Philly Pride 08

I wasn't gonna go out for an-y-thing! It was 96 out there and the weather report said it felt like 103 but a few friends asked to meet me outside for Pridefest, so I went out.

The parade starts of two blocks from my house, so it's really not that bad. As I was walking to meet my friends, the dykes on bikes are already passing me by. I actually know one of the grand marshals through work, they are honoring him for his work in the Asian community but from what I hear and I see... meh.

There are plenty of people out there, even in this horrible weather. I almost forgot how some gay men uses hot weather as an excuse to take off their shirts and show off. After I met up with my friend, two boys in front of us stripped off to their short swimwear. I didn't take a picture for fear to be branded a perv. Like most pride events I imagine, there aren't any lacking for beefcakes; nice looking muscle, hairy daddies, waxed out blond muscle twinks, other skinny model twinks, there are sufficient eye candies. We walked the 14 blocks to Penn's landing to where the festival is held.

One thing that I dislike about this is how commercial it turned out to be. The festival used to be in the gayborhood, but somehow they moved it to a further location and charge everybody $10 to go in. Once your inside, you are surrounded by different vendors trying to sell you a t-shirt, food and drinks, trying to get you to sign up for a credit card or donate money for their causes. It is like a tourist trap organized by your very own community. I guess we were supposed to support our community and that's part of the reason I'm there, but it feels exhausting... and hot!

It also has its benefit of course, I got my Hep A & B vaccine for free. I'm a wuss when it comes to needles, but it didn't hurt one bit. I also got some beads and free guava flavored water ice during the parade. And of course the man candies were really nice. I hope to go to Folsom East in NYC and the other Folsom in SF this year, maybe I'll get to see a few porn stars. :)


From Top-Left (clockwise): Dykes on Bikes; The Flaggots; Half-naked Aquatics Boys squirting; The crowd at Penn's Landing watching dragshows.