Sunday, June 27, 2010

until i get my photos up....

daniela-776823.jpg

in my head it's twice in one day

because i haven't gone to sleep yet. and given that kristi and i have to meet the KBA team to march in the Pride Parade at 11:30am, and it's currently 5:44am, and i'm raring to go, i'm guessing that i may not sleep until the last bit of pride has prided.

i started off the afternoon at Washington Square Park, hanging out under the great arch and handing out flyers for Pier Pressure, the Lovergirl party my friend Kate throws every Pride. as always, the moment when the dykes came marching in was amazing. it's a spunky sort of event- no parade parade permit, so it's a protest march, though it does have a celebratory feel. and all those splendid girls jumping and dancing in the fountain, and the drum circles drumming, and the rainbow flags and rainbow hair- there are so many gorgeous memories and moments in that afternoon, but i did not take a single photo. i was busy, flyering and chatting, and i just never took the camera out of my bag. but i did run into my dear friend Erin and her charming girlfriend Eileen and that was just marvelous.

next kristi and i worked at Pier Pressure. i handle the guest lists and kristi does the mailing list. it's an awesome party held at a brewing company restaurant right on the hudson river, and the moon was huge and full tonight, and the most amazing thing happened. it was not wholly unexpected but the way it played out was refreshing and inspiring and, at the start, kind of embarassing. i was going over th elist when someone said "Are you Dawn?" and I looked up and said "Yes" and someone was stading in front of me holding out her hand for me to shake and saying "Hi, I'm Daniela" and i said "Yes, you are" because it was Daniela Sea who is totally one of my heroes and is also incredibly, shockingly, strikingly beautiful. and i almost died. (For my Mom, and any non-dykes who read this, Daniela Sea is a lot of things, but she is best known as the actress who played the groundbreaking role of Max in the lesbian tv show The L Word. Max was a trans-man, and his story was such an incredibly important part of that show because it was the first trans character in a tv show who was actually part of the main cast, and had their own journey and story and wasn't just a tranny hooker on Law & Order or something.)

now, I knew that Daniela Sea was going to be there, she was the Celebrity Host of the party. but usually when we have celebrity hosts their bodyguards or chauffeurs alert us to their arrival and they get snuck in and it's all very hush-hush and they certainly don't walk up to the Guest List Girl and introduce themselves like normal people. she didnt show up with an entourage, just a friend with a nice smile who reminded me of Seamus, my friend from college.

throughout the night i ended up getting to hang out with daniela a bit, and be with her as she moved through the crowd and hung out. over and over again throughout the night i was surprised by her. she was friendly and mingled with the crowd. she got excited over the full moon and the river. she had a great time. she was incredibly patient and took a bazillion photos with people. she was charming onstage, easygoing everywhere else, and the only thing she asked for all night was a hit off a cigarette. she was humble and grateful and utterly normal. and that was really cool to see. she is a genuinely nice person who has none of the trappings or attitude i've come to associate with the celebrities i've had interactions with (living in NY and nannying for high-profile folks, i've run into perhaps more than my share) and that just makes me happy. this person has clearly not been spoiled by success and so i have hope for humanity.

and yes, i did get a photo with her- actually two, because it was the end of the night- we were actually standing outside the cab she was about to get in to go home- and we were both making horrible faces in the first one. yeah- that's the kind of person Daniela Sea is: she cared enough that i got a good photo that she made me turn the camera around and show her the shot to make sure we got a good one- and when she saw the cracked-out-looking shot we got, she laughed and was like "at least it looks like we're partying and having fun!" and then we took another one, which she also checked. she thought her eyes looked crazy but overall it was a pretty good picture so we kept it (and when your eyes are like that i imagine that they stand out in most pictures).

maybe i should try to sleep. it's 6:35am. i wonder where my rainbow flags are.

ps: did you know that she speaks Polish, plays 3 instruments and lived as a man in India for 6 months? seriously. my hero.







Saturday, June 26, 2010

Ok, Kismet.

So i haven't even been to my own blog in almost a year. Last post was photos of 2009's Pride Weekend, and of course, what is today? Saturday of Pride Weekend. I love it. Though I have been feeling the writing itchies lately. Maybe I will- NO. I'm not even going to say it. If I say it, I won't do it.

Anyway, something so weird happened that I had to blog it. There is no other way to share something this insane in its entirety with a tweet.

This week, while prowling on the internet I filled out a survey about Gay Marriage. I do this occasionally as a Gay who would like to be Married: I fill out the Conservative Surveys. The Republican ones. The ones that ask "Do you beleive homosexuals should be given special rights to get married and adopt babies and burn puppies and kill families and destroy the fabric of our country?" (truly, that is only a very mild exaggeration) and "Do you think the Radical Homosexuals should be allowed to teach in our schools and raise our children up in their lifestyle with a plan to take over America's churches and government?" And I answer YES. To all of it. Whatever you are scared the homos want, I'm there to make sure you know we might try to take it. And we might get it. Cause it weirds me out that there are all these crazy folks ou there collecting "information" that is so skewed it's mind-boggling, and then tryig to use that shit as facts. And if I can stick a monkey wrench into that practice while on my couch and eating a Twix, then so be it.

And usually the moment ends there- me feeling all subversive in my jammies, and then settling in to watch some Supernanny or some shit. But this week, I've gotten a letter back. Actually, two. From the same guy. Who apparently thinks his survey is some kind of recruiting tool for ultra-conservatives, and who likes to periodically capitalize the H in the word Homosexual like we are demi-gods or Very Important Things in an A.A. Milne story. My new pen-pal Eugene addresses every person who filled out his survey with the same absolute, utter confidence that they provided the answers he wanted them to. I think this guy is a little cracked in the head and I'm going to share this letter because it's too weird for words.
I'm also going to take this moment to thank God, publicly, for not making me grow up in a place/time where people like this narrow-minded freak with a tenuous grasp on English Grammar were the norm.

Without any further ado:


Dear Dawn ,

Thank you for your recently signed petition. I am excited to know you are an American who is willing to take a stand for pro-family values.

Here at Public Advocate, fighting for and defending the family values our nation was founded on is what we are all about.

If you are looking for a hard-hitting pro-family organization with a history of victories against the growing radical Homosexual Lobby, look no further than Public Advocate of the United States.

Founded in 1981, Public Advocate quickly took center stage as the nation’s leading family advocate with over 400,000 united pro-family activists.

Time after time, Public Advocate has beaten back the attempts of the Homosexual Lobby to pass legislation aimed at making homosexuals a special class of citizens.

But, victories these days have been harder and harder to come by.

Which is why I so excited to have your signed petition!

With it, I will prove to Congress that the American people still hold traditional family values dear.

And if you believe the threat of the Homosexual Lobby is being blown out of proportion, think again.

At this very moment, individuals and organizations with hundreds of millions of dollars that comprise the Homosexual Lobby are working to pass their radical agenda.

Here are just a few names and organizations you may recognize: Tim Gill, Barney Frank, Pat Stryker, Jared Polis, Cindy and Meghan McCain, The Advocate, GLAAD, and the Human Rights Campaign.

All of these people are working towards what they call “equal rights” for homosexuals, when in reality, the rights they are trying to acquire would be unique to homosexuals only.

A Thought Control bill was just recently passed. This bill puts into law regulations that deem so-called “hate speech” as illegal.

This has me worried, and I hope you are too. Because who is to say what language will be considered hate speech?

Don’t believe me? In Canada and Europe pastors have been thrown in jail for preaching Biblical teachings against homosexuality.

This very well may be the reality of Thought Control in the United States.

I hope you know how serious this issue really is.

Which is why, as President of Public Advocate, I have devoted my life to protecting family values and defending our freedoms.

I want to leave a legacy I am proud of, knowing the United States is still the nation I grew up in.

But without your support, this year alone we could see Barney Frank’s so-called “Employment Non-Discrimination Act” put into law.

We call this the “Gay Bill of Special Rights” because it doesn’t eliminate discrimination, it destroys workplace protection from radical homosexuals whose only mission is to spread their agenda.

If passed, the Gay Bill of Special Rights would require workplaces to meet a quota of homosexual employees, forcing employers to choose a radical homosexual over a potentially more qualified candidate.

And no workplace will be exempt. Churches, daycares, nursing homes, private schools, you name it, all will have to adhere to these regulations.

And Obama is even looking to push for the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" this year, which would remove the protection our soldiers have from the Homosexual Lobby.

And even the Healthcare bill is filled with numerous paybacks to homosexuals, giving lower healthcare premiums to “unmarried” homosexuals than married couples, all paid for at taxpayer expense.

I hope you understand this threat is real. . . and imminent.

And I also hope you will consider making a donation to Public Advocate to help protect our family values.

Public Advocate will never waver from the firm conviction that political decisions should begin and end with the best interests of American families and communities in mind, and that marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman.

Public Advocate has been 100% dependent on the financial support of contributors, we do not receive any government or taxpayer money, nor do we want it.

I would appreciate it if you could help support Public Advocate by making a charitable contribution, please click here.

No matter the amount, be it $5 or $50 or more, every dollar you give is greatly appreciated and will go a long way towards defending our pro-family values.

It is my hope to keep you up-to-date on the fight for pro-family values through email alerts.

There are some tough battles coming up very soon and I am going to need your help if we are to win.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,




Eugene Delgaudio
President,
Public Advocate of the U.S.

P.S. Public Advocate is the leading force in defending the conservative pro-family values our nation was founded on.

Please consider a donation to Public Advocate to help defend our pro-family values from the Homosexual Lobby's attacks.

ps- I can't wait for the part where we get Thought Control!