A sigh of relief during the break.
A nostalgic pilgrimage to the JCPenney underwear aisle.
A serious attempt at baking a rainbow cake.
The subsequent purchase of a piece of rainbow cake.
A turbulent “trip to 'Chromatica'” (listen to “Chromatica” on shuffle).
A triumphant march in your own personal Pride parade (the walk from your couch, where you watched “Drag Race,” to your bed, to watch “Drag Race”).
A long exhale in a gender-neutral, single-stall restroom.
A blindfolded taste test of cold brews and iced coffee from the independent coffee shops near you.
Slowly pour a vodka-soda mixture over your favorite shirt to simulate a night out.
A youthful giggle at the memory of the Stonewall riots happening in 1969 (Nice).
Watching “Fire Island” instead of going to Fire Island.
Taking notes on RuPaul's MasterClass as if there was a quiz coming up.
Circling – like a strange shark – through the LGBTQIA+ Interest section of your local bookstore.
A young person giggles in the supermarket when he sees a peach.
A young person giggles in the supermarket when he sees an eggplant.
Eye contact with the grocery store clerk who witnessed your giggling of peaches and eggplants.
Rewriting by hand the entirety of “The velvet rage” And “Zami: a new spelling of my name.”
Drawing a John Waters mustache and Trixie Mattel cheeks on your face with ninety-nine cent cosmetics from CVS.
A Sunday morning walk with two cups of iced coffee in your hand (both for you).
A repeat of your first shameless walk.
Drafting an op-ed about the 'rainbow-washing' of Pride and the alienation from its activist origins.
The subsequent removal of your think piece.
A disguised trip to the Target clearance rack on July 1st.
A wise smile during a rare moment of clarity – a vision of interconnectedness moving slowly toward progress, toward liberation, toward community.
A young person giggles at the word 'community'. ♦
