Yesterday was Pride. The Brotherhood marched, and had a whole lot of fun while we were at it. I’ve never been to the parade before, the crowds are a bit much for me, so marching yesterday was my first direct exposure to it. It was very interesting, seeing all the people who came out. The cover of the Sun-Times this morning estimates that 450,000 people came to pride yesterday. That’s a staggering number. Almost half a million. That’s amazing.

Amatheon asked later, a question that I myself had pondered a few times as we walked down broadway. The sidewalks were stacked 15 and 20 people deep. All of them cheering and yelling and clapping. I thought about Stonewall and my queer predecessors, and I had to wonder, what would it be like if all those people were full of vitriol instead of excitement? If they were not there to support us, but to boo and supress us. It was a depressing thought.

Near the end of the route, there were three encampments of protesters. It was interesting. Not because they were there, but because of how many of them there were. That is to say, not many at all. Each encampment was very small. There were maybe 50 all told between them. And after wards, the side of the route was filled with people holding signs that say things like “God Loves you!” Out of thousands of thousands of people, 50 were there to tell us we are going to hell. That was a powerful contrast to the somewhat morose memories/thoughts about stonewall era marches. It reminded me how far we’ve come, and made me extremely proud of my community and the culture of acceptance that is supporting it.

Afterwards several of us went to Standard India for a buffet dinner, then back to Amatheon’s place for an evening of good, string, drinks and companionship. It was really nice to hang out with my brothers and spend some non-business time together. We haven’t gotten to do that much lately, and I for one thuroughly enjoyed myself.

As I walked home from Jim’s place (I caught a cab most of the way north with him, then walked the last mile or so), I checked my email and was surprised to see a rush of activity on the Brotherhood list. I posted a short email the other day, letting people know that my brothers and I were working on a Leather & Spirituality blog called LeatherSpirit (leatherspirit.wordpress.com). A gentleman posted a response basically saying “I’m upset that this was posted here and I think it’s way off topic. Isn’t the Brotherhood supposed to be about seeking the light, this leather stuff is for IML and doesn’t belong.”

I wrote the list guidelines, so I know well that the post was not off-topic or out of bounds, but ignoring that I was a little surprised by his anger, frustration, and confusion. I see the work of the trickster here, or the Shaman. There is power in conflict, and the members of the list responded admirably.

I’m happy, excited, and humbled by the response from brothers and other people on the list, essentially addressing his thoughts and concerns, and supporting our exploration of Leather and Spirituality. The responses reminded me of one of the things that I appreciate about the Brotherhood. Our diversity and strength. For truth, we are not the most diverse group of people, but we have a very wide range of beliefs, worldviews, opinions, and practices amongst us, and that is what I believe makes us strong.

I’ll send my own response to the list later today, addressing the points that I don’t think other respondents have yet spoken to.

Saturday was also an interesting day. I did more Saturday than I’ve done in weeks, just in terms of sheer productivity. I did something like 9 or 10 loads of laundry (everything I own is now clean). I cleaned my bedroom, the living room, the study, and the litter box. I did the dishes, baked brownies, made two pillow cases, and mended six or seven pairs of pants. Oh, and I reconfigured my desk to put my free-space on my right side instead of my left. I much prefer it there.

So all in all, a very full, but positive, weekend.