so is this what it might have been like back in Castro Camera–or upstairs in their apartment–or out having a drink?

Harvey Milk (second from left) with friends, including activist Cleve Jones (far right)
Photo (c) by Rink Foto

the remnants of the night’s project(s) lying cluttered around…and beer cans….
still chuckling about something funny that was said…
a bit of a buzz from the exciting work they all did together…
the smell of spray paint wafting in the air. (which may explain the buzz?)

tonight, a diverse group of like-minded people got together in our home to make signs and t-shirts for the Dallas Harvey Milk Day Celebration on Thursday. we had hardened activists, thespians, a queer-studies college student, an african-american lesbian social worker, and a wedding singer. we stapled, painted, used the hell out of a can of spray glitter and that fabulous new rainbow duct tape…we laughed…listened….told our coming out stories…talked about why we had become activists and what motivated us. and of course we had pizza and wine. (and you-know-who had bud light.)

A pile of signs for the Thursday, May 22, 2014 Dallas Harvey Milk Day Celebration

everyone’s gone and now that i’ve piled everything up and straightened up so the BF doesn’t come home to a total disaster, i am trying to wind down… i wonder…

was this what it was like after harvey and scott and cleve and all the others would wrap up a night of brainstorming…or planning a rally…or working on one of the many elections?

did they find it hard to wind down after the excitement–and weight–of being a part of a collective effort bigger than any one of them alone?

did they pause and appreciate the opportunity to expand their minds and challenge their beliefs through engaging with others?

did they count themselves so fortunate to live in such a time? to have the kind of friends and associations with people who passionately gave a damn about injustice and wanted to do something about it?

i imagine they did….and i certainly do.

i just wish we’d had pie.