PRIDE (from the outside)

i don't identify as gay/lesbian, but my friend from college is in a long-term relationship with her girlfriend (gonna get married, yawl) and she invited me to celebrate the 2012 parade with them & some friends. 

she lives in the bronx and everyone on the block knows her and her gf so were shouting about how they wish they could go to the parade (but they got a 9-5). we took the 6 into manhattan and thank god the t-rains are ac-hermetic because the sun was mug-gin.

we found a spot in the shade of a construct (policemen came by throughout the parade to megaphone, "hey! getdown offadere!" at chicks clambering up there for a better view) right by some dudes with "summer slut" muscle baby-tees; those guys had been postin there for a long time--- they had beach chairs and coolers full of sweetberry wine and different colored hats.

you could hear the parade coming----the wave of people whistling, hooting and catcalling was the best indication that a boatload of twerkin booty short babes was bumpin our way. and they did play some jumpin jams on those floats--- when i heard azealia banks' 212, it was one of those running-in-place levels of excitement; it was a change from all the 'lectro (which, don't get me wrong, i loved) and dumb appropriate too, seeing as how that song is a DL-manhattan combo anthem, for real (the hook is all about eatin cunt, so.) and i'd been rollin my shoulders to this since thanksgiving and hearing it on a massive bass-scale is so something else.
i guess there's always a famous person presiding over the parade and this year it was cyndi lauper, but everyone around me, at seeing her in that boss red convertible, thought she was a  drag-queen, compliment?  the drag-queens were owning that pavement, though--- i mean ca-razy combat heels (like the length of my arm, that's how high those heels were) beating down the avenue? GREAT. oh, and ricky martin was there, but he was hiding his smooth hair on top of a double-decker bus, which had his face lathered all over it anyways.

also i was surprised at all the corporate sponsors (so many). visa was thebest---they just had a skinny gay dude lazing on the hood of a car like a mermaid telling people in the crowd to get a credit card.
after the parade i realized: i have never seen so many american muscle tanks and bandanas. and they all seemed to be the same exact brand or the design was supra similar. i guess it's like the fourth since it's a fun-fun party day? and there was a cobblestone mini-fest with booths hocking FREE shit, which is 100% america celebrate (yoo, free slurpies and sunglasses? yaplease). so do you, boo.
the only thing i would say is a little weird about being straight at a gay pride parade is pretty obvious; i'm not exactly entrenched/hot around the collar about rights, but i'm like that about everything (why can't i be a dimple-face in the 1920s and lounge around like a lady lizard??) but my friend's girlfriend is VERY MUCH involved with all that so she was storming about how certain politicians are great (she also insisted on reading every sign that was being carried and then asking me if i had seen it, and i'm standing in front of her, so, yeah, i seen it)
other than that and getting beads whipped at my eyeballs, vera fucking fun.