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Is it me, or does Michelle Bachman have the “I just messed in my pants” look permanently splattered across her face? I may just be seeing things, but the right-wing wing-nut certainly got it in the teeth when the state she represents, Minnesota, became — resoundingly, I might add — the 12th state in the Union to legalize gay marriage.
So without further ado, I am turning my eyes to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and my calendar to June 29-30th, when Minneapolis-St. Paul throw the Twin Cities PRIDE. With the theme “I HAVE PRIDE,” newly-legal LGTQs are set to make this year’s blow-out more poignant than most. I can’t wait to see if Bachman can actually manage to peel her eyes even wider.
Most Miamians know Minnesota as the home state of dippy Golden Girl Rose Nylund, the setting for Little House on the Prairie, and the crucible of an accent so homespun that makes a Kentukian sound downright upper-crusty. It’s also the home state of porn star Jeremy Walker…and if he is typical of what is waiting at that parade, I am soooooo making a bee-line north.
First, some official talking points: Think of St. Paul as the office (it’s the state capital) and Minneapolis as the place to kick back. Thinking along these lines, it’s not shocker that most of the Pride events happen in Minneapolis, including the parade. Snaking down Hennepin Ave. to Loring Park, the Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade is named after the transperson who served as Pride Parade director from 1991 until 1999 and turned a tiny event that began in 1972 into one of the biggest Prides in the Midwest, and the biggest annual parade in Minneapolis. And while the Twin Cities does not have a “official” gay sector of town, downtown clubs and bars like The Saloon, Gay 90s, Camp Bar, JetSet, and the Minneapolis Eagle, among others, are sure to make up for particular lack.
Oh, and I hope you like blonds. See, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the entire state, has some of the highest populations in the States that emigrated from Scandinavia. For those of you with a Viking fetish, and for whom Sweden is just a little too far away, Minnesota offers a closer alternative.
For more information, go to tcpride.org. Steele Luxury Travel is here for all of your summer pride Travel Experiences: www.steeletravel.com