As part of the Black Writer’s Program I’m participating in via the NY Writer’s Coalition, each week we’re given a prompt with which to write about. This week’s prompts was on the LGBTQ+ community. I selected the one where you describe a memory in which you recall an experience with the community. We were given 30 minutes to write something and then we shared our pieces with the rest of the class. The following is an original work. Enjoy!
Green Dot Stables
Talk Tuesdays, an LGBT centered and facilitated discussion series, happened every Tuesday at LGBT Detroit, formerly KICK Detroit. From my first invite from a coworker who was a lesbian to the final invitation from my nemesis an old friend who was a popular gayman in town, I hesitated to go because I’on like people like that. However, I decided I would go and see what it was about.
I went. I loved it. I said to myself in that moment that I would be back. I came back. And I came back. And I came back again.
Now six months into this routine with Pride nearing, we decided to go out after the discussion series to get food and keep the vibe going. Someone mentioned grabbing food at Green Dot Stables this decent-sized restaurant downtown near Mexican Town which served sliders, fries, soups and salads. Nothing fancy, but little did I know it would become a treasured routine for months to come.
The discussion series is where we discussed hot topics and pop culture issues affecting those identified by the rainbow. The fallout, as we called it, which started n the parking lot at the center and continued to the parking lot at Green Dot Stables is where we discussed actionable solutions but also got to know, understand, and appreciate each others unique lived experiences.
At the height of our fallout sessions we had over 15 people crowding this restaurant at conjoined tables inappropriately blocking everything so we could all be together. We took our community from the safety of our meeting place out into the uncertainty of the streets. We were loud, bold, and hungry for more.
We became a very diverse group (yes, we even had a white boy – he was and still is about the cause). We had lesbians, transmen, transwomen, seniors, couples, singles, and a minor who was the son of another member. We informed, educated, and grew together. In grand force we entered spaces as a united front in all our queerness — unashamed and unabashed.
Over cocktails we bonded and planned for a new day in gaydom. We were a new breed of leaders planning to get shit done.
