My first Pride ………. (Better Late than Never)
Here’s the thing ….. up until this year I have never attended a Pride Event. I know, I probably should have done it sooner, it not like my gender status is a complete secret, I have lots of friends who know I am Gender Fluid, I get out and about quite a lot and have a pretty big following for this blog across various social media platforms. I’m not a massive LGBT or Trans-Activist but I am 100% behind equality and inclusion for all, so realistically, it’s almost a given that I would step up and get involved. But the reason I hadn’t got involved in the past was simply that I never felt confident enough to really get out there for a large scale, high profile event like that. Which is odd, because I have for a long time been confident enough to go almost anywhere else, during the day or in the evening, with my wife, friends or on my own. Yet until recently, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to go out to a big event like that on my own. When I thought about it though, what safer place for a transgender woman could there be than at a Pride event, Bright, Fun, Completely Inclusive and also attended by other friends that I could meet up with. So, like everything else I’ve done in the last year, I grabbed the opportunity by the balls and made the decision to turn up and have a day out showing my support to others by being out there ……. ‘Being visible !!’. So why now ?? Well, as I said, about a year or so ago, I made some promises to myself and my wife, not to be so reliant on her as a crutch and to get myself out there, and to make some new friends and acquaintances. This is something I have definitely managed to do, and it was in the hope of bumping into a few of those friends, that I decided, once I had a date, I would book myself some accommodation for a night and commit to turning up. Once the date was released and confirmed, that was it. The 25th August 2018 was my first Pride, and I chose Southampton, it was a no brainer, with ‘The Cheeky Girls’ performing on stage there was no alternative ………. Wrong !!! It was not down to the unique entertainment stated above, but more simply that it fell inside the dates of my summer holiday and time off work. Sorry there’s no more exciting reason than that !!! That said, the overall entertainment line up for Southampton Pride was fantastic, with some great performances from numerous amazing Singers, Dancers, a bit of Comedy thrown in and some great Drag acts. Anyway, here I was, I had a room booked in some student halls in the city centre for the bargain price of £35. This was a bargain because these are fixed price, they all have a decent bed and ensuite shower and toilet, as well as access to a shared sitting, dining and kitchen area, and they are available to the general public to stay in all over the country when students are not there or not using them, ie over the summer when the halls are mostly empty. The cheapest hotel I could find for one night on that Saturday was £85 and that also didn’t include breakfast, they wanted to fleece an extra £10 off me for that. So, I was all set, or so I thought, accommodation booked, where to park for free located, times sorted, every detail planned to the run like clockwork. No !!!! I hadn’t accounted for the bit where I needed to get away and head off. In the usual style that seems to get me every time, the kids played up, and not a bit, but they were driving my wife to distraction. So where I had planned to be there for the Pride March at about 1030am, this turned into 3pm, but, I did make it and managed to locate some friends in the main arena area and also got to see most of the entertainment on the main stage, as well as some of the additional acts that were using the stage in the Guildhall. Many of whom I was introduced to and also now count as friends, I am soooo Showbiz lol !!!! I did miss the parade, but it was a lovely sunny day, the bar was open, I met up with lots of friends at different points in the afternoon, and watched great acts, some old, some new, some cheesy and one awful, no, not the cheeky girls, they were ok and as odd as ever. I made some new friends and caught up with others. I was also invited to join a group of new friends at one of the Pride After Parties. I wasn’t sure how this would pan out as the group mainly consisted of some of the best of the entertainers that had been performing throughout the day, and I’m most definitely not an entertainer of any sort. Anyway, early evening came around and I used a break in the entertainment to shoot away, have a bit of food and change for the evening. This was also a chance to sober up a little before the evenings drinking and entertainment commenced, and after a quick shower, new evening clothes and makeup and armed with pink and lilac hair, not to stand out too much, off I headed. I made it back in time to see some friends perform on the main stage and after chatting with them when they came off, and with another friend who is one of the organisers, I kept finding myself being asked to pose with various people and groups for selfies. This amused me greatly, as I think they thought I may have been someone I am obviously not, maybe the pink hair was the key to this, but I have to say that I did enjoy my 5 minutes of fame, and it seemed to make them all happy having me in their photos. Alternatively, they just wanted a photo with a pink haired trans girl, I didn’t ask, so guess I will never know. After that it was off to the After Party, Cocktails, more entertainment and a chance to chat to more people and make more new friends. I finished up at about midnight-ish I think, although it could have been 1ish thinking about it, maybe a little later and headed off back to my room, to get some much needed sleep. I can say with complete confidence that this was a great day out, and I am so glad that I went, I have also been asked if I would like to get involved in some way with next years’ Pride Event as there is currently a lack of trans representation within the organisers group. I’m not sure if this is a job I’m up to, but I am willing to give it a go and help in whatever way I can. I think I would need to canvass the thoughts of others within the community to get a broader opinion on some things, to allow me to fairly represent them all, but as someone who is wholly accepting and inclusive of anyone, I don’t think this will be a problem and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into something new and worthwhile. So, that was it, that was my 1st Pride. If you haven’t yet been to one, then you should, and if not to a main pride day, then come along to a fundraiser event, there are always events going on all over the country. I promise that if you get around the event, and you are not shy, you will meet so many amazing and inspirational people. Failing that, show support by simply donating some cash to your local pride, big events are expensive to fund, so all donations will always be gratefully received. Go on, commit to attend one next year and show your support for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity, and enjoy some great entertainment and a fab day out to boot. Finally all that’s left is for me to say thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this post, but this time more appreciated or took something from this post is more appropriate. If you want to know more, then contact me through this blog or on one of the other Social Media platforms that I use (The links are all below). I’d also love to receive your feedback. Thanks again, Love and Hugs, Sophie xxx Facebook www.facebook.com/beingsophie Twitter www.twitter.com/sophietgirl Bloglovin www.bloglovin.com/blogs/being-sophie-17676297
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AuthorHi, I'm Sophie. I hope you enjoy reading my blog. Please leave some comments on what you think of my blog x Archives
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