In relatively typical fashion, I did not find out whether Gabriel and Tess would be coming to Trans Pride yesterday avening until pretty late in the day -- as in, I got a call at about 3:00 yesterday afternoon. I had sent him a link to the Trans Pride Seattle website on Monday. Whatever though, I kind of suspected it would go like this, as it usually does. There's always a bit of a question when it comes to scheduling, because Tess has always had a soccer match she has to finish well into the late afternoon first, and then they have to leave and come directly to Seattle.

Yesterday's soccer match, though, was in Tukwila, at least -- so, not super far away. Gabriel said the match was to end at 5:15 and so they would likely get out of there at 5:30. With Seattle traffic that time of day on a Friday, I figured at best they would arrive while the Trans Pride March was underway -- and he agreed with that expectation.

So, I rode my bike home, and kind of took my time. Shobhit was working until 5:45 and had asked me to make him a pizza bagel for dinner. I made one for myself too, and finished eating it just in time to leave at 5:45, for Seattle Central Community College six blocks down on Broadway off of Pine. I would get there right at 6:00.

I got a call from Gabriel when I was maybe halfway there, telling me that, quite to my surprise, they were already there. Except they were confused -- no one seemed to be at the SCCC Plaza. But, he said they were at Broadway and Howell, which is two blocks north on Broadway, not exactly at the Plaza.

So this was the annoying part. I got to the SCCC Plaza, and essentially no one was there. Right at 6:00. I fully support this event, now in its fourth year, but I do rather wish the organizers would get their shit together. I have no idea where the march actually started. Because even just past 6:00 pm on Friday, the Trans Pride Seattle website still said the march would kick off at the SCCC Plaza at 6:00. Even now, the next morning, their website still says so. I'm beginning to consider getting involved with this event somehow next year, just to help them get their shit together.

So Gabriel and I had a few confused phone calls. I actually did find three or four other people at the college, also very confused. Finally I started walking north on Broadway, until I saw this crowd coming.

I think, in retrospect, perhaps organizers were still at SCCC shortly before 6:00, and then told everyone there the march would actually step off somewhere further up the street. They still could have at least left one rep to direct stragglers. I was there right at 6:00, after all. One guy said two different Facebook messages had been sent out, both announcing a change of the step off point, but I never saw them, nor could I find them even when going to the Facebook event page.

But, whatever. I found the march. And within a few minutes, I spotted Gabriel and Tess. Gabriel was later convinced this was the first Trans Pride he wore this shirt at -- he wears it because Tess had picked it out for him. I immediately brought up my Flickr app on my phone to prove to him he also wore it to Trans Pride 2016. Also? I just discovered he also wore it to Seattle Pride (just not Trans Pride that year) in 2015.

Anyway! All was well from then on, basically. We mached down Broadway, turned up Pine, turned left on 11th and then turned into the booths and the requisite main stage at Cal Anderson Park. Gabriel and Tess's M.O. every year is to visit every single booth. Last year they arrived too late for the march, so it was cool to be able to march again. And Tess herself has now had four Trans Prides, which is pretty fucking cool.

I got 25 photos last night, although I'll admit I only got 16 of them at the actual Trans Pride events, and that would certainly be a record low. You can still click that link to get further details in photo captions on Flickr. When Gabriel and Tess stopped at Poké Bar on their way back to the car and then brought their dinner back to the Braeburn Condos community kitchen at my invitation (his allergies can't abide the cats in the condo, much as Tess wanted to see them). And over the course of the next hour or so I got another eight photos, three of which I turned into an animated gif of Tess tossing her jacket into the air as they were leaving.

They left and I went upstairs and had some wine and watched Bill Maher and an episode of Billions with Shobhit.

[posted 9:49 pm]

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