Ohio Pride-Oh MY!!!! From My Perspective - Trucker Patti

I am a veteran of the early prides in San Francisco in the mid to late 70's. Yes bitches, that means I am older than dirt!! As awesome as those prides were, nothing prepared me for the over 200,000 wonderful queer people at pride in the middle size city in the middle of the road state that is Columbus Ohio! The queer people of Columbus have everything in the world to be proud of!

As wonderful as the city was, the food was (I am fat, so food is very important and the seafood fettucini at the Union Cafe was to die for!), the festivities at the park were, dragapalooza was and of course, Bat N Rouge, the wildest and weirdest ball game I have ever been to, was, it was the people I met that truly impressed me and warmed my heart.



There was the trucker tranny lesbians into infantilism, Mama Missy and Baby Rachel. I don't quite understand the dynamic, but I celebrate their togetherness. I am now an honorary Auntie to Baby Rachel!

Here they are along with another one of our trucker buddies, Trucker Elise!





There was Dallas and his boyfriend/partner of 9 years, Brad, both volunteers during pride and obviously very committed to their community-they were so sweet to me and so very handsome!

Sean was Derek and Romaine's guide and caretaker and also very committed to his community. Considering the scope of his duties, he was amazingly cheerful and sweet!

Nina West! Need I say more? I got a bit of a Drag Queen Crush on the luscious and talented Miss West. How could you not? She is the total package; beauty, talent, brains and so nice and approachable, but delightfully bitchy with a microphone in her hand! I was too star struck to get a picture, but there is a great one on Trucker James' blog.

Two young men, one gay and one straight, both with challenges in their love lives, Logan and Mike, both from Pittsburgh, both fresh out of college and so adorable that I just wanted to adopt them and take them home with me.

There was also two of the most adorable young lesbians I have ever met, Anna, a friend of Trucker James and her girlfriend Stacey. I lost my phone and when I am so sure she would much rather have been hanging with her friends, Stacey wandered all over the park with me trying to find the cell phone I lost almost immediately upon arriving. Romaine and I bumped our considerable mammary glands upon meeting for the first time and as the phone had been in my cleavage, I think it may have popped out!




















And what can I say about the bitches? Yes, they are much better looking in person; yes, put a microphone in their hands and they are their wickedly funny bitchey selves; have a conversation one on one with them, they are warm and friendly and very approachable, even when you dump a glass of water in their lap and they are so tired and foot sore, they just want to go to the hotel and relax.

I had the best time I have had in a very long time and am looking forward to Dallas in September!