The Gay Thing: My First Real Gay Pride Parade!

At the ripe old age of 47, I've finally been to a gay pride parade. Well, a real one, anyway. I've been to a couple here in Las Vegas, but unless things have changed in recent years, it was a rather sad, very brief affair. Not so in Palm Springs.

We were in Palm Springs this weekend to see friends who were in from England for a visit. It was only by coincidence that it was gay pride weekend (which the desert locales have apparently switched from spring to autumn in recent years). I found out a few days ago when I saw that Joe Jervis of  JoeMyGod.com (my favorite blog) was the grand marshal. Happily, I got to meet Joe, and we were able to not only see the parade the next day, but had a ring-side seat at a sidewalk restaurant. Unfortunately, all of my pictures are either out of focus, or framed by rows of specators. But in person, it was an excellent vantage point.

The most notable thing about the Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade was how PG it is. Well, maybe PG-13. But there were kids all around, nobody was freaked out or having any kind of distress. There was an overwhelming spirit of joy and dare I say it, gaiety. Everyone was having a good time, whatever level of freak flag they were willing to fly! By-and-large, people were just people. There were folks of all ages, sizes, colors and styles. My entire group was of middle-aged to senior gay men, dressed in ordinary summer attire. There were of course flamboyant costumes, and full-fledged "cos-play." There were drag queens, mostly of the very over-the-top, highly exaggerated variety. And everything was just fun.

You know how if you hand your camera phone to someone
else, they never get it right? That's why this is blurry.
Also why I look so fat, I'm sure. I'm really as svelte as
Joe Jervis is! Joe.My.God. himself.

Being in that environment, it was difficult to figure out exactly what all of the negativity about gay pride really is. If there was any lewdness or "depravity" going on, it was not in plain sight. And while I'm sure there was plenty of sinning going on, it sure looked like fun to me. And Palm Springs surely saw huge revenue boosts from all of those people in town.

The Gay Thing: Supreme Court Denies Bid to Halt California Marriages

I've returned from a wonderful weekend in Palm Springs, celebrating my 5-year wedding anniversary to The Other Half. It was great to revisit the place of our marriage, and especially sweet to do so when same-sex marriage had been ruled legal again in California. But I've been a bit out of the loop on the happenings in the news.

When I saw via Twitter that the proponents of Proposition 8 was appalled and aghast that marriages had resumed on Friday, I experienced several feelings. Elation that weddings would resume while we were there. Happiness that this ridiculously protracted battle was over. Eye-rolling bemusement that this group would still not give up. And anger that even with the highest court in the land shutting them down, the National Organization for Marriage and their ilk are still obsessed with trying to squash my rights.

But schadenfreude is my overriding emotion. Especially now that the Supreme Court has thrown up a final--final--barrier. NOM has lost California. From now on, they can huff, and they can puff, but they are done. And it portends an eventual right to 50-state marriage, particularly when coupled with the DOMA decision that gives Federal recognition to married couples in some states, but not others. I'd very much like to confine my future responses to this question exactly as Nancy Pelosi responded to a question about Michele Bachmann's statements on the issue: "Who cares?" But that wouldn't fill much of a blog post, would it?

[Excerpt]

Supreme Court rejects bid to halt same-sex marriages in California

The Supreme Court rejected an emergency request to stop same-sex marriages in California, a lawyer for the gay couples who sued said Sunday. Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., one of the lawyers who challenged Proposition 8, said that he had just received word from the court Sunday morning that Justice Anthony M. Kennedy denied a request by ProtectMarriage, the sponsors of Proposition 8, to halt the marriages. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

4th Anniversary for Greenlee Gazette Editor's Big Gay Marriage!

The only time I ever use the term "gay marriage" is in internet discussions, because that is the colloquial term most used. "Same-sex marriage" is a little more descriptive, but still cumbersome. "Marriage equality" is now the preferred term by supporters. The decidedly odd opposition (I mean really, who dedicates their life to trying to stop other peoples' weddings, outside of a soap opera?) has more colorful, but usually badly descriptive terms. I just call mine a marriage.

But I'd be lying if I said that my fourth marriage anniversary with The Other Half is a huge event. We've been together for 14-1/2 years. We got married in Palm Springs just a few weeks short of 10-1/2 years together. So "four" sounds kind of silly. And there was no pomp nor circumstance at our wedding. Just a couple of friends, and later, dinner at a Mexican restaurant with them. The date was chosen because we were nearly certain that Prop. 8 was going to pass, and make the possibility disappear, at least in a nearby state. We already felt "married," but on June 27, we made it official.  And, of course, the busybodies (armed with bucketloads of cash from the Mormon and Catholic churches) managed to convince enough Californians to squash marriage equality in the state.

Our marriage is still valid in the states where same-sex marriage is still legal. In some of the states that have legalized it, the busybodies are at work again, trying to reverse it. Why, I have no idea. This is no longer a hypothetical concept. We're real, married couples. And the sky didn't fall. "God" didn't swallow up those states. And to what end? Even if my marriage did get nullified by voters (and in America, can you imagine that concept?), are we going to split up? No. Are we going to stop being gay? No. Stop loving each other? No.

I started this post with the intention of merely commenting on my anniversary, and saying "I love you honey" to The Other Half. But posts on this blog are read by many who never comment, never tell me they were here. This is an important issue, and I think it needs to be reiterated again and again. If you take nothing else from this post, remember this: Gay people aren't looking for "holy matrimony." If we wanted a church wedding, there are already denominations who will accommodate that. We're looking for nothing more than civil marriage equality. Civil marriages only include religion if you want them to. Unless you're going to try and stop atheist and interfaith marriages.

"Marriage Protection Amendment" Sponsored by Who?

Images from source, Page One Q

Quick. Name the two least likely Senators to co-sponsor a new federal "Marriage Protection" Amendment to the Constitution. Did you guess Larry "toe tapper" Craig, and David "I like hookers" Vitter? You can cut the irony with a knife, huh?

Honestly, which does marriage more damage? Furtive restroom sex with a strange man, hiring a prostitute, or The Other Half and I getting married in Palm Springs? I for one am more than a little insulted by all of this.

[Excerpt]

Sens. Larry Craig and David Vitter co-sponsor Marriage Protection Amendment

Two United States Senators implicated in extramarital sexual activity have named themselves as co-sponsors of S. J. RES. 43, dubbed the Marriage Protection Amendment. If ratified, the bill would amend the United States Constitution to state that marriage "shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. . ."

Read more at: Page One Q

Greenlee Gazette Editor Married, World Still Spins

The Other Half and I were married in Palm Springs, California yesterday afternoon. We were lucky enough to have some dear friends with us to share the event, and the support of our families and circle of friends. It was at once a subdued, simple and elegant affair. And other than some (somewhat annual) wildfires, California still exists as it always has.

Our officiator in Palm Springs couldn't have been nicer or more respectful. Given our mutual distaste for being the center of attention, we were glad to have a nice, quiet ceremony. I don't think a big wedding would have suited either one of us. We'll be having a reception in a couple of weeks, and that we'll be happy to share with any of our friends and family who would like to participate (but no clinking of the glass for kisses, OK? Thanks!).

Hopefully, the non-earth shaking nature of these sorts of ceremonies will finally convince our more uptight neighbors to unclench, and just allow us to be. We ain't out for your husbands, kids or (in the most insulting inferences) dogs, so just live and let live, all righty? Thanks, much.

I'm sure that this topic will come up from time to time on the blog, but don't worry, it still won't be the focus. We'll be back to bitching about politics, and the occasional stupid video tomorrow! Good night, everybody!

If you are interested in getting married in Palm Springs, California, here is an excellent resource (it helped us a lot): MarriedInPalmSprings.com