June 22, 2008
Seen and heard at Boston Pride
Michael Wood READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Oh, the things you see and hear as the gay parade passes by or when you wade through a mob of thousands of festive queers. When no one was looking, we wrote it all down. Here's a compilation of our favorite sights, gripes, pithy observations and bad puns at this year's parade and festival.
Seen
Redundant float in Pride Parade: Planned Parenthood (Isn't all gay parenting planned?).
Man dropping trou and mooning the crowd during Lori Michaels' set on the Pride festival stage.
Sign toted by middle-aged man down Berkeley Street: "Recycle Abba, Saving the World One Song at a Time."
Young woman wearing "I [heart] Whiney Emo Girls" t-shirt.
Man wearing Bert and Ernie t-shirt with slogan "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Heard
Mellow woman: "The Dyke March was very subdued. Usually that's the angry one."
Man #1: "That dress is fabulous!"
Man #2: [stony silence]
Man #1: "Oh, sorry, you're a designer."
Girl wearing BU T-shirt: "Where is he? I can't believe I lost my boyfriend at gay Pride!"
Straight parade watcher to female companion as National Grid truck decorated with rainbow flags drove past: "Talk about gay power."
Angry goth: "Well, I guess I'm not an official lesbian."
Random woman: "You just need to try harder."
Man watching the polyamory booth: "You'd think the poly people would be cuter."
His boyfriend: "Yeah, I'm not seeing any incentive there."
Little girl: "Is that a boy or a girl?"
Harried mom: "Just look for the Blue Line."
Happy guy: "Of course I'm trashed! My shirt is off, isn't it?"
Parade Critic #1: "There's a lot of white people marching with Masala."
Parade Critic # 2: "That's Boston for you."
Woman listening to the performers from the beer garden: "Uh oh, here comes a speech."
Girlfriend: "Let's get another beer."
Woman: "There's not enough beer in the world."
Random Twink: "If you can't get laid today, you're just not trying."
Random man on cell phone on Berkeley Street: "I see a sexy ass in a pink shirt."
Man watching Gov. Deval Patrick march past the State House with his openly lesbian daughter Katherine and the rest of his family: "He has so got my vote."
Woman yelling to Katherine Patrick, who was wearing a Smith College T-shirt, as the Patrick family marched past her on the corner of Beacon and Tremont streets into a raucously cheering throng of onlookers: "Go Smiiith! [pause] She can't hear me".
Michael Wood is a contributor and Editorial Assistant for EDGE Publications.