It’s a tough life.

With COLT Man Luke Garrett (NSFW, duh)
30 June 2008

With COLT Man Mitch Branson (NSFW, duh)
30 June 2008

(Thanks to Linda for the photos)

Dining a hundred feet above Dundas Square in downtown Toronto on a chilly, risk-of-thunderstorm evening is scary on more than one level:

Adam Schwabe does a lot of things. His day job is actually very similar to mine, but when he’s not at work he’s a tireless online multimedia content producer. He lives in Toronto and while much of what he does showcases the stuff making his heart and mind ping in this city, I was captivated by his video, below, of a kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum in München last month:

So what was your most enduring memory of Pride 2008?

About three hours after this photo was taken last Sunday, I’d packed Champ off home and was still feeling a little… partyish. Heading out the door to the gaybourhood, I passed the photo location outside the Co$ and where there were once parade-cheering multitudes there were now two lone, masked Anonymi, just kids, scribbling anti-Hubbard slogans in chalk on the sidewalk.

To one girl who looked up as I passed, I muttered a “right on!” and her male cohort, in a rainbow-striped Guy Fawkes mask, said “we’re protesting the Church of $cientology and the way they tell lesbian and gay people they can be cured. And they can’t! Because it’s not a sickness!” and I dunno whether it was the margaritas or the other stuff that was pulsing through my gray matter, but that was just about the funniest thing I’d heard all day.

Seeing me laugh, the girl (wearing a regular Guy Fawkes mask) stood up and very close to my face said “you know, you should really pay more attention to what’s going on in the world as a gay man and speak up for what’s right and against what’s wrong and this is very, very wrong for an organization that claims to help people and… you know all of this, don’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why did you let us rant?”

“Because hearing you guys say that stuff means the world to me. Happy Pride, you two!”

“HAPPY PRIDE!” they both shouted and I kind of got choked up because they screamed it real loud, louder than they needed to, and with “pride” as one syllable, too.

Our winters are miserable and our politicians are fucktards, we aspire to mediocrity and bend over for multinational corporations, our cities are barely holding it together and our national mantra is “sorry!”

But after a day on the (officially-sanctioned, clothing-optional) beach in the sweltering sun, with cheeky, sexy friends, men and women who’ve immigrated from all over the world, arguing international politics and culture, stripping and splashing and dishing and dripping, sharing a toke and a joke and toasting the latest queer marriage… would you really want to live anywhere else?

Not me. Not today. Happy Canada Day.

So the forecast for Pride Day in Toronto was “sun, heat, cool and rain.” And we got all of that. And we had a rockin’ party. I spent a lot of time watching the kids having a blast, fiercing it out at an age when I was still thinking I’d some day get married and have a family and spend summer weekends camping naked in the mountains with the other neighbourhood husbands and fathers.

I like this life better. Love fearlessly, people.

“You are fabulous, each and every one.” — Angels in America

An Exuberant Display of Bootitude (mouseover)

An Assortment of Creative Facial Hair

A Vision in Pink

A Knee-Weakeningly Sexy Neighbour

A Less-Than-Stellar Visual Pun

An Adorable Daughter and One of Her Hot Gay Dads

An AIDS Committee of Toronto Cheerleader

A Kingpin

An Offering to the Pride Gods

Well, actually, I don’t. But how can you not have fun when almost a million family and friends come out for North America’s biggest Pride party?

North and South from Wellesley (mouseover)

At Bloor and Church

A Toronto Transit Commission Vehicle (on Schedule, for a Change)

A Ridiculously Handsome Man

A Limit is Reached

An Aftermath

Happy Pride Day!
Love Fearlessly!

An Ironic Juxtaposition
Yonge & St. Mary Streets, Toronto, 29 July 2008 4:00PM

Well, not so much Saturday in the park as it was Saturday in streets and parking lots festooned with rainbow shit. The Dyke March was political and fierce (but disappointingly short) and much fun was had on the street and at the Mel C set at the Wellesley stage. And the Hidden Cameras show finishing off the day was pretty spectacular.

Big love to friends and all the visitors to This. That. No Other. I ran into during the day for their kind words and support; who knew? More photos at Flickr.

MTL CHX (after Dyke March)

Hell No Hetero

Non-Bears in the TD Bearwash

Mel C

Bee and Charlize and B

Mel C jokes about Amy Winehouse’s beaver looking much like her hair.

Boa Boy

Licks: Bee and Charlize

Dragon

Faux Paw

Toronto | Hidden Cameras at Pride 2008, originally uploaded by ardenstreet.

For your sliding-into-the-festive-weekend-and-it-feels-so-good enjoyment, I’d once again like to take the opportunity to present Australia’s The Presets. A “Trouble Week” musical interlude, if you will.

Remember that it was the troublemakers who made history on this weekend.

“My People”, The Presets (Apocalypso):

I’m here with all of my people
Locked up with all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me

So let’s head in your room Tall and tan and young and lovely
I’ll follow
All around the world for you
And you’ll find out tonight oh it’s a world of extreme

Oh they’ll take all our ceremony
They’ll never
Find a happy hope for you
But know that’s not the only chance you’ll get, yeah you’ll see

I’m here with all of my people
Locked up with all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me

I’m here with all of my people
Shut down with all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me

Still the celebration haunts
Today I
Heard it on the radio
You’ve gone and found a way to get me out from this place

Soldiers on the water front
They wanna
Ship me far away
I’ll find my way tonight so I can find my way to you

I’m here with all of my people
Locked up with all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me

I’m here with all of my people
Shut down with all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me

I’m here with all of my people
Locked up with all of my people

I’m here with all of my people
Shut down all of my people

And it feels so
And it feels so good
And it feels so
And it feels so good
And it feels so
And it feels so good
And it feels so
And it feels so good
And it feels so…

I’m here with all of my people
Locked up with all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me

I’m here with all of my people
Party time all of my people
So let me hear you scream if you’re with me