Pride in the CLE 2025

Hey Cake!

June 4, 2025, day one of a very long Kandi run, stay tuned.

This day it was 92 humid degrees. Not this hot/humid before, forecasted to be cool afterward. The stars aligned and this girl was all about being a girl. Wish I had a grand tale to spin, but there were indeed moments.

“Pretty suit!”

A few youngins’ said that to me as I walked by at Edgewater Park.

All I wanted was to be seen. The beach was packed. I walked all about, no one’s head spun off its axis. I was just another human being, out for the day. It was very windy, which is why my hair looks like a bird’s nest. Sat at the beach for about an hour and then hit a nearby Happy Hour!

“I love your top!”

One of the servers at The Harp (where I enjoyed Happy Hour) said that to me. I was in my one-piece, with a skirt on. Yeah…I do love the love.

On my way home, I stopped at the gas station/convivence store where my friend Cupcake works. I had no idea he would be there, but indeed, he was! I purchased an additional beverage, and I went to check out and I said, as you already know, “Hey Cake!”. He was working with one other person. Cake said to his associate that I was part of the family. His co-worker was just as gay as Cupcake. I am happy to be a part of the “family”.

---

“You got boobs!”

June 7, 2025, Pride in the CLE. I wore my homage to Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. Frankly, I hate that movie (the monkeys gave me nightmares as a little girl), but one cannot deny its iconic stature. I volunteered (although I am not much help) for the HRC and spent a few hours just being, just looking, just having a ball. Anyone with a shirt or sign offering free hugs (there are many at Pride events) were forced to pay up!

Then my friend Jennfer and our mutual friends Andy and Steve showed up and I hung with them the rest of the day there. We watched the parade as I gathered hug after hug. I saw people I knew, I was seen by people that knew me (and I had no clue who they were). Hug after hug after hug. Here we are before heading to the parade route. I saw people in the parade I knew (walked into the parade and hugged them), was complimented by many (but was gladly overshadowed by Jen’s outfit), simply walked up to interesting people I did not know and was in my element. Too bad that and $5 didn’t cover a hot dog there.

Saw a young lady in the parade wearing a shirt from my beloved alma mater. As I always do, anytime, anywhere, I acknowledged her with a “Go Flyers!”. That lead to a nice chat, which lead to meeting her family, a sister soon to be a freshman there and Mom and Dad, also alumni. There is no bond, even this Pride bond, like the bond of my alma mater. We all immediately “knew” each other even though I was the senior Flyer by a mile of all of us (Dad was ’99, I was there when Prince released “1999”, graduating in 1983). I did use the line I use frequently when meeting fellow Flyers: “You’ll pay more for food next semester than I did for my entire degree”.

But here is the highlight of my day, my week, my month, my year. Many may remember my friend Jim. You can read the story here. A great heartbreak in my life, also one of my greatest blessings. I had not seen Jim’s window Magda since his wake. She is the head of diversity for a local community college. I knew she would be at Pride, but to find her would be the needle in the haystack. I am standing along the parade route, and she sees me and walks out of the parade up to me (I guess I am recognizable in a crowd of thousands and particularly in THAT crowd). No words were spoken. An immediate hug, which I whispered into her ear to please extend it a bit. I did not want to let go. We exchanged I Love Yous and she returned to her place in the parade. I was so grateful for that, there are simply no words.

Jennifer and the crew and I then hit a restaurant/bar and enjoyed a lunch and camaraderie.

Looking adorbs, I stopped for a nightcap to take home and see Cupcake (a take home capper seems to be becoming a habit). Yep, he was there, and he was grateful I stopped to say hello.

“Yes, they are real (with a little help) and they’re spectacular!“

I use this modified line from Seinfeld often. My final stop was at CVS to see my friend Renee. It was the second amazing heartwarming hug I received this day, a day of easily 30+ hugs. The day prior I picked up a prescription at CVS (male mode) and she asked, “is that you?”, not wanting to insult someone she was not exactly sure of. I said yes it was and promised her I would look outstanding the following day and pay her a visit. With the help of a note I left in my car because I would absolutely have forgotten, my final stop was to see her. I could write a novel on my interactions with Renee. I needed razors (women’s) so I picked them up and headed to the pharmacy to pay. Someone else, who also knows me a bit was at the register, and I asked her to get Renee’s attention. Mary (who knows both of me as well) smiled broadly and beckoned Renee and she came over and immediately admired my cleavage. She said she didn’t have boobs like that (neither do I). We chatted briefly and ended it with a huge hug and a few I Love Yous.

My friendships are real, and they are, indeed, spectacular!