catching up
I started this blog much after we first realized Nashville was going to happen, so I have to catch youall up on some of the research we have done, and other thought processes. First off, my gf (B, or The Little Red-Haired Girl) is excited to go. She is originally from the south, and loves it there. She is not afraid that there will be no gay community. At least, not as afraid as I am. She is stoked for a milder climate, friendlier people, a slower pace, and a lower cost of living. I am afraid to live so far from the ocean, from a liberal majority, from real public transportation, from an abundance of foie gras and good wine, and from a large, open, gay community.
Boston has been good to me as a young dyke. When I moved here I was all of 21, and had never even been to a real lesbian club before. (Partner’s and Gotham Citi in New Haven don’t really count). I was so excited to be out in a city where all kinds of queers gather and be queer together all the time. I was so excited, in fact, that I occasionally went out by myself (which is so not me). That year I started volunteering for Dykenight Productions, and got to meet a ton of people who were behind the scenes in Boston lesbian life. That really helped get me feeling comfortable in my own skin and comfortable talking to people. Kristen, who runs Dykenight, took me under her wing and let me into her life, which is a defining aspect of who I am now.
Back then it was Dykenight at the Midway Cafe, on Thursday nights. It was a small “cozy” bar, where the drinks were cheap and the dj played on milk crates and used a flashlight to see. I’d get there at 10 and start checking ID’s and taking cover, and stay until after closing to pass out flyers and to have one last half-Bass. Sadly, that venture ended recently. Now we do Dykenight Goes Retro at Toast on Friday nights, which is amazing – the capacity is at least 3 times that of the Midway, the dj gets her own booth, there are two bars and 4 rooms, and it’s on Friday, which means I get to sleep in the next day. But I sure will miss those days at the Midway.
Next time maybe I will share some of the research that B and I have done on Nashville.