Pride London 2011

I knew that I wanted to go to Pride London this year (as I always do), but it wasn't until about an hour before the parade started that I decided I wanted to actually watch the parade this year, I normally just go for the street party afterwards. I found myself a good spot by the side of the parade route and waited. It started a bit late, but I watched the whole thing. I was hoping to see Ben Cohen, but didn't, though I did see Chris Geary, Brian Paddick and the "boy band" Blue, who looked stunning dressed as airline pilots on the British Airways float.

Afterwards I went into Soho and joined Craig outside the Duke of Wellington for a bit before having a wander around the whole thing, along Old Comptons Street, down to Soho Square, over past Ku Bar and then to Trafalgar Square (which was heaving and inaccessible), before coming back to Old Compton Street where I found Terry by chance and chatted to him for a while. It was a bit too loud where we were, stood right by some speakers so I headed back to the Duke of Wellie to find Craig, but he'd gone a wandering so I got a drink in Rupert Street (to bag myself a plastic glass, as I'd taken my own bottle of vodka & Red Bull to save some money and time), then I joined Tim and Niall outside the O-Bar. After a while we went to Ku Bar and then split up.

As I was leaving there I saw a cute guy and stopped to talk to him, got his name and number and had a snog and a grope before heading back to Rupert Street. There I got talking to Manish and a guy named Michael, before seeing Gareth for the first time in about a year. I've always been attracted to Gareth, but other than our passionate kissing the first time we met (which resulted in him splitting with his then boyfriend, who I knew nothing about), nothing has ever happened. We started kissing again, and he told me that he wanted me to go home with him. We all went to Barcode first though, as it was its last night as a gay bar. There I started kissing Michael and two of his friends! The two friends were partners, but I really liked one of them more than the other and more than Michael, but also still wanted to go back with Gareth. At one point another guy joined in on the group snogging too!!

I suddenly realised that I was incredibly drunk, wasn't being fair to any of the guys or to myself because I really didn't want sex. All I'd wanted for the day was to have a fun time and to snog some good looking guys which I had done and so I went home, alone but content.

As I got off the night bus I got talking to another guy and walked back with him, as he is living in the YMCA tower next door to where I live. Javier was his name and we also ended up kissing. While we were distracted with the kissing a group of three straight guys walked past and one said something like, "Hey guys, stop that!" Though not in an aggressive manner. I was so surprised but reassured when one of his mates ignored peer pressure which can take over in these circumstances and said "Leave them alone." Maybe the world is getting to be a better place, one sentence at a time.

I was knackered when I got in and after taking some paracetamol and a good gulping of water I went straight to sleep. As I noted on Facebook before I went to bed thought:

BEST PRIDE EVER