Youth Pride Fair

I tabled for my organization at a Youth Pride Fair in a St Paul park last Friday. I helped with registration, surveys and button-making.

One thing struck me about the place: these are my people. The young people there were mostly in high school. Many were black or Hispanic and all of them live in a society that marginalizes them for who they are. Yet they were friendly, interested in the health and wellness message of the organizations present, and excited to volunteer or work for them over the summer.

They have every reason to be angry and withdrawn or to have not turned out at all. It was a Friday, after all. I can’t imagine how hard junior high through college would have been if I were gay on top of all my other problems. But people came out for the spirit of it and showed their pride.

It may have been a somewhat nicer place than the Loring Park Pride Festival, too. What sticks out at me about that fair is all the cigarette smoke I have to breathe and the fried food smell that clings to my clothes. In other words, how similar it is to any other summer festival. Also the huge, veiny penises of Captain Kirk and Spock on display in paintings there last year were not in the spirit of a public fair, but who am I to question the artist? (I confess that I am looking forward to this year’s Pride Festival partly for the cheese curds and the swag.)

The Youth Pride event on the other hand was tobacco-free and while it emphasized sexuality as a big part of young people’s lives, it included organizations that serve their many other needs and wants, such as summer camps, homeless shelters and choral groups.