Good morning ladies, gays, and everyone in between. I’m so excited to share with you my first Pride experience! Going in, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know how wild it would be or if I was only hyping it up in my head. I also thought, “how could I be hyping it up, it’s fucking Pride!”.
Too Queer or Not Too Queer …
I guess I was nervous about what my place would be at the event. I never really identified my sexuality as being straight, but I also knew I didn’t fully identify with being gay. It wasn’t until I had a chat with my two best friends – who also happened to be my college roommates, about sexuality. I’ve known that sexuality is a spectrum and that there is usually no concrete label that a queer person identifies with. So after having that conversation with them, I realized I am a queer woman. Yes, I (tragically) like men, but I also like women. I find myself being attracted to whomever I’m attracted to, no matter what. I guess that’s what the kids call being Pansexual these days, hahaha.
Yas Pride …
Moving onto the important part, though, PRIDE. It’s always been one of my dreams to live in New York and to go to Pride, along with so many other things I won’t get into right now. I can’t even fully put into words how amazing that experience was. To be surrounded by people so full of love and so supportive of everyone celebrating was magical. I could feel the energy and how pure it was. I could see how happy and free everyone looked and probably felt. The floats and marchers were killing it and everything was going perfectly well … up until I got sun poisoning. Yes, my dears, I didn’t get to fully enjoy my first Pride experience thoroughly, but it was still worth it. Even though I was out for a majority of the day, I still loved every second of it up until the nausea kicked in. That just means that next year, aka the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots aka the biggest Pride march in history, I’ll be more prepared.
Quick Tips …
Bring a hell of a lot of water, STAY. HYDRATED.
Be as comfy as you can.
Bring sustenance, like little portable snacks or fruit or whatever so you’re not starving the whole time.
Have a designated area to where you can find your people and/or a good spot for the march.
Have some damn fun! Celebrate, dance, sing, BE FREE.
P.S. Shade is your best friend in this instance.
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XO, Alandria
Thank you Huffington Post for the cover photo!