Here's the flyer about the event.

SGI-USA Rainbow Lotus Group
Buddhists for Peace, Culture & Education
Boston Pride Parade
June 9, 2001
Meet at Copley Plaza
11:00-11:30 AM
to line up in Section "D"
on Dartmouth Street
between Boylston & Huntington Streets
In front of the Library Steps
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo
Come Out and Support...Pass it on

We marched down Boylson and into the Boston Common.

As we were marching, I composed a slogan that probably a thousand people started chanting: pride -and - peace ...pride - and - peace! Pride - and Peace!...Pride - and - Peace!.. I said to one of my fellow spiritual practitioners: " Lets say "PRIDE AND PEACE" That's a good slogan don't you think? We were throwing beads and candy and stuff like 3" frisbees for people...one guy got hit on the head with a 3" diameter frisbee. I ran out of the parade found the guy, and gave him some beads and said "Your the guy who got hit on the head with the frisbee! Sorry about that. Here have some beads." So I gave him and his friend some beads. He said to me "Oh isn't that nice! Thank you! And so I gave him a card from the Rainbow Lotus group.

The card reads: Rainbow Lotus Group Boston Pride 2001 "Those who firmly establish their own characters, qualities and inner spiritual domain, no matter what happens, will possess the fundamental strength and capacity to change everything into a source of value. Such people are truly happy." -SGI President, Daisaku Ikeda- ON the other side the card reads NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO Individual happiness for World Peace"

This was a cool event. We were marching with a huge Gay/Lesbian/Bi-Sexual/Transgender flag plus an SGI flag. At one point one of the flags was brushing in the face of one of my new friends I met . I chose to say; "Hey (to the flag bearer), are you tired? "No", she said. "Well if you get tired I can help you if you like" This was a fun event. Then I bought a Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/transgender flag and gave the vendor a Rainbow Lotus card. When I returned to the parade, I found out that another fellow marcher had wanted to give a card to the same individual but had not been able to. I found that very synergistic and meta-rhythmic.

At one point the chanting "Pride and Peace" was going on at different tempos so I stood up front and marched with everyone and conducted and shouted. People on the sidelines were catching on: "Pride and Peace." It was gratifying to see the agreement with our sentiment. I realized at that moment that I am a natural drummer...I was clapping in the rhythm "Pride and Peace" leading the way naturally with no authoritarianism. Members of our group were even improvising: "Pride and Peace...HEY Pride and Peace...HEY... lol people were clapping on the beat. At one point a woman from India in our group said to me hey it seems to have quieted down. So I started clapping and making noise. Metarhythmically just at that moment, the lull was replaced by the people on the sidelines clapping and screaming and shouting "Yaay"...within short moments, hundreds of people were making noise and clapping. I yelled back to her wow what great timing you have! (I call that an example of "ˇHARMONIUS INITIATIVE!" = starting action on an inner motivated basis in harmony with one's environment)

I am proud to be a straight guy supporting my friends who are gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/or transgender. I felt I was supporting a cause (our Buddhist practice) which supports diversity and freedom and happiness. I remember saying how proud I was that our organization had made such progress against homophobia of the past. :-) I was filled with a sense of being at home with friends and family when I finally found the marching contingent before the race. I was happy to have arrived on time just before the parade started. :-) I was happy to see other groups marching and had a nice chat with one of the Universalist Unitarians who were marching right behind us in the parade.

At one point before the parade started, some how the subject of civil rights marches with Martin Luther King came up. The (white) woman next to me related how Martin Luther King was her "Hero".

All I had to do was hear her utterly sincere tone of voice and I began having wet eyes. I heard her explain how many fights she got into in high school with people saying "Hey what do you think you 're black?" She and I both were so proud to be there. After she wiped of one tear off my cheek and I listened to her, I explained that I , too had participated in many of the civil rights marches and I still hear the song ringing in my head "we shall overcome, we shall over come, we shall over come some day - oh deep in my heart (I know that) I do believe oh------we shall overcome some day.) :*-)

She had combated racism in her life. She even got divorced over it...her husband was saying things like "I've had enough of your craziness." "So I left him" she said.

Even the cutest little girl in a stroller marched with us today. When the parade finally came to an end I remember thinking wow that was fun. Let's do it again. I had resolved not to buy any food or water and happily I had a "zero day" today = a day of frugality-no expenditure. Then I was treated to a banana and some water. Yaaay. With a fulfilling sense of appreciation I made new friends and treasured old.

I recall thinking to myself "What if people assume I'm gay? I thought so what! I'm proud to support this activity and I'm here! I stand firm and proud against homophobia and man's inhumanity to man! Well I said to the leader of the activity If we do this again next year, I'd be happy to support by bringing a drum! And we could make signs that say "Pride and Peace" She said "Whadya mean IF? ... lol so I have firmly written it in my book on December 1999 and I resolved to responsibly transfer it into my 2002 book when I get one. :-) So here's to a wonderful experience with pride and peace. :-)

4:00PM:

Now I'm back home . I walked all the way home with the gay pride flag in my hair plus tons of colorful beads like the ones we had been throwing to people! I got favorable greetings from most people... I did hear two angry phrases "You *sshole" and "(another angry phrase I did not hear)" I looked around but no one was there. All in all I had a memorable experience.

What a joy-filled parade. I still have the flag in my hair and I'm going to put it up in my house among my treasured flags of the world...

Yaaay!... and to the countries of the world I say "Let's Advance"!