Getting Ready for Pride

As you might know, Pride is this weekend! Everyone is very excited 

at the Youth Center, from people who have gone twelve times to people

(like me) for whom this will be their first Pride. If you want to go, tickets are

on sale on the Phoenix Pride website. I'll be going with a couple friends and family members.

It'll be the first time for all of us. I'll keep you guys updated!

(also if you are going or wondering if you can go remember that LGBTQ culture 

is often sexualized and you might see a little more skin than you are used to, 

but hey, body empowerment)

 If you don't really know what I'm talking about, you can find more information on the 

Phoenix Pride website, or you can read on for a cursory explanation. The Ten Days of Pride

(events that celebrate being LGBTQ over a span of ten nonconsecutive days) lead up to the Pride Festival and Parade, which interestingly are not part of the ten days. 

The festival goes all weekend, open from 12-9 PM, at Steele Indian School Park.

There will be booths and food and entertainment and probably lots of trinkets to buy. 

The parade, on the other hand, is free and beings at 10 AM on Sunday, April 2nd.

It will begin at 3rd St. and Thomas and will end at 3rd St. and Indian School (aka Steele Indian School Park). If you know Belinda Carlisle, Stacy T. Louis, or the

Grand Canyon Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, you can see them there!

(Also One N Ten will have a booth so you should come to see them)  

In other news, we won a volleyball game! YAY!!! (actually maybe we only won
a set of a game, which I don't really understand) (also we only won because
the other team didn't show up) (shhhhh)

On Tuesday we had ice cream sundaes and played games; I, again, tried my hand
at Monopoly and might have done well. On Wednesday a speaker came in to talk
to us about job readiness and how to apply/get a job, which was very helpful for
me since I am currently entering the workforce. We shared stories of bad jobs
or good interviews. I was surprised by how much of the speaker's advice
I'd heard already from my college counselor and faculty adviser
regarding resumes and applications and interviews and dress and basically everything.
So listen to your advisers and counselor; what they are telling you is
really really helpful and true.

On Thursday came the solemn discussion of the Stonewall Riots.
I had never heard the full story of the riots, especially not from someone who
had experienced the dingy clubs and fear of police raids. Gina Read, who runs the Youth
Center along with Mike Schneider and has served on the One N Ten board for over 15 years,
told us about what it was like to be gay in the 1960s - when being gay was illegal and being charged with homosexuality would ruin your life.

The Mafia ran the gay bars, called "clubs," which were really dirty. No
running water, little space. Although the Mafia paid off the police, brutal raids were still frequent. Women had to wear three articles of clothing (such as a bra, panties, hosiery) that only women could wear to show that they were not male crossdressers, or they would be sent to prison. If you stood or danced too close to someone of your sex, you could be sent to prison for sexual deviancy.
Police would threaten club-goers with prison to get money if they felt like it.
On June 28th, 1969, police raided Stonewall Inn, one of the smallest and cheapest clubs; but this time, the people fought back. This was huge. Never before had the gay community taken such a stand, and suddenly across the country riots popped up, inspired by the riot at the Stonewall Inn.
LGBTQ organizations were formed all over the nation.
I highly suggest you read more about the riots, as it was such a turning point.

Well, that was heavy. Let's end with a light note: here is a much-requested picture of my dog, Kayla!

 I'll see you guys next week, hopefully with some lighter topics!