In April I attended my first public rally event and I have to admit. The euphoria from finding out that you’re not alone on your island is intoxicating. This time, because I know I can truly be myself, I decided to “step up my game”. My good friend Kiki gave me fresh red and blue extensions to signify right and left political sides, I chose an offensive shirt, put on some beautiful heels and set out to show Los Angeles how to flex their first amendment rights.
As I walked up to the corner of Wilshire Boulevard from the federal building, I was met with hoots, hollers, and cheers. The shock of seeing a man with box braids and stilettos walking flawlessly with a rainbow Gadsden flag was a sight! I watched our opposition’s proverbial jaw drop and I began to remind people that gays love our president. If there’s one thing that’s persistent in Los Angeles, that is traffic. I watched drivers recoil in horror as I smiled, laughed, and commiserated with the very people that the left believes will string me up for my sexuality.
Standing there for 4 hours shouting at cars and strutting up the sidewalk takes it toll, but since I couldn’t join the services because of a medical disqualification, this will have to suffice. Along with registering voters in my local municipality, this was a fun way to become more visible while helping to shatter the narrative that all republicans are straight white men. A few larger guerilla sized patriots expressed their respect for my boldness and even went so far as to offer themselves as lines of defense should I face any violence. Later, I would learn that these “amazons” were Proud Boys who are routinely denounced by the media as a hate group…. hate group? These guys? The ones who are willing to protect a 5’3″ gay man in heels on the corner are racist? Nothing could be further from the truth.
After a fruitful day of inspiring patriots and triggering communists I set out for home only to be bombarded with a flurry of tags and videos from the day. The next day it was revealed that several of our patriots had been assaulted after our numbers dwindled to the point where a man thought it would be okay to spit on a woman. Videos of the altercation swarmed the internet and the assailant is still awaiting trial. Assault, no assault, we made our voices heard and we showed Los Angeles what tolerance looks like; This is the face of diversity.
