Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out and talk about the reason for the season- Pride! It’s easy to look at what Pride has become (a crowded corporately sponsored party overflowing with rainbow decorations) and forget that it was originally a fight for our rights, many of which are still under attack today. We talk about our very first experiences with celebrating Pride and how magical it felt to be surrounded by an accepting community when we first came out. Nothing feels quite like your first Pride. If you have a bunch of queer friends, live in a progressive area, and have attended multiple Pride festivals, Pride might not feel as special to you anymore. Pride has also changed a lot in recent years. The overall vibe of many of the festivals feels less authentic when instead of floats of gay men in ass-less chaps, there is just float after float advertising for banks and tech companies. However, it’s important to remember the way it felt to be in a glittery globe of love and acceptance for the first time, because so many people still don’t have the ability to live their authentic lives safely and Pride may be one of their only opportunities to be surrounded by other queer people. We talk about alternative ways to celebrate Pride and the ways Pride events have changed since the start of the pandemic. We hosted Porch Pride for 2 years and loved that it provided an opportunity for small groups of people to safely celebrate with one another outdoors. Now that we’ve been out for ages and have built a lot of support and acceptance around ourselves in our daily lives, we tend to prefer celebrating in smaller groups and leaving the crowded parades to the baby gays and allies. Follow along on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay at the end of every episode. Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster) and Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow along on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lezhangoutpod. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.