Rejoice for - in spite of the Rapture - We are still here, We are still queer and you still need to get used to having us in your face.
So as you cannot beat us why not join in on our celebrations this week?
Some pictures from the events yesterday. I am sorry to say there was no Parade, it had to be canceled for various reasons, but listening to
Mapoo Little sing was a great party starter. The crowd went wild for this little woman with the huge voice, of course she pleased us with some gay anthems but at an occasion like this it is fitting
Here are some pictures from the party and the ceremony that followed it,
"The lighting of the Flame of Hope". I could not get on the sim for the last event, but thanks to
Zack Preminger, I got a good view from the adjacent sim.
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| This great picture was sent to me by my friend Kolja Shan |
The Speech given for the "Lighting of the Flame of Hope" by Nanaki Raymaker.
It's great to see you all here today!
This statue was a joint effort of the Board of Directors of Second Pride 2011 - specifically Tylendel Falconer, Jace Lewis, and Nanaki Raymaker. It was designed to be seen clearly from a distance, and across several regions, and therefore uses conventional prims for the flame instead of particles.
The two most obvious symbols of the GLBT community have been used - the rainbow, as well as black and pink triangles.
Inverted pink triangles were used by the Nazis in concentration camps to identify and shame homosexuals. This symbol, which was used to label and shame, has been embraced by the gay community as a symbol of pride.
Starting out as a late-night mission in protective darkness, the giant Pink Triangle has been annually placed atop Twin Peaks - a mountain in the center of San Francisco - during every Pride Parade weekend since 1995.
The rainbow flag and it's colors has been revised over the years, each color representing a positive attribute of our shared existence, hot pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic/art, indigo/blue for serenity/harmony and violet to represent spirit. However the most widely used flag now is the one designed by Gilbert Baker (six colors).
In November 1978, San Francisco's gay community was stunned when the city's first openly gay supervisor, Harvey Milk, was assassinated. Wishing to demonstrate the gay community's strength and solidarity in the aftermath of this tragedy, the 1979 Pride Parade Committee decided to use Baker's flag.
This statue represents the upward progress of all sexualities and gender identities - after all - no civil rights movement has *ever* failed, as well as a symbol of hope that one day we will shine as one light, and speak with one voice.
We've got Mr. Gay 2011 and Ms. Gay 2011 here to light the flame atop this statue. A man who needs no introduction, Regi Yifu is an absolute powerhouse of creativity, generosity, and has been a source of inspiration for the GLBT community.
Marge Beaumont has served on the 2011 board of Second Pride as our Treasurer, and has worked tirelessly in her role. She is both a source of inspiration and endless humor, and I feel very honored to consider her a friend.
