands, we still stood and watched as gay guys continued to blow their instruments and the other unquenchable queers splashed down the street.

I was able to take refuge under the roof of a nearby cafe (I mean, come on… my hair!). Umbrellas and ponchos abounded, and band members wrapped their horns (safety first).

Mother Nature may be able to rain on our parade, but that bitch will never drown our joyous and gay spirits!

After the rain let up, my friend Allie and I headed to the Pridefest gate, where there was no one in line—awesome! We were both told that our bags were too big, so we had to return to our car and unburden ourselves of any unnecessary baggage. I wish it were that easy to get rid of the emotional kind.

When we arrived back at the gate, a very long line greeted us (naturally). As we stood waiting, we noticed a lady in front of us with a bigger purse than Allie’s. She was allowed through anyway, and Allie was pissed. At least we got our steps in for the day.

I spoke with a few vendors and sponsors of Pride to see if they’d be willing to appear on my Live broadcast to talk about KC Pride and what motivated them to show up. Several of them politely refused, because they had to go through the appropriate public relations or media representatives.

Legal shit always gets in the way.

However, I talked to some local vendors and a church organization during the video. I was even able to get an employee of T-Mobile (one of KC Pride’s main sponsors for several years) to speak on video. My main motivation for asking one of them was that they were a major corporation sponsoring Pridefest, but it didn’t hurt that employee Drew was a major cutie-patootie.

I chatted with a lovely lady from Whosoever Community Church. She was the wife of the minister there, who was also a woman. She exuded a welcoming, joyful spirit and spoke of their welcoming church, emphasizing that you don’t have to be gay or a Christian; you can be gay and a Christian.

Now, I’ll tell you how I was touched.

I encountered kindness, friendliness, and openness again and again throughout the day. Toward the end of my video, I expressed my gratitude for venues like KC Pridefest.

I admittedly became a bit choked up. I guess the feeling didn’t fully hit me until I started talking about it on video. I’m very fortunate to be part of any Pridefest experience.

In many parts of the world—and even certain areas of our own country—being openly gay can be dangerous. At least I’m able to gather with like-minded people and be accepted and loved for who I am…

…for now.

If you believe we should all be allowed to love who we want and live freely, don’t sit idly by while laws restrict our freedoms. Become an ally and stand with the LGBTQIA+ community.

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If you couldn’t watch when I broadcast Live from KC Pridefest on June 7th, you can still see the video here:

Thank you!