RIP Judy, the HOP are Turdz, and other reflections on the 25th Drag March

Look who showed up at the drag march!!!! — atGreenwich Village.

Why is tonight different from other drag marches!!!!!????!!!! — with Brian Griffin in New York, New York.

Lavigna aka Ophelia did my make up. Grazie millie...please drag God's let it stay on all night. Out out damn spot!!!!! — in New York, New York

Lavigna aka Ophelia did my make up. Grazie millie...please drag God's let it stay on all night. Out out damn spot!!!!! — in New York, New York

“Hundreds Of Drag Queens filled the streets for the New York City Drag March, an annual drag protest and visibility march taking place in June 30, 2019 as a kick-off to NYC Pride weekend, coinciding ahead of the NYC Pride March, both demonstrations commemorate the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn, widely considered the pivotal event sparking the gay liberation movement, and the modern fight for LGBT rights. (Photo by Erik McGregor) — with Benjamin Heim Shepard at Tompkins Square Park.”

LA Kauffman and this blogger   - "What joy to frolic with brilliant, beautiful friends at Drag March 2019 ..." wrote LAK. 

Photos of the Church Ladies at the Drag March  by 

Sarah Jenny, Peter Engelbrecht, and Sandi Bachom. “God Is A Dyke” every year Dyke March is greeted by this enthusiastic choir #dykemarch #pride — with Benjamin Heim Shepard, Donald Grove, Karen Ramspacher, Ɇdward Ball,andHonora Gibbons 

I’ve said it before and I’ll  say it again,  the  best night of the year in NYC is the drag march.

The Friday of  Pride weekend, with  no permit, it’s the least corporate, most anarchist of the parades.

At the beginning of June, Huckelfaerie Ken convened a storytelling night among all the fans of the drag march over the last twenty-five years.    We spent a few hours telling stories,  connecting narratives, between Matthew Shepard, the drag march and countless other movements.

Toward the end, Ken confessed he felt cornered into applying for a permit for the street party this year, but not the parade.   Every year the parade is a bit of a cat and mouse routine.

But we really try to avoid a politics of respectability, or asking authorities for rights we already have, such as marching or public assembly.

The 28^th of June is the 50^th anniversary of the first night of the Stonewall Riots.

Heritage of Pride was planning a party in the front of Stonewall, where the drag march usually enjoys a street party, without permits of sponsors or lines between spectator and audience.

We are all the show.

We are all the carnival.

We sing.

Think about rainbows.

And recall Judy, who shuffled off fifty years prior.

The first Drag March in 1994 was initiated as a reenactment of the funeral for Wizard of Oz star Judy Garland, whose original funeral took place the afternoon before Stonewall in 1969. “If I had known that Judy [Garland] died that night, we wouldn’t have had the raid,” Seymour Pine, the former Deputy Inspector of Manhattan’s First Division of Public Morals who led the 1969 raid on the Stonewall Inn, explained some thirty-five years later.

Brian and

Hucklefaery Ken

suggested I come meet them before the big night, to figure out a costume.

Ken had a wonderful dress  and pearls for me.
A kind gesture from a  kind person.

I look worse and worse each year at the march.

Getting dressed, John  Kelly recalled getting his start performing as Marie Callas at the Anville, a BDSM sex club on 500 West 14th Street, that brought in all of queer New York  from 1974 to 1986.

We talked about old faeries and church ladies no longer marching.

“I was with Steve at clinic defense when we came up with the line, ‘she’ll lick clit on the floor with ya’” noted a man to my left. “That was  better than I’ll fist  with ya.”

“Yea.”

“I love origin stories,” gushed Brian.

Gradually the topic turned to tonight.

How is tonight different than other drag marches, he asked.

This year everyone knows about it.

Are we going to get everyone to Stonewall to sing “Somewhere Over  the Rainbow”?

Or will we have to take an  alternate route, down Gay Street?

Or fight with the cops?

Lavigna, one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, did my make up.

Fussy Lo Mein showed got dressed..

Lets get out  of here before we start drinking and forget about the drag march,  I commented.

That’s happened before,

Brian  replied.

The whole village felt alive as we walked  to the park.

We  sang the Mary Tyler Moore  theme song:

““Love is all around, no need to waste it. You can have a town, why don’t you take it,” two or three men started to sing from the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

At Tompkins Square Park legions of  friends chatted.

Rev Billy and the  Church  of Stop Shopping.

LAK and Kellen.

Jamie Leo.

Randy Wicker, a hero for six decades of the movement, was  there.

Studio 54 legend Rollerena

Donald greeted Dodi,

Of  the Cannibal Girls.

It was her first  drag march.

Drummers played.

Dancing and twerking.

Jomo,

Steven.

Sara Sparcle dancing  with Emily and me.

My Little Pony Bronies joined us.

“Its raining men, halleluiah!”

And we circled up,  welcoming  the spirits of east and west,  north and south -  opening heat.

Brian and

Hucklefaery Ken

welcomed everyone.

There is Lena, noted Dodi, pointing to Savitri and Rev Billy’s kids.

Donald told his Stonewall  story.

“I feel love” sang the Church  of Stop Shopping Choir mashup with “Under Pressure.”

“Why can’t we give love that one  more chance?

This is  our last  chance…”

More  and more  people were pouring into the  circle.

“Lets march” declared  Huckelfaerie Ken.

And off  we  marched, quadruple our usual number.

Billy and I talked about the years sermons and poems coursing through him.

This is our Mardi Gras.

More and more people cheered the parade as we made our way east.

Dawn and I rehearsed somewhere over  the rainbow.

Is  this your first  drag march, someone asked Lena.

No, I’ve  been coming  since  I was  two, she replied.

The parade was eventually diverted as we got closer.

By the time we got to Stonewall, it was clear the Heritage of Pride had their party going.

Our permit meant nothing.

Parades and permits and cops – that’s their course of business.

Its why most activists in  town are boycotting  the corporate parade with permits  and barricades tomorrow.

Queer Liberation NOT Rainbow Capitalism.

It was  not going  to be  the  usual  dance party but  people make it  work.

Dancing  to Beyonce and the Village People,  people from all walks of life celebrating being alive, shaking their  bodies in  the street as we always do.

The night was electric.

Hopefully there is no other plan for the front of the Stonewall the Friday before pride next year.  

"Everyone knows Friday is our night," lamented one participant.   

Huckelfaerie and Brian were not so happy with the Heritage of Pride,

Venting  on facebook later that night:

Brian Griffin Benjamin Heim Shepard HOP deserves a heaping of scorn as well for their misrepresentation or incompetence in their rally timing.

Hucklefaery Ken

NYC PRIDE LIED.
TRIED TO SABOTAGE THE DRAG MARCH... AND IN SO DOING,
REMINDED ME WHY I'M SO FUCKING PROUD TO BE A PART OF THE#QUEERMARCH !
FUCKING WITH OUR HISTORY AND IDENTITY.
FUCK FUCK FUCK
LOOK YOU IN THE EYE AND LIE?
WHO DOES THAT?
PRIDE?
LIE!

Brian Griffin That was a March for the books. I have your earring! Dinner soon to process this all.

Benjamin Heim Shepard Count me in. Never believe the cops or the permits....

·         Hucklefaery Ken Benjamin Heim Shepard the cops were true to their word, in this instance... New York City Pride lied at every opportunity... unbelievable; except maybe not. 
When we arrived at the Stonewall, the NYPD told me that New York City Pride said we had agreed to let their event go on and share our permit...
When I told them that NYC Pride lied, the NYPD went to bat for us and cleared the way for us to be in front of the Stonewall, albeit behind barricades. 
How is it NYC Pride would blatantly lie to me, for months, and the cops and the city. WTF?

o     

·         Benjamin Heim Shepard Great question....but not a surprise...habit i guess...tradition

•  
• Hucklefaery Ken Benjamin Heim Shepard greed...? 
  Literally they told me that they would be done by 9, they could have their stage out the way by 9:30... 10 at the latest.
  that was a planned rally, there was nothing unplanned about that... They told me that there would be no corporate advertising, but we turned the corner to giant T-Mobile on video screens for a block... I wanted to have a big dance party at the end with everybody, But they pissed all over it...
  Literally everything out of their mouth was a lie.

4Benjamin Heim Shepard Yea...sad...

·         Hucklefaery Ken I did get a permit to assemble in front of the Stonewall this year ...

Jim Fouratt Hucklefaery Ken sorry to hear HfK...but not surprised. I have a horror to tell too...but not hear...but once again the drag march it self was radiant, subversive and inclusive ..fuck HOP!..thank you for your shower of gay spirit and you service in building..our liberation march tomorrow.