Fresh Loaf

More than 50 same-sex couples walked down the aisle at the Atlanta Pride Festival Commitment Ceremony Saturday.

Some couples donned white gowns, while others wore shorts and sneakers at the rather informal event. With partners exchanging rings and wedding vows, the event closely resembled a wedding ceremony. Couples received commitment certificates and danced to Etta James’s “At Last” – a wedding classic – at the reception.

After the interfaith ceremony, led by a religious leaders wearing rainbow-colored scarves, couples received private blessings in their preferred religious traditions.

For some couples like Ivy Nia and Shaun Everhart, the ceremony was a stepping stone to becoming legally married. Shaun says the couple is thinking of going to California “to make it extra-legal.”

For others like Joanna Camper, who drew a crowd before the event by dressing her partner Anissa in a headpiece with rainbow-colored ribbons and a hand-made shawl, the ceremony was a way to rekindle their commitment.

In a state where gay marriage is outlawed, the ceremony was symbolic rather than legal. But that didn’t stop couples from yelling, “We’re married!” at the end of what the Rev. Tessie Mandeville of Christ Covenant Metropolitan Community Church called a “subversive” ceremony that recognizes love under God without discrimination.

(Photo by Michelle Ye Hee Lee)

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COMMITMENT CEREMONY AT ATLANTA PRIDE: Committed lesbian action!

Gay Pride started 38 years ago as a riot in response to an NYPD raid on a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Over the decades, it has morphed from a charged political protest into a cheerful, weekend-long party. This year’s Pride headliners included camp icon Leslie Jordan and former teen pop sensation and “Skating With Celebrities” star Debbie Gibson. She goes by Deborah now.

The weekend is not politics-free, however. As in years past, Atlanta Pride’s schedule included a Friday night commitment ceremony for same-sex couples. Asked why she and partner Gina Pollut participated in the ceremony even though Georgia and most of the country refuses to legally recognize it, Meleia Hudgins replied simply, “Because I love her.”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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We did one lap around the park and then headed back home. We did get to see the giant AIDS quilt before we left, though.

-Me at Sallad.net recaps the weekend’s Atlanta Pride Festival. In thrilling detail!

I suspect that the festival-goers who had more fun than Sallad are probably too tired to blog this morning.

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Republicans pulled 70% in a 70% Republican district. Old school politics and old school names still matter. Most of us, yours truly included, tended to focus on issues too large while ignoring the fact voters tend to not care what we think.

-GriftDrift offers his take on the Democrat James Marlow’s third-place finish in last week’s special election to fill the vacant 10th Congressional District seat. The first and second-place finishers, Republicans Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun, respectively, face each other in a runoff July 17.

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Communism is like so rad and all that good stuff.

-ATLMalcontent on Cameron Diaz’s fashion faux-pas in Peru. Diaz visited Machu Picchu carrying a tote emblazoned with a Chinese red star and the famous Mao slogan, “Serve the people.” Tens of thousands have died in Peru due to war between the government and Maoist rebels.

If, like me, you are fascinated by the intersection of Communism and camp, you might be interested in this photo I took in Prague two weeks ago. Note the museum’s location.

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