blowing off steam

Today Rise and Resist, the NYC direct action based group that has become my home away from home, staged "The Emperor Has No Clothes" bike ride/march with participants decked out in flesh colored unitards, long red ties, messy blond wigs, and orange face paint. While there are far clearer photos, I love this one—standing on the subway platform, after a long day out on the streets, delighted with the event and what a difference it made to my state of mind.

After receiving an invitation to participate, I had bought my unitard online, enthusiastic about being in the midst of things. But, the juggle has been particularly challenging lately, and when the suit came and I tried it on, I quickly changed my mind. No way was I brave enough to ride and walk throughout Manhattan with jiggly bits on display for all to see. 

In fact, I bowed out. I missed a protest last night and was mostly ok about sitting this out as well. 

But, messages started coming in and I decided to go as support, to ride along to make sure all went ok, and I felt like that was doable in my current, overwhelmed state of mind.

I got to the LGBT Center on 13th Street and as everyone was changing and face painting and gearing up, I started wondering why I was holding back. Shame? Embarrassment? Body discomfort? Fear of the unknown? Of exhibitionism? Of letting go? No one seemed to understand my reluctance and after awhile, I wasn't sure what was holding me back. I went home, pulled on my body suit, took a deep breath, and headed out. 

We strolled over to a Citibike station, strapped protest signs on bikes, and headed off - first through the west village and then up the bike path along the West Side Highway, shouting THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES, blowing whistles, and waving at the mostly enthusiastic people who crossed our paths. That led to a walk through Times Square, where we were filmed and photographed with enthusiasm. We climbed up the TKTS steps and the police soon kicked us and everyone else off, choosing to close the steps rather than let us stay. So we then marched over to Rockefeller Center, took some awesome photos, and hopped on the E train back downtown. 

It ended up being a great day. How fabulous and grounding, as the world seemingly gets crazier every second, to be with like-minded people, to be able to make a political statement while being ridiculously silly at the same time. The people I've met have been, and continue to be, my silver lining.