This weekend was a great experience for me. I feel like I found something that I’ve been missing in my life for a long time.
Although this was Pride weekend, I went to a union convention. Friday night was a meet and greet, and I was a bit uncomfortable, being the new kid. Then I met so many interesting women! (it was all women by the way).
I missed the political activist part of my life. I have a history of going to demonstrations, of non-violent opposition, of making sure my opinion was heard. Hearing the underlying results of what the government was doing, and how it was affecting women was an eye-opener.
I felt the pilot light go back on….The workshops on the saturday and sunday were good refreshers. They were good main stream topics such as how to write a letter to a newspaper editor and how to hold a brown bag meeting.
definitely different from the sit-ins, die-ins and other civil disobedience type demonstrations I remember.
The second part of the weekend was PRIDE. I was a bit upset that the 2 events fell on the same weekend, and I didn’t realize it until a week or 2 before…so after the conference, Bonnie Isabelle and Louise and I headed over to City Hall and danced our asses off!
I have to admit that I feel infinitely more comfortable around gay people, at least when I’m dancing. I am not a good dancer, and I enjoy it more when I’ve had a few drinks in me. After all, when I’m dancing beside a skinny indian guy covered in sparkles, wearing fishnets and frilly red underwear, with devil horns on his head, and dancing with a hula hoop…who the hell is going to be looking at me?
My first dealings with a union left me cold. I was not happy with the money I paid every month especially never meeting anyone from the union. All I knew is that I paid $40 per month, and I got a sticker and a balloon once. WTF!!
So Isabelle, this is a huge Thank You…for opening my eyes to what a union is. A group of people, both men and women, that just want to make things better for everyone. A group of people who want everyone to be valued for who they are, and for everyone to be treated fairly.
I loved seeing that you had blogged again in my google reader 🙂 I’m happy to hear that you are finding fulfillment. Keep writing – you are a beautiful writer.