Happy Pride Month!

Last weekend, I traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, for the KC PrideFest, which was held at Theis Park on June 10-12.

I had a lot of fun at the festival.

I recorded and edited a video that features parts of various performances. Many of the songs I chose concerned identity and pride. 

 

The weather was only negative part of the festival.

Everyone had to leave early Friday night due to a thunderstorm warning, and everyone got drenched by the rain. The festival-goers with larger pride flags used them as makeshift umbrellas, which I found adorable.

Saturday and Sunday were both oppressively hot.

Thankfully, some booths provided free water and drinks. Anyone could also cool down in a parked bus with free air conditioning. I made good use of each of these services.

 

During my time at the festival, I enjoyed seeing and identifying all of the various pride flags.

Rainbow flags, and their variations, were the most common. Among the variations were the Progress Pride flags, and flags that combined the rainbow flag with the American flag.

Next most common were the flags representing sexualities, including the lesbian flag, the gay male flag, the bisexual flag, and the pansexual flag.

There were also a fair number of transgender and nonbinary flags.

I was happily surprised by the number of nonbinary flags at the festival.

I am nonbinary myself, and before last weekend, I had only met two other nonbinary people in person, on two separate occasions. The flags demonstrated nonbinary people are more common than someone might assume.

The least common pride flags I observed were the asexual, agender, and genderfluid flags. A few people wore skirts that displayed the colors of the genderfluid flag. 

 

I attended the festival with my fingernails painted in the colors of the genderfluid flag, and I wore a different pride button each day.

I wore a rainbow hat throughout most of the festival. I also brought my small pride flags, which I flew at various times throughout the celebration.

Here are some pictures of me and my nails from the trip.

 

 

 

  

 

In retrospect, considering the heat, I should have brought my rainbow Lambda Legal pride fan with me. But I hadn’t thought to bring it before I left for the trip.

 

 

 

Earlier this month, I recorded and published three short videos where I displayed and discussed my pride merchandise.

In the first video, I discussed my pride flags.

 

 

In the second video, I featured my pride buttons.

 

 

In the final video, I discussed my pride stickers and my genderqueer magnet. 

 

 

 

I wish all LGBT people and our allies a happy pride month.