Thursday, September 16, 2010

Pride 2010


Here is the first of my catch up posts about what has been going on. I have just had a visitor (Hi Erica!), and so this is my first real chance to start posting. So, lets take a little journey back to July 2010. In the beginning of July, the 3rd to be precise, the pride parade and festival took place. Now, I have to be completely honest with you. These pictures are not very good. I just could not get it together enough and really take any good pictures of the parade. But here are a few I have picked out to show you.

The Gay Liberation Front led the parade. It has been 40 years since it began, and 40 years since the pride parade began. An interesting anecdote about this photo is that the white conservative mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is here arm-in-arm with a transgender rapper of colour (who performed at the festival after the parade).

Here is Ellie with our friend Alex, who came with us to the parade. After the parade, and before the festival, we went to a pub to watch the World Cup.

I think this next picture sums up the parade in general in that it was all a bit chaotic. Not even the people in it knew what was going on. But it was good fun overall.

The festival after the parade was held in Trafalgar Square, which was packed full of people. There was a large stage set up for performers.

If you've ever been to Trafalgar Square, you might have noticed the fountains. I would not call them the most clean of all fountains. And especially during pride, for some reason, everyone was throwing rubbish into the fountains.... and swimming in them.

It was a different experience from Seattle pride. Not as many people dressed casually. Loads of groups from different sections of the city. I don't think I felt too connected to the groups I saw going by. I guess that is more about not having been very involved here. I am so glad I experienced it though.

Ok, that is all for now, I will be back for more catch up posts soon!

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Well thats summer gone....

Hello dear readers (if you're still out there!),

I know I have been rubbish at posting. And that I have a lot to catch up on. But now I am officially done with my Masters! I turned in my dissertation today. So I have time to catch my breath and figure out what has been going on here.

Dissertation title:
"The Battle Continues!"
Queer Affect and Gay British Activism in the 1970s-1990s
(I will take requests for copies ;) )

Now that thats done, I will be able to post a bit more! Some highlights to come:
-End of Masters - where to now?
-3 weeks in France (Cagnes-sur-mer to be exact)
-London Pride (maybe that is too long ago now to post!?)
-Weekend in the countryside of England
-More knitting
-More baking too