Seventh Day of Second Pride Festival 2019

Moving into our seventh day of the festival, here is Thursday's line-up

Sixth Day of Second Pride Festival 2019

Our journey continues into the sixth day of the Second Pride Festival. Here is today's line-up. Énjoy!

Fifth Day of Second Pride Festival 2019

We are halfway through the festival today and the response from the community is still overwhelming. Here are today's line-up of events.

Fourth Day of Second Pride Festival 2019

The successful Second Pride festival continues into its fourth day. Today's line.up of entertainment.

Third Day of Second Pride Festival 2019

The Chair's Opening Speech at Second Pride Festival

Lee McKay's, the Chair of Second Pride, speech at the opening of the Second Pride Festival yesterday.

The Second Pride board, Lee McKay, Bock McMillan & Tootsie Nootan
(missing in the picture is i0n, who is currently on sick-leave.)
Photo by JJ Goodman

"I promise I won’t interrupt the party for long! I want to thank everyone for coming out today for the opening of Second Pride 2019, and the debut of our newly redesigned Second Pride region. We hope you’re ready to have some fun and celebrate Pride!

We’re doing something different this year in that we now consider our region to be a permanent build that will remain in place for the foreseeable future. We are also a Second Life Gateway region and will soon have new people entering Second Life right through our own Gateway in the northeast corner of the region. I hope you’ll go check out the progress on that. It will be opening in the near future. 

If you’re curious about how this build came to be, I was watching a video of Diana Ross performing in Central Park in 1983, and the shots of the park and the buildings in the background just looked and felt inspiring. I showed a really simple mockup of the idea to Bock and to his husband, Tomais, and within days, the building started, spurred on by a very generous donation of all these buildings in the Old NYC collection from Schultz Bros. We thank them for their generosity! This is a build that we want you to explore and enjoy. There are all sort of places to wander, stroll, sit, watch, meditate, reminisce, play, and just be. It’s a walking space, a place to take photos, bring friends, hang out, play games, and more. We will no longer be one or two events per year. We expect to have parties on a regular basis, starting soon.

This year, we are celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, considered to be the catalyzing moment in the push for Gay Rights. With the current political climate and with our rights being slowly but methodically eroded from us once again, there is no better time for us to reflect on the events of that night and the nights that followed, and to consider the battles fought then, and the battles that are to come, because they are coming. We need to draw from the strength of the heroes of that night…Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Storme DeLarverie (Stormy Delahveay), Danny Garvin, and so many others. We honor them for the stand they took that night, and we pledge to continue their fight.

Getting Ready For The Festival

The Second Pride Region is getting ready to welcome you all to the Second Pride Festival, June 14th-23rd, 2019.

There are still stores of all sizes available and time slots for entertainers. 

Presumptive vendors/sponsors, please contact me (Bock McMillan) inworld! 

Presumptive entertainers, please go here to sign up or contact Lee McKay inworld.

Photography: Tomais Ashdene

Ars In Memoriam 2019

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., in SecondLife known as Ars Northmead.

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)
★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

Ars Forever, Forever Ars!

It's My Twelfth Rezday!

Today is my 12^th rezday and I am taking the day off from SecondLife as I have a  terrible headache. I hope you are celebrating it all the same.

This is a picture to show y'all what I looked like on Saturday, December 8^th, 2007.  

Evander Milena, Ars Northmead (who was later to become my husband) and I
on the far right. I was a brunette those days because all blond hair was yellow.

The photo was taken at Ars' skybox, the pictures in the background are of him with his head shaved.   

SP Board Meeting 02/16/2019 - Minutes Posted

To assist my dear sexy friend Cay (cayson.triellis) and my adorable husband Tomais, the minutes from the board meeting they attended and found bewildering, confusing or downright objectionable are now posted at the Second Pride website (url) under "Documents". This (url) is the direct link to the aforementioned document for the lazy buggers.

The minutes contain a lot of great news, here I will only mention a few select ones.

• Second Pride is applying to become an LGBT+ Gateway to SecondLife. If approved by Linden Lab the organization would save USD249 per month in tier and can reduce its costs - thereby being able to donate more to charitable LGBT+ causes in first life.
• Changes in the mission statement of the Bylaws accepted by the board, to be voted on by the Membership.
• Members are - as has been mentioned in a previous post - invited to contribute with their ideas on an updated logo for Second Pride, a theme for the Festival in June, and additional services they would like from Second Pride.
• The 15^th annual Second Pride Festival will take place between June 14^th and 23^rd, 2019.
• New and improved donation kiosks are now available.

Read all about it and more at greater length in the minutes!

P.S. The Build Director also promised Cay to consider reintroducing floats parade in the festival.

Second Pride, Board Meeting, Today 2 PM-3.30 PM, SLT

This is an open meeting and all members are welcome.

The tentative agenda of today's meeting can be found on the Second Pride website here (url).

Among other things, there will be a presentation of the ongoing discussions with Linden Lab about becoming an LGBT Gateway for SecondLife, a proposal for a new logo and much more.

Welcome, all!

I Will Float With The Tinies!

Yesterday I read my friend Ricco Saenz heartbreaking post Second Sighting: For hover height, Tinies gathered in a protest that was far from being tiny about the present struggles of the tiny community in SecondLife.

Detail from a picture a by Ricco Saenz

Today I have decided that I will sympathy-float with my tiny friends for one (1) month in support of their struggle. The only exceptions will be when I am taking part in a major motion picture production or modeling for one of the master photographers.

I am changing my hover height and making stilts as soon as I get into SecondLife.

New Header & New Temporary Name

It's time for a change! The gloves are off, hence the new temporary name. 

My sincere and deep gratitude goes to my dear friend, the amazing photographer, Wayne Allan for allowing me the use of his fabulous picture as a header for a while.

"Christmas Eve Late Shopping" by Wayne Allan

I have never belonged to a "clique", neither in first life nor in SecondLife. I most definitely haven't ever been the leader of a clique. 

However, I have been fortunate enough to have met a group of men with amazing personalities, great charm and dazzling talents that allow me to hang out with them, despite my own shortcomings in all three departments. We do not hang out together as often as some seem to believe and we gladly allow others to join us.

P.S. Anyone wishing to verify "information" they have received about me from The Four Bitter Liars is welcome to contact me anytime.

¡Vamos A Bailar!

Pia Klaar published this video on YouTube December 8, 2018

From the Spirit Light Dance Company “Impressions” show 2018. Dance inspired by Spanish Dancers by John Singer Sargent. Choreographed & led by Caryl Meredith

Music: Libertango 

Artist: Bel Suono

---

It's amazing what talented people can do in our wonderful SecondLife.

Rude Fashion Designers

We all know that some fashion designers in first life aren't known for being civil or courteous. Stefano Gabbana called Selena Gomez "ugly", Karl Lagerfeld said Adele was "a little too fat" and let's not go near John Galliano's abusive racist and antisemitic comments.

Did you know that fashion designers in SecondLife are just as bad?

I have a friend who has his own brand of clothing and he asked me if I would try out some of his new pants the other evening. As the always charming and agreeable man that I am, I agreed to do it.

When I pointed out two small, but ever so irritating, problems, a glitch in the "autohide body"-script and the fact that the ass of the pants seemed to be made for Kim Kardashian, the designer came over at once, took a look and then proceeded to tell me the problem was not with the pants he made but my body.

"You have childbearing hips", he told me, "and no ass. My pants are designed for men." (His emphasis, not mine.)

How rude is that, I ask you?

I most certainly was not rendered speechless by this blatant rudeness, but instead graciously informed my dear friend, that as we were speaking, songs and odes were being written about the wonders of my exquisite body, my slender manly hips, and my voluptuous, perky and peachy derriere. There was nothing at all wrong with my body, it was his "autohide body"-script that was faulty and he had made the ass enormous.

(P.S. Ughhh I don't know what is going on with my left wrist...)

PLEASE NOTE: I have been told that people don't always understand my jokes (or even when I am joking). To be on the safe side, let me tell you that Petr and I were both joking and having fun.

The Memorial of NakedCarl Paneer

"Let anyone who says anything negative about Second Life be answered with "Yes, but you did not know NakedCarl Paneer." And may all of us hope that all virtual world's in the future be fortunate enough to have their own NakedCarl to let sunlight shine in all parts of the electronic universe." (Ryce Skytower at NakedCarl's memorial service, 9/22/2018)

HerrDirektor & Kharissa Indigo

Ezzie Mirabella

Evan Greymyst

Late arrival with initials S.H.

Ryce Skytower, who - shockingly - came
out as being an alt of Eddi Haskell

Markarius Viper

King Brian of Volkort

The fittingly naked dance at the
celebration of life party after the service 

Carl Gee, in SecondLife a.k.a. NakedCarl Paneer

★ February, 1935 (First life)

★ September 16, 2010 (SecondLife)

† September 16, 2018 (both lives)

Seduces Me

Dancers: Caryl Meredith & Adam Magic

Choreography: Caryl Meredith 

Music: "Seduces Me" (Celine Dion) and "TipToe Out the Back" (Dan Lebowitz )

Filming & editing: Pia Klaar 

News From Dej's Family

Today I received an email from Dej's first life brother Andy.

"Hi [Bock],

I heard from the medical examiner and it turns out that [Dej] had bacterial pneumonia. It was a very bad infection that he probably had for some time and it went untreated. We are all very surprised that he didn't reach out to anyone including a doctor or hospital since antibiotics would probably have saved his life. We shall never know why he chose this path. I am so very glad he had a good friend in you for all those years. He struggled to get along with people so you must have been very special to him. Thanks for your friendship with my brother [Dej].

Andy"

This is my response to Andy.

"Hello Andy,

Thank you so much for the update!

Mike had an ugly cough for a long time, but for some reason, he refused to see a doctor about it - despite much nagging from me. It is sad to realize that something so simple as a cure of antibiotics most likely would have saved his life.

I am sending you the words I shared at the memorial we had for [Dej] and two of the many hundreds of pictures [Dej] has shared with me over the years. Both the pictures are several years old (SL avatars look much better these days). The one called “Mother of the Bride” is one [Dej] sent me when I was getting partnered, while the one called “Dej at his downfall” shows him standing at a place on the sim were I used to accuse him of ditching his husbands and “all” his lovers (I put lots of skeletons in the waters below to represent the “tons, and tons of men laying there” – a gross exaggeration, but we had fun about it anyway.)

As long as I remain in SecondLife and have the sim, Dej’s downfall will always remain. Dej will also share a memorial on the sim with my former partner Ars, who like his brother [Dej] also died of - untreated - double pneumonia in 2010. (What is it with Americans and health care?) 

Dej was very dear to me and it was a pleasure to have been a part of his life.

Thanks again for the information, Andy.

All my best wishes to you and the rest of Mike’s family in [first] life,[Bock]"

The pictures I attached to the response were these two.

"Mother of the Bride" (March 8, 2014)

"Dej at his downfall"

Sad News

Today I learned that my beloved SecondLife-brother Dejerrity Mycron has passed away.

Dej was found in his apartment in New York today by his friend Danny. It is believed that Dej died sometimes between 3-7 days ago.

The cause of his death as well as the exact time have yet to be determined. As far as I know Dej didn't have any major health issues, but my brother sometimes withheld information he thought would worry me.

The man behind the avatar that was Dejerrity was 54 years old at his passing.

To be honest, Dej was not an easy man to love and did not love easily either, but I have loved him dearly since he supported me when my former husband Ars Northmead passed away in 2010. I know for certain that he loved me also.

Remember Dej!

BMcM Proudly Presents DJ Butch at SP, today 1-3 PM SLT

BMcM (that's me and this blog thingy) are happy to give you (the LGBT+ community in SecondLife and our allies) the oh-so-sexy, the unruly and the mischievous DJ Butch Diavolo.

Where: Main Stage at the Second Pride sim
When: 1-3PM SLT
What to wear: No shirt & no shoes and leave your problems at home!

My thanks to sweet husband Tomais Ashdene for taking and editing the green screen picture of the awesome Butch and to sweet Kahvy for making the fabulous poster for this event.