I’ve been gay for a long time now (18 years, I suppose), but it wasn’t until Saturday, Sept 28 that I marched, along with four other members of Guilford Pride, in my first gay pride parade.The parade route, spanning about two miles, circled Duke University’s East Campus and brought us out through bits of Durham. North Carolina Pride has produced the celebration regularly since 1986.

Travis Compton, who has been going to the annual pride march for six years, enjoyed Guilford’s first time involvement. As Guilford’s coordinator for the campus GLBT Resource Center located in Dana Auditorium, Compton said, “this year’s parade in Durham was the first time it was held while school was in session.”

In previous years, it took place in the summer. “Now, I think we’re apt to see more student involvement as it grows into a big event for college students,” Compton said.

5 of us took part officially, though others from Guilford went to see the parade and scout through crowds and festivities at the day-long event. The Duke East Campus gathering of over 100 vendors and information booths saw 6000 visitors during the day, and one count listed the number of spectators for the parade at 2000.

Chris Poole, a junior, headed our involvement and signed us up to carry a 100-foot segment of a rainbow flag originally a mile long and used in a New York City march.

Around 40 other marchers helped us carry the flag, but what that morning seemed like 80-mile-an-hour gusts magnified the challenge. I guess when you’re carrying a piece of cloth that big, making sure that it neither sags to the ground or launches you into space, you notice the wind more.

“The wind would catch it and it would billow up and it was so awesome,” giggled Laurel Willoughby, a first-year in Pride who also marched in a gay parade for the first time, and, by my evaluation, had a blast.

We managed to keep a hold on it and still enjoy ourselves, especially with the help of other people like these two wild girls from Wisconsin who jumped at the opportunity half way through the route to help us pick up the slack. They were pretty crazy and boosted our already super-high morale.

The best part, I think, was getting our first public chance to be appreciated, even if by spectators on the street, just for being ourselves.

“It made me very happy to be gay,” Willoughby said.

This weekend we’re looking forward to getting a little crazier, without even having to leave campus. The Pride-sponsored Coming Out Ball is Friday, October 12, in front of Dana.

“This is the one Guilford event where you really see a huge, diverse group of students come together and have fun as a community,” said Compton, who counted at least 250 students at last year’s. “It’s not just for queer students, it’s everybody.”

And, as Chris Poole added, “It’s fun to see half of your friends in drag.”