Pride
The first blog post; quite high stakes. So I thought I would start it – as generally happens before a fall – with pride. Pride at finally, and almost singlehandly, putting together a website which works and is at last fit to go live; pride as I reflect on some of the adventures I’ve had with my camera; and Pride. yes Pride with a capital P.
In June 2008, 37 days after leaving England for New York as a nervous first-time solo backpacker, I arrived on the West Coast: the final destination of my American coast-to-coast odyssey. You may thing ‘odyssey’ is hyperbole, but did I mention I did this trip via Greyhound buses? It was quite simply a life-changing experience. My trip took me to iconic American destinations like Memphis, to other less-salubrious places like St Louis, and some places which, when I discuss my trip with Americans, are not top of the tourist trail, like Cincinnati. I met so many amazing characters, especially in Tennessee, saw breath-taking scenery, especially in Utah, and pushed myself to really “jump in to” life at every opportunity. So yes, ‘odyssey’ is definitely appropriate.
My final stop was San Francisco. I arrived early in the morning, fresh from an overnight bus from LA bus station (definitely up there on the ‘less-salubrious’ list). As I walked into the city I began to wonder why there were so many people around this early on a Sunday morning. As it turned out my timing could not have been more perfect: today was the annual Pride parade in San Francisco. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even bother dropping my bag off at the hostel. I just found a spot at the front of the barriers and sat down on my rucksack. With an estimated attendance of 1 million people I’d beaten the crowds by sheer chance.
This year was to be a particularly significant Pride, with high-profile political battles being fought out around same-sex marriage across California. Same-sex marriage become legal in California during my trip across America so there were plenty of “Just Married” banners. However, opponents were already preparing a proposition to ban gay marriage again. Despite this the atmosphere was amazing. The march took hours to pass and included people from all walks of life.
High on my own sense of achievement, and about to embark on a Masters in Gender and Sexuality, this felt like the perfect way to end my trip and start the next phase of my life. So without further ado, I give you Pride 2008.
