Gay Place

NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME We've been attending the recent QueerBomb planning meetings and are getting all tingly and giddy with anticipation of the Friday, June 3, celebration as well as reminiscing about the silly yet powerful impact of last year's inaugural bomb. Not only will 2011 exceed 2010 in content (all to be announced at the Friday night rally), but due to Austin Pride's move to September, QueerBomb attendance is expected to ... well, explode. Last year, there was a legion of at least 1,500 marching in the streets for LGBTQ fabulosity. This year? Anyone's guess. But from the looks of all of the emergent afterparties in the works, it should be huge. Just check this week's list of upcoming events: Big Freedia at Red 7! Cazwell at OCH! The Love Parade (a party, not a parade) at Elysium! Austin Pride also announced that this year's September Austin Pride Parade will occur very early in the morning (sorry, service industry!), so the June 3 QueerBomb March will be 2011's only nighttime gay pride procession. And we don't know about you, but to us, there is nothing like the sparkle and glitter of a nighttime throng of fierce and frisky masses out (and we mean capital O Out), about, and proud. Consider coming to QB's last planning meeting this weekend at the Cepeda Branch Library and add your voice and muscle. (See Saturday.)

GAY COMMUNITY: DISCUSS This week, your friendly neighborhood Gay Place hosted a roundtable featuring officers of Austin Pride and coordinating members of QueerBomb. We had a great time sharing thoughts on the LGBTQ community and the nature and history of our public celebrations. We can't wait to share this food-for-thought cornucopia with you next week in our special QueerBomb section. The participants were frank and open about areas where both agreement and disagreement are securely in place. The Gay Place is grateful for the opportunity to sit with these folks and discuss our home and our community, and we hope that you, dear readers, get as much out of it as we did.

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