#lapride2018

Day two started off with me getting up around 7:30 and hopping in the shower. Having learned my lesson the day before, I packed much lighter and didn’t bother with wearing a lot of clothing; I wore the tank top I’d bought the day before and a skirt with some sneakers.

Hopped into the Uber early to get a good spot at the parade. Made it there an hour early after picking up and dropping off another couple, and sat at the curb close to West Hollywood Park so I could go right into the festival afterwards. People were handing things out again, including a free coffee shot that was flavored like Hershey’s chocolate. I accepted gratefully.

The street was highly decorated with flags and balloons, music was blaring from the restaurants across the street. Some girl climbed the tree at some point to see the parade better.

A guy passed by us, selling shades, so I bought a pair. Fabulous.

There were some friendly people nearby, including my temporary Pride buddies for the day--Enrique and Hannah. They were younger than me, friends who were meeting up with old high school buddies inside. We chilled out together; Hannah really seemed to want to connect with people here.

The parade started and it was hot, and achingly sunny out. I felt myself getting crispy all day. A pair of younger teens were to our left in little clothing, and a girl in a sparkly rainbow bikini top and shorts. I offered them sunscreen and they accepted while holding my stuff so I could get it out for them.

I filmed a lot of video of the parade. There were transgender people marching, some riding in on bikes. There were drag queen floats and the Mac float, there were people with crazy hair and animal heads. One was a unicorn.

There was a poster of two unicorns humping each other with some kind of message of having safe sex. There were people running by with flags and ribbons and all sorts of things. One of them was cool, with each row in the march carrying an individual color ribbon of the rainbow.

There were protests and marches for various political reasons, including discrimination versus LGBT people and for unionizing workplaces for better conditions. It was a conglomeration of all my beliefs in one place. 

I felt so tied to everyone in the crowd, in the parade and march, like all the things I’d correct people on or debate about or insist upon in my daily life were cemented by everyone acting proud just to be themselves.

I started feeling myself get too crispy in the sun despite the sunscreen I tried to keep myself covered with, and headed inside. Hannah and Enrique went with me, but we split up so they could do their thing while I headed right over to the Mac stage to get some glitter and sparkle. In line I chatted with a friendly gay couple and took their photo upon request. The guy who had asked of the two seemed really happy with them.

Up on top of the Mac stage I got myself glittered up on my face and arms, and was sprayed with special refreshing face stuff that felt really good in the hot sun. I let the lady do whatever she wanted on me and she just loaded on the glitter.

This time I took my time wandering and exploring, resting frequently in the shade. I sat on the grass in the shade after the parade and getting makeup to get some water and take a breather, and Hannah texted me to meet up for a while. I told her where I was and she met me there, resting as well.

Sitting with us was a lesbian couple who had somehow managed to smuggle in their pet corn snake, Silas. It was very active and curious, flicking its tongue when it sense the sunscreen its owner put on. 

Hannah and I went around to explore together while Enrique danced at the far stage across the park. We went and spun some of the wheels at the tents, earning free stuff and playing games. I got chapsticks, orange shaved ice, and another bi bracelet. I bought myself a little gay Tokidoki unicorn to put on my shelf later.

We went to a little karaoke trailer where there were limited songs to choose from and met more people in line--a trans couple named Samantha and Connor. Samantha was tall and had a personality like a cat. Connor was easygoing and very laid-back and had really cute freckles.

Samantha helped me do my hair up more, sticking flags into my ponytail along with my rainbow hairbow.

They joined with us to make a group in the karaoke trailer. We sang Madonna, though I knew the words better than my younger friends. We rocked it, but the trailer was essentially like being ants under a magnifying glass in a hot box.

We were melting in the midday sun again so we showed the pair our resting place, where we met more of Hannah’s friends (Daisy and a few others). The two boys had each halves of a paopu fruit from Kingdom Hearts on their necklaces/collars, which made my brain melt from how cute it was.

They wrote things on each other and put body glitter on themselves, which blew in the wind onto some poor sleeping guy on the grass. I apologized profusely. 

I chatted for a while with them, getting into a conversation with Connor about furry stuff (he was one also and was showing me his various characters and different fursonas). I showed him some of my artwork and we swapped websites before he and Samantha ran off to do their own thing.

Eventually I left the group to wander by myself for a while, wanting to see and do things without the restrictions of the others’ preferences and because I was getting pretty tired. I passed by a tent that caught me by surprise... a Republican tent in a very Liberal LGBT event. I didn’t stop to ask questions.

I felt satisfied at all that I had experienced and decided it was time to head home. On the way out, a gay couple asked to buy my wristband. One had one, the other didn’t; I let them buy it for just the price I’d paid for it and nothing more, and bought myself a quick dinner (sushi again).

There were some tired festival-goers and partying LGBT couples inside, and this was the first time I had someone give me trouble for my bisexuality. An inebriated gay guy asked what my flag meant, and I told him it was for bisexual people. He asked what it meant and I said it meant I was (at a very basic level) into both men and women (though personally I like a few other genders in between as well). He told me I was indecisive, that it was one or the other.

I didn’t care to continue that conversation and just headed to the bar for my meal. Honestly, as much as I’d feared the response to my sexuality, I feel that I’d handled it just fine, and I was so full of energy and happiness from the whole weekend that it barely dampened my experience.

Someone stopped me and asked to take my picture, saying I looked so colorful and like Pride that he wanted to keep it with him. Smiling, I did so, requesting for a photo for my phone, too.

The ride home was quick because I’d gone home so early before the crowd started leaving. My Lyft driver was really friendly, and we talked about nerd stuff the whole way.