OutFest – October 2007

To celebrate National Coming Out Day (October 11), Philly holds a great street festival called OutFest – a big, big block party in the middle of the gayborhood.

This year’s festival was reportedly the largest ever. And having been there I can atrtest to that.

There were a lot of hotties – and I was lucky I didn’t get whiplash as I looked from one to another.

I spent some time at 12th and Spruce where the Country Dance stage was set by June the Woody’s DJ who rocks the house every Friday and Sunday while men, and a few women, two-step and take part in line dances. I can two-step now, thanks to frined Jason, but line dancing. What planet did these guys grow up on? My feet just won’t follow the rules. And how many damned steps are there anyway. And even worse, how can so many of these guys remember all the intricate footwork that is necessary for a hundred different songs? Michael and Scott, two of the teachers (you get free lessons on Firdays and Sundays before the real dancing starts) have tried their best to teach me. All I remember is that my feet end up tying themselves in knots and bringing me perilously close to landing on my ass.

Whatever. It’s beautiful to watch. All that gorgeousness dancing in synch to different tunes, doing the Texas Cha-Cha, and Backtstreet attitude, and more. I love watching. And secretly, I’m envious that I just don’t have the courage to try. But we won’t go there. Not in this entry.

Outfest was infested with Christians. This time there were more of them than I can remember. They had little outposts everywhere throughout the festival ara and some of them even decided to parade through the grounds. Now, I believe in Freedom of Speech and Assembly – but these fuckers are treading on shaky ground here. No matter what the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said.

Of course, these should-have-been lion food, idiots never really get anywhere. They preach and most people don’t listen. Many argue with them, though as I said to someone it’s useless. It’s like arguing with a brick. And this year some of the festival people had wonderful noise-makers which I intend to try and find before the next festival. These little devices effectively drowned out the message these hate mongers were spewing.

Now, why would I want to go and do that? Because, if even one newly-out person hears their message of hate and is hurt, I am offended. These festivals are meant to be places where we gather and celebrate ourselves and our lives. And I’m certain that more than a few people come to these festivals as one of their first acts as a newly out person or as a questioning person, or a person who is exploring and testing the waters. If they hit the wall these so-called Christians set up, what hard does that do to their development? How much of a layer of guilt does that add to their lives?

So, yes, I will interfere with their message. They have plenty of other avenues, plenty of other venues. Let them spread their poison elsewhere. As for me, I stand against them and will fight until they go away once and for all.

As my late partner used to say, “This is their last gasp. They’ve lost.” And they just don’t know it.