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Rainy, colourful, campy pride

6/28/2015

4 Comments

 
The rainy weather and various "alternate plans/commitment" could not deter our enjoyment of this spectacular time of year.  

More aware this year than any previous year of the systemic oppression imposed on those who do not conform to the norm, and having experienced first hand that "equality in law is not equality in practice", I was especially looking forward to leaving behind a rather disappointing school year and embracing this weekend, when it is not only "okay to be gay", but when in fact one's gender creativity and sexual identity is celebrated and encouraged.

So, I joined my aviation colleagues on Friday evening at the post-booth-set-up party.  My partner had been helping to set up the Aviation Pride booth, and I met her downtown afterwards to have a few drinks and staff the booth for the Friday evening crowd which was large and celebratory... and lucky, since that was the only part of the weekend when it wasn't pouring rain!!!  
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We laughed and joked with flight attendants, crew schedulers and other pilots in the group, as well as reaching out to and making connections with those who passed by the booth.  It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the evening.  (Tats did, too, as evidenced by this photo snapped mid-street-dance on our way back to the subway!)
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The next morning, Alex joined us, and we headed back downtown.  Bedecked in a colourful shirt and his rainbow airplane necklace, he was joining Tats for a soggy two-hour shift in the rain at the Aviation booth while I headed over to put in a few hours at the equally dripping ETFO booth, where I reconnected with a musician whom I had not seen or spoken with in nearly 20 years!!!  (Turns out he is a teacher now, too (Kindergarten), and a darned good one, based on my observations during our time together on Saturday.)

After our shifts, we forwent the Dyke march and picked up a rainbow cake at the Village Loblaws before heading back to the west end to bring Alex to an end-of-year party hosted by one of his friends from school.  But not before pausing in our rain jackets and soaked shoes to snap a photo at the Lucky Charms picture booth!

Sunday's parade was also missed, unfortunately, as we had to take Simon up to camp -- his first year of overnight camp!  He and Alex bid a silly, huggy good-bye to one another in the lobby of our building before Simon, Tats, Vinx and I piled into Vinx' vehicle for the 2 hour ride up north. (Alex hung out with his dad for the day; he's decided on an alternative, self-directed camp week with a  family friend while his brother is away dancing with the mosquitoes and canoeing in the Kawarthas.)
Simon having passed the camp's mandatory head lice check, I hugged my baby good-bye and walked back to the parking lot with Vinx and Tats.  I shed a few tears, and then hopped back into the Van where I promptly pulled up the latest on the missed Parade on my iPhone, and eagerly read about Pussy Riot, Cindi Lauper and others who were headlining this year's event.

Pride weekend is the time of year when I am perhaps one of the more conservative people in the crowd, and it is a weekend I have grown to relish not just for social and entertainment reasons, but for the equity it promotes and the social justice it insists on.  The celebration of Toronto's LGBTQ community for me symbolizes the rainbow of people with whom I share this planet.  I love being amidst the great diversity of young and old, male, female and everything in between and outside of that binary, and the cultural milieu that descends upon Church/Wellesley and the surrounding area to experience first hand what inclusion can really feel like! 

4 Comments
Nancy
6/28/2015 03:39:16 pm

I was thinking of you and Tats today. We missed you. I love Pride celebrations too. I am inevitably brought to tears by the overwhelming feeling of love and acceptance for my beautiful children.

I saw a young women wearing a shirt that says, "I ❤️ my two moms."

Reply
Kenny Kirkwood
6/29/2015 02:47:56 am

Hey Vera, great to reconnect! Thanks for noticing how much fun i have with music, promotion and releasing peoples inner musician. "Etfo etfo, making it fun for the kids, etfo etfo sup

Reply
Vera
6/29/2015 03:01:28 am

Thx, you guys! Happy pride!

Kenny kirkwood
6/29/2015 03:01:02 am

...oops, submitted before finishing...Where was i...
"Etfo, etfo, support your teachers" lol...
So, great to see your blog, inspiring as i will start travelling and writing this year too. I dunno if i mentioned it, but my ex and i have co-parented with two women, and have two teenagers, 20 and 16. Life changing! Children are medicine. Peace in, stayin in touch...

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    About Vera...

    Vera & her Sons, April 2021
    After writing for several teacher and multiple birth publications, including ETFO's Voice Magazine, Multiple Moments, and the Bulletwin, Vera turned her written attention to prolific blogging for some years, including BiB,  "Learn to Fly with Vera!"  and SMARTbansho .  Homeschooling 4 was her travel blog in Argentina.  She now spends more time on her Instagram (@schalgzeug_usw)  than her blog (pictures are worth a thousand words?!) 
    DISCLAIMER
    The views expressed on this blog are the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the perspectives of her family members or the position of her employer on the the issues she blogs about.  These posts are intended to share resources, document family life, and encourage critical thought on a variety of subjects.  They are not intended to cause harm to any individual or member of any group. By reading this blog and viewing this site, you agree to not hold Vera liable for any harm done by views expressed in this blog.
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Vera C. Teschow, OCT, M.Ed., MOT
Toronto, ON & St Peter's Harbour, PE
www.verateschow.ca 2021
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