While my waking hours have been a wee ennui this week, my dreams have been wacky and wonderful.
Last night, I found myself back at one of my favorite clubs from my NYC business trip days: Splash.
If you were a gay man in Manhattan in the mid-’90s, you probably knew it. It was loud, sweaty, joyful, and unapologetically gay. The music was always pumping, the dance floor was always packed, and for a few glorious hours, the rest of the world disappeared.
As Pride Month winds down, maybe it’s no surprise my subconscious took me there. Lately, my dreams have been revisiting places and moments where I felt most like myself. Proud, loud, and surrounded by people who let me be exactly who I was…or was becoming.
I don't remember much about the dream beyond my awkward, white-boy dance moves and the endless '80s soundtrack.
I'm not much of a dancer. I have lots of enthusiasm.
Rhythm, on the other hand, is gonna get me.
The same goes for singing. I can’t carry a tune to save my life, but I’d still rather sing than lip-sync any day.
If I end up metaphorical roadkill on the dance floor or the stage, so be it.
This big boy is gonna bust a move and sing his heart out.
Truth be told, I never really stopped.
These days the dance floor is usually my living room, and the audience is nonexistent. I still dance while I’m making dinner, cleaning the house, or waiting for my montages to upload. I still sing along to just about every song that comes through my headphones and speakers, blissfully unaware and unconcerned, about whether I’m hitting the right notes or not.
Some joys are too good to outgrow.
That’s what I miss most about places like Splash. The freedom to take up space. To laugh loudly. To live proudly. To dance badly. To sing off-key. To be seen without apology.
Maybe that’s what my dream was trying to remind me.
Pride isn’t just about parades or rainbow flags. It’s about remembering what it feels like to be fully yourself. And carrying that feeling with you long after June is over.
Keep calm, love yourself, and dance on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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ends 06-30-26
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
06-27 = Bianca Del Rio (1975- ) = American drag queen-comedian 🌈
06-27 = Emma Goldman (1869-1940) = Russian activist and writer 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“Everything is not serious. If you don’t like what I’m saying, change the channel - don’t look at me, don’t buy a ticket. You either get it or you don’t, and it’s fascinating because it’s usually intelligent people with a sense of humor who get it.”
Bianca Del Rio