words and photos by Lige Menard
Originally I had on the docket an assignment different than the one I share with you in the here and now. Fatefully it seems first laid plans were to end up jammed up… and I instead found myself free booting around and looking for something good. Sweet June, a month whose name originates from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, and from the Latin “juniore” meaning younger ones, as opposed to May’s “maiores” meaning older ones. If May was for the mothers, than June would be for the daughters. From my sea of children I handpicked my oldest girl beeb, who identifies as pansexual, and my youngest child, K Bill, who contemplates trans-forming and being things that are more than meets the eye.
We three wise Menards sallyed forth June 12 to PFLAG Beaumont’s Pride Fest 2021, held at the popping and bopping Pour Brothers Brewery on Wall Street in downtown Beaumont. Mucho kudos to TAN Healthcare, Legacy Community Care, PFLAG Beaumont, their army of volunteers, and ‘dem Pour Bro’s for making such a massive event such a massive success!! In the miasmic heat it was a myriadic mosaic of individuality and a celebration of identification. A true lesson in the value and beauty of coloring outside of the lines.
Shout out to the furries for keeping it real in the sweltering Texas heat, as others were shedding layers and being free, you fur folk were layering up in your freedom and were a mighty fine example of to thine own self be true, no matter what kind of big suffer you gotta pull! Almost everyone I connected with was so positively charged and beaming with life light, I felt like an ally amongst allies. To speak truth, no matter how you identify, if I identify you as a good person, my sword and shield are yours if needed.
Now to keep on truckin’, let me tell y’all about the live music I was able to catch, cause disclaimer, with multiple stages, games, contests, booths, and a sea of engaging people in the betweens, you can’t catch it all. Pug Johnson really brought some heat, and even though his dress was plain and old fashioned simple, he, his games, and his shit kickers pulled off a perfect country boy, Nancy Sinatra blend of stage presence. Surely them boots were made for rocking. Ole Lonesome summoned forth much dance and stomp, as per their sweet ass usual. Hot tip!
The magnificent Magda Villarreal snagged/posted some vids of the dancey dance crew moving and shaking to several Ole Lonesome songs… there’s even a few with me, my hips, and my bee-hind attempting a somewhat off beat snekual sway. Tübükü played a funky fresh set, with Jaypee Richards and Brian LaCroix applying mucho gnarly stank on the mike and strings.
After all the flash-dancing and heat-waving, I felt a touch of the vapors and had to seek solace and hydration under tree and shade for a spell. As I began to fall asleep, there exploded cheering that surely was heard for several city blocks. I made it back to the stage area, and caught the final drag performances. Clearly a crowd favorite out of all the events of the day. My faves were Miss Alektra Fying’s dance, and Samantha Sparkle-Motion’s “Locomotion”! Not going to lie, I felt a call to let my hair down and dance it out too.
When the Drag show ended the crowd began to disperse and they started to shut the mother down. There in the tear down I got to catch a moment with NO\\DJ, the sound smith of the event, and a close close brudder. NO\\DJ (Spencer Holland) brought the perfect mix of club hits and eclectic rarities. His decade spanning and meticulously curated song list had something for every make and model and color of the rainbow. Word on the street was Spencer was putting together some mix tapes and I had to hit him up for the skinny. Lo! the rumors were true, and he laid on me a copy of NO\\DJ presents “Pain and Sorrow Gone Tomorrow.” A compilation of music that basically equates the soundtrack to a dark time in his life when he was processing a major break up, and an attack squad of feels came a knockin’ on his heart’s glass door.
Over the PA he played two songs off the mix and one of them hit so hard for me, Sonic Youth’s “Sunday”. A song entrenched in the history of my own love lost, and the sad theme song of my friend, Hyram, who hung himself on his 33rd birthday after being overcome by a poisonous relationship. In the background of “Sunday” you could hear Spencer lacing in his own vocal accompaniment, and it was the most surreal yet real moment I’ve experienced in quite some time, like lucid living… that makes sense, yeah? I highly recommend you snag one of the ultra-few copies of “Pain and Sorrow Gone Tomorrow” if you can. Some have bonus tracks. Mine has “There is No Selling Out if You Never Bought In” by Stunt Kick.
Well now, that’s some of the details of my PFLAG Beaumont’s Pride Fest 2021 experience, and if you couldn’t make it out, then damn cousin, you surely missed out!
Side Quest
I could sense an epic Fear Of Missing Out deep in Old Town. It belonged to oh Captain my Captain, Olivia Busceme. She who named me her FOMO knight, and she a long time supporter of all things LGBTQ+ was having a Lord of the Rings themed birthday party, and even though she was celebrating another year around the sphere, she was also missing out on something very dear to her heart.
So I recruited Miss Alektra Fying, who was already dressed in medieval garb, and we crashed the shire. Alektra spoke to Olivia in praise of her years of support and dedication. Then like the barbarians we were, I bluetoothed some Demi Lovato, and Alektra went savage with a dance just for the very, very special birthday girl. Much love Olivia!!
Side Note
In the print article I mentioned I would speak of my own sexual identity. While I am a heteronormie at heart, I have been walking the road of an Ace for almost a couple years now. Even though I know it’s not a forever thing, it’s definitely a thing and valid.
If you catch me alone and are interested, I will explain the details of my self-imposed celibacy. It’s a super-layered onion I probably shouldn’t dice up further here.
