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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Reciently, in several threads concerning PRIDE I mentioned/questioned the need or validity (as specticles) of parades.
I live in a small community where there is a rather large gay population. This phenomenon results in part because we have here in town a very large ammusement park which activly hires gay college students from around the country. Many of them decide to settle here.
Historicly, this town has been a meeting place for gay men since just after the US civil war. The site of the now present ammusement park began as a modest pic-nic ground and slowly blossomed into a lake shore resort hotel. Families from cities as far away as Chicago ang Buffalo to the east and west and as far south as Columbus came here to enjoy the lake and cooler temperatures during the hot summer months. Interestingly enough, a large hotel in town catered to gay men who left their families at the resort to persue trysts more to their own particular tastes.
There was even then a rather large population of summer time college students not adverse to earning a tip or two...
Well....... That is the town I live in and I feel I also need to mention that the gay community here is active to say the least. Our local chapter of PFLAG meets every month and raises funds to provide scholarships to local gay and gay friendly youth. The local PRIDE commity meets regularly to plan social events as well as peopling booths at mainstreem public events to provide exposure as well as information. We spend the July 4th at the park downtown for a day of music and yummy faire food. Traditionaly, each fathers day the gay population visits Cedar Point (the ammusement park) for GAY DAY which is still unrecognised as an official "day" by park managment... but we go nontheless. This past fathers day there were some 7000 GLBT who enjoyed a fun day. The PRIDE commity also had a concert with a Bar-B-Q afterward which was sponsored by the local gay club. In July that same club sponsors a cruise evening which raises $$$ for the local HIV-AIDS support house.
NOW FOR THE POINT OF THIS POST.............
If you are from a small town...... How are you involved??? What does your local gay community do for pride month and throughout the year?
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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Marc
that sounds truly excellent. I really wish that I knew of communities like that over here.
The last smaller-scale community I lived in was in Scotland - an economically stagnant town (the county administrative capital) of around 39,000 people, with a total number of "out and proud" gay men of ... two, as far as I know. The nearest 'gay venue' was once-a-month, fifteen miles away (Edinburgh, the local city, was 30). Oh, I'm sure that there were plenty of gay people in the closet, but many fewer than one might think: kids I knew (in a work context) that I think were probably gay left town for the big cities just as soon as they were able. In the seven years I was there, the closest we got to any kind of gay event was to host a display of a section of the AIDS Memorial quilt for a week - which resulted in some interesting discussions with the local quilters groups members (who are mainly middle-aged women).
It could be partly because this is a rather small and crammed-together island, and (despite our appalling transport infrastructure) travel times to reasonable-sized cities are generally fairly short (except from the extreme north of Scotland) but, with the possible exception of Brighton (which is in some sense largely dependant on London) I can't think of anywhere similar to where you live. If anyone in the UK does live anywhere like that - please let me know (seriously!) as I'm looking to permanently relocate out of London at some point in the next couple of years.
And all credit to you Marc for the obvious hard work you put in to your community, and I hope that it, and you, continue to flourish.
NW
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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I think it is unlikley that I will ever take an active public role in any form of gay awareness that puts my head above the parapet. I wondered, once, whether to be in any way ashamed of that.
I looked at my life and the many challenges and the many comforts and decided that I am content to be an activist for human rights, and to bias my small contribution to the gay male side. But I need to stay in the background.
So my own contribution is web based with a few personal contacts. I don't limit myself to this site. A recent example is the small advice I gave to the webmaster of and the promotion of the Keshet Rabbis website.
Our town has no obvious Gay Pride events. And I am actually scared, in a pragmatic way, of local ones anyway.
I am proud of who I am, mostly. Being gay has nothing to do with my personal pride. But I am learning when it is ok to stand up for gay people and when not to in my day to day dealings.
I know this is not really what you meant, Marc. I'm proud of what you do in your own town. Maybe other people can do it in mine. I cannot.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Actually, Brighton is quite a nice place.... When we lived there we would spend some time there in the summers.
Kevin and I are saving for a trip for when he graduates college and I want to take him there.
As for the work that goes into the local PRIDE association.... well I don't realy do that much....
BTW.... if you want to visit our pride website it's at http://www.firelandspride.org
I'm am rather proud of our links and resources page..... it took alot of research to compile:-D
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Tim, I know what you do..... you don't have to justify yourself to me... I know you far too well for that.
Huggs.......
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Hugs you. I am not actually justifying myself. 
What I hope I am doing is showing people here that we each have different ways. All of the ways are valid.
Many people here will know precisely what I mean when I say the word "Starfish" in this context. Those who do not, maybe search for "Starfish story" in google. Maybe read Just Hit Send, too.
It doesn't even matter if we are still waiting an opportunity. What mnatters is that we spot it and take it.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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