Fruit Fly definition: "A woman who is friends with a gay or bisexual man but who does not have an interest in seducing them like many fag hags do. (Could be for a variety of reasons, they themselves maybe lesbians or may just enjoy being friends with a man who isn’t trying to get in their pants)"
As the readers of my blog and those who are very close to me know I have a very deep respect and appreciation of gay culture. It has raised a few eye brows over the years from conservative family members to potential boyfriends that turned out to be too homophobic for my taste and were axed right away.
I love my fruit fly status and will gladly explain the whys right here.
Upon my arrival in NYC I was completely alone and as much as I adore my own company at times I was very lonely. But the Big spirit was surely watching out for me as within a month of my arrival I landed at Twilo (read: Best Gay Party in the World hosted by Junior Vasquez).
I was a clueless girl from periphery, naive, shy, anxious, completely lacking style and beyond insecure.
From the first party I attended I felt acceptance. I loved the theatrical production of the club as a whole. The Drag Queen's exuberant stylish representations of themselves have woken up in me a ballet dancer I have long forgotten about. I knew the warmth and pleasure of the stage spotlight, the anxious anticipation of a performance, magical costumes and the adrenalin rush that came with the whole experience; but...it was such a distant smoke of a memory for me at that point. I was too burdened to remember the magic.
Coming to America was a toughest rebirth of all and in trying to fit in I have axed the most beautiful, creative parts of myself. I somehow wanted to get lost in the crowd, thinking I'd be accepted if I was monotone.
As the readers of my blog and those who are very close to me know I have a very deep respect and appreciation of gay culture. It has raised a few eye brows over the years from conservative family members to potential boyfriends that turned out to be too homophobic for my taste and were axed right away.
I love my fruit fly status and will gladly explain the whys right here.
Upon my arrival in NYC I was completely alone and as much as I adore my own company at times I was very lonely. But the Big spirit was surely watching out for me as within a month of my arrival I landed at Twilo (read: Best Gay Party in the World hosted by Junior Vasquez).
I was a clueless girl from periphery, naive, shy, anxious, completely lacking style and beyond insecure.
From the first party I attended I felt acceptance. I loved the theatrical production of the club as a whole. The Drag Queen's exuberant stylish representations of themselves have woken up in me a ballet dancer I have long forgotten about. I knew the warmth and pleasure of the stage spotlight, the anxious anticipation of a performance, magical costumes and the adrenalin rush that came with the whole experience; but...it was such a distant smoke of a memory for me at that point. I was too burdened to remember the magic.
Coming to America was a toughest rebirth of all and in trying to fit in I have axed the most beautiful, creative parts of myself. I somehow wanted to get lost in the crowd, thinking I'd be accepted if I was monotone.
Twilo was a place where my love affair with gay culture began...
I understood right away that I could be as creative as I wanted to in this environment and no one was trying to grab my ass while I was at it.
I've always knew one thing: people who have been persecuted or faced some real hardships become more aware of others pain and are usually much more accepting than people who have always had a green light in life. I am no stranger to adversity, my own life has been filled with drama after drama and as strange as it may sound I found respite among a thousand of sweaty gay men, gyrating on the dance floor. They were freer that anyone I had met at that point. They were creative beyond my tunnel vision of imagination and yours as well and they were oh so courteous, stylish, glowing and gorgeous.
This is why year after year I make sure I make it to Gay Pride Parade; waving my Pride Flag, taking pictures and cheering on from side lines. It is my expression of eternal gratitude for truths that I discovered on that dance floor. For friends that I made there; for ones that were teachers, simply because they were being themselves. Transfer of knowledge and wisdom most of the times happens without words, it happens by observation. I was accepted and learned acceptance in the process, I was set free from years of brainwashing.
We as humans have the deepest capacity for understanding each other yet on daily basis we can judge each other mercilessly without knowing or even being curious about the story of a human life right next to us. We are all guilty of it. Being brainwashed into thinking that somehow one life is more precious than another is a malaise of our existence. 40 years ago Stonewall Inn riots in NYC spurred the gay rights movement, rights we are still fighting for.
Just as racial inequality had to be fought tooth and nail, it took a long time to see the the real shift of consciousness. The shift occures one person at a time and everything depends on how you choose to view the human next to you. It so happens that my liberation occurred at a gay party, yours could have happened somewhere entirely different, doesn't matter where as long as it happened. And if it didn't happen yet, seek out those who will alter your perception and don't think that they will come in a perfect package. As long as you are open to a possibility you are half way there.
Thank you my gay friends for making me see the world from a different angle, for making me free and fearless while I felt like Cinderella at the Ball and learned my best dance moves. This is my tribute to you, your never ending creativity, love of life and acceptance of all. I have to add that as always the music was amazing on every single float and I was dancing in the streets :)
Thank you my gay friends for making me see the world from a different angle, for making me free and fearless while I felt like Cinderella at the Ball and learned my best dance moves. This is my tribute to you, your never ending creativity, love of life and acceptance of all. I have to add that as always the music was amazing on every single float and I was dancing in the streets :)
No comments:
Post a Comment