My very first parade was at the age of 19, when I was the Rose Queen for the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. On the float I was surrounded by roses and by my royal court. I wore my tiara crown and waved at thousands of adoring fans as we made our way down Colorado Boulevard.
OK, so you aren’t buying that. Would you believe that my very first parade was the recent Pride Parade? Of course I have seen many parades, both in person and on television, but this was the first time that I was actually a participant. I rode on the CGS float, and I have to tell you, it was a fantastic experience! To make it even better, I was accompanied by my wonderfully supportive daughter.
The parade was scheduled to begin at noon, and we arrived in the area of Halsted and Diversey about 11:00. It was a beautiful day for a parade and everyone we encountered seemed happy and excited. When we found the CGS float, several members were in the process of adding some finishing touches. There wasn’t much left to be done, so we decided to stroll up Halsted to see what we could see (sort of like the bear and the mountain, only there was no bear, and no mountain).
We saw floats for commercial ventures, night clubs, radio stations, and all sorts of organizations. There was music blaring from all sides, and people of all descriptions were milling around. Now the theme for the CGS float was “Pride Colors”. So, I had worn a shirt that was pink with the pride color rainbow splashed across it, along with a yellow skirt (mini of course). After a while, I realized that I looked pretty average, perhaps even dull in comparison to many of the beautiful people on the parade route. Nevertheless, a nice lady stopped me and asked if she could have her picture taken with me. I stood about a head and a half taller than she. I imagine the photo is now in her album with the caption, “Me with an amazon tranny I met in Chicago.” 
With the clock edging toward 12:00, we went back and took our places on the float. We made sure that we had on sun screen and we warmed up our waving arms (to avoid injuries you know). And then we waited. And we waited. And we waited. Gosh, the sun is nice, but it is getting warm. Any movement up ahead? No? So we waited. And we waited. And we waited.
To skip ahead for a moment, I understand that there were about 250 entries in the parade this year. The CGS float was number 121, so we were about in the middle of the pack. The parade officially started at noon at Belmont and Halsted. We didn’t begin moving until a bit after 1:00, and it took us almost 30 minutes to go the first half mile to Belmont (the official start point). The parade continued north on Halsted, then made a hard right and went south on Broadway to Diversey. There it turned left and went east to Lincoln Park and Cannon Drive. We travelled about 3 miles in 2 hours. Just like normal rush hour in Chicago!
Anyway, a little after 1:00, we saw movement ahead of us, and then it was time for us to move out! For the first block or two there a fair number of people watching from the sidewalk and from buildings along the route. But then, as we got closer to the official starting point, the crowds really starting getting larger. At the starting line, I could see that Belmont was wall-to-wall people for at least 2 whole blocks back from the parade route! It was amazing!
All of these people were cheering and waving and yelling. I hope it doesn’t sound too sappy, but my daughter expressed it best when she said you could feel the love, and the pride. And to make it even better, the crowds and the cheering and the happiness continued for most of the parade. Absolutely fantastic!Several of our members walked along with the float. They passed out stickers and coupons and generally encouraged the already enthusiastic attitude of the crowds. Jennifer had a contest going with herself to see how many Chicago PD officers would let her put a pride rainbow sticker on their uniforms. She told me that 21 officers accepted, and only one turned her down.
Riding on the float and waving at all the people who were yelling and smiling and waving and cheering, I couldn’t help but feel like they were cheering for me. In reality (a place I generally avoid), they were cheering for themselves, for their pride, and for the opportunity to publicly express that pride. It was a great day!
If you would like to see a bit of the parade from where I was sitting, go to my Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/39350149@N06/sets/ and select the 2009 Pride Parade photostream. The last item in that stream is a video clip I made during the parade.
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I recently made a visit to the Community Alliance & Action Network, better known as CAAN, at their community center in Joliet (http://www.caanmidwest.org/home.html). I went primarily to attend the initial meeting of a new TG support group that they are starting, but I thought I should take the opportunity to find out a bit more about the center and the organization.
My guides were our own Donna Greer (no relation) and Dave Sharp. Dave is the organizer of the support group and one of the driving forces of CAAN’s teen drop-in center that I will come back to later.The CAAN community center is located right in the heart of downtown Joliet. This is a thriving metropolis that is known for it’s enlightened attitudes and highly visible and respected LGBT population. What? Not so much? Oh. Sorry, I must have been thinking of some other Utopia. Seriously, Joliet sure isn’t Boys Town, and the CAAN community center isn’t The Center on Halsted. But for the last 6 years, CAAN has been working to provide services and support to the members of the LGBTQ community in and around Joliet, and at the same time to provide some outreach to the community as a whole. A tip of the wig to them for their spirit and dedication.
I must admit to being somewhat apprehensive about visiting downtown Joliet on a Thursday evening. Of course I didn’t let that stop me from wearing a skirt and sleeveless blouse, but I did bow to a sense of caution and decorum and went for just above the knee rather than mid-thigh. I parked on the street just around the corner from the center, took a deep breath, and opened the door. I double-checked that I had my keys in my purse (and that I had my purse) before I locked the car door. As I walked toward the center, I passed several people including a family group with young kids. I can report that I had no bad vibes at all.
The CAAN community center is on the 4th floor of an older office building. There is no outside signage, so visitors will want to be sure they have the exact address. The door to the suite was open and I was immediately greeted by the smiling face of Donna Greer. Donna is 2nd Vice President of CAAN, a community activist, and founding member of the Island Girls. She gave me the grand tour of the center. The place isn’t big, but they have what they need to bring their services to the community. There is a reception area with helpful literature, a library (CAAN members can check materials out), an office, and a meeting room. Many of the walls have photos and bios of interesting people who have some relationship to the LGBT community.
Toward the end of the tour, we were joined by Dave Sharp.
Dave is one of the leaders of the teen drop-in center and the coordinator for the new TG support group. The drop-in center is open one afternoon a week at the CAAN center. Dave told me that they average about 15 teens each week. He reports that most of the teens are questioning, and some just come because their friends do. I am pleased to report that Dave has offered me my first chance to do some outreach with this group. I will be talking to them about my experience as a t-girl. Assuming that I survive the experience, I think it will be very interesting. More on this next month.By the time the tour was over, we were joined by a couple more people and we got on with the scheduled business of the evening, the new support group. It would be inappropriate for me to report on the content of our discussions, and you know that I am never inappropriate. All right, all right, other than in my choice of outfits I am never inappropriate. Yeah, yeah, and my occasional off-color comments, but apart from that I am never inappropriate. No, don’t even bring that up. What happens at Be All, stays at Be All. Moving on now.
Following our support group meeting, we adjourned to Maneuvers for a nightcap. I had heard that Maneuvers was the designated trans watering hole in Joliet, but I had never been inside. Apparently being a gay bar right across the street from the city’s baseball stadium caused some upstanding citizens a bit of heartburn, but from the outside, Maneuvers looks more like a little pizza place than a bar, let alone a gay bar. Inside, the place looks pretty much like any other neighborhood bar. The other patrons didn’t pay much attention to us when we walked in, but the bartender was cheerful and very nice. I didn’t go up, but I understand that there is a dance floor upstairs where a DJ or other acts entertain on weekends.
All things considered, if you find yourself in Joliet, Maneuvers is a comfortable place to spend some quality time with the beverage of your choice, and it is just a few blocks from CAAN.
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I attended my first CGS Garden Party in July. Well actually it was my first garden party at all, unless of course you count listening to Ricky Nelson, but probably not since that wasn’t really a garden, it was more of an arena, but I digress. Many thanks to Julie Johnson for opening her home for the party. The weather was quite nice, (apart from a few bugs), the food was good, the drinks were good, and the company was excellent. My only complaint was the dance floor. Asphalt, heels and the twist just don’t work well together. By the way, be sure to ask former Pres Katie where she carries her cell phone when not carrying a purse.
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I want to throw in a little plug for a couple of upcoming events involving our friends at Tall Girl Shops. First, they will be having a special shopping night for us at the store in Schaumburg on Saturday, August 22, from 6:00 to 9:00. The store will be open to the public until 7:00, but after that it will be just us and a whole store full of goodies! For anyone who is reluctant to mingle with the general public, come after 7:00 and you can change at the store. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to Kathy at kathystolarek@yahoo.com or call the store at 847-413-8631.
Next, at the CGS meeting on September 8, Tall Girl will be presenting a fashion show, and we get to be the models! If you are interested in being a model, you need to contact VP Christine Heermann (or me if you can’t reach Christine). You will be asked to attend the shopping night on August 22 for outfit selection and fitting. If you want to participate, but can’t make the shopping night, arrangements can be made for a fitting at another time or at the Chicago store.
OK? Have you got all that? If you have any questions, contact Christine or myself.
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Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Please send to me at greercd@hotmail.com.
Greer’s Ramblings can also be seen online at http://greercd.blogspot.com/
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