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CSD - Berlin Pride 2023
Jul. 23rd, 2023 03:10 pmThursday and Friday were incredibly difficult mental health days, particularly the former, so much so that by the time Saturday rolled around I was in two minds about attending CSD. However, our friend Emily had travelled over from Finland to attend and was expecting us, and I saw little advantage in moping around all day and the resultant generated FOMO. I had been considering wearing my petsuit for some time, particularly as the boots for it arrived on Tuesday, but one of the reasons for my depression over the week was the fear I would look too fat and horrible. In the end, I decided to wear it anyway and it was incredibly affirming. I was the only one in our group wearing any kind of kink gear, but loads of people stopped for photographs and to ask me questions. Indeed, I only got one negative comment (and maybe a few strange looks away from the parade). He was a large guy who said he 'would wear it better than I'. Notefox gave him a load of abuse back in German. Along the route, I did keep saying 'mow' instead of 'wuff' though, something I think I have picked up off Kamsirius. I really need to work on my doggy noises, but I do feel a little self-conscious about barking in public (which is odd when one is happy to dress up as a giant husky). Interestingly, one guy in the Parade asked whether I was into pet play, which seemed a little obvious. I wonder whether he just associates it with the ubiquitous Mr S puppy hoods instead of the differing styles. I was also shocked by the number of people who asked me about my flag - it would seem the genderfluid flag is not that well-known.
We had hoped to meet Emily at 11:30am but she was staying with her friend Spooky and his mother wanted to drop in. We therefore settled on 12:05pm, but having had a poor night's sleep and taking longer to get ready, this moved on to 12:50pm, particularly as the trains became inconvenient too. In a way this was fortunate as we bumped into the wonderful Anna on the train, who invited us to march with her Ukrainian friends behind the Ukrainian Pride float. This was definitely in the spirit of protest of the early days of Stonewall, lamenting the war and demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukraine. This was float number six, so we were right at the front for the first part of the march. We joined them at Potsdamer Platz where, conveniently again, all of our friends were convening at roughly the same time. Fiasco and Irah arrived first, followed by Notefox, with Emily and Spooky joining us around ten minutes later. With all furs present, we headed into the Parade with Anna behind the Ukrainians. This was fun, although some of the music they played was questionable. Indeed, most of the floats were playing the same kind of thing, with me preferring the pop stuff to the more electro/EDM/trance. As I have said before, I do wish there was more diversity when it comes to music in the LGBTQ+ community but I think I'm barking up the wrong tree there.
We dipped in and out of the Parade as we chose, chatting with some furs or other kinksters we bumped into along the way. I also got interviewed by someone - I don't know who - about my gender identity and pronouns. I only gave them my furry name, but the question flummoxed me for a short while as I have only gone by she/her pronouns for fewer than two months. Still, I did manage to discuss what those pronouns mean to me, even detailing the ban on LGBTQ+ education in British schools between 1988 and 2003 (the perfidious Section 28). Around halfway round, we headed into the same Edeka we patronised last year to pick up some beers and sit on the pavement, enjoying the sun. It was here where we met Feo, who changed into a wonderful dress, which really suited them. We then pushed on to Nollendorfplatz and Siegessäule, although the increased beer consumption meant the increased need to find a toilet. There was one in Edeka - where we gatecrashed a small party going on in the cubicle - but aside from that we had to do it in nature. This was fine as everyone else was doing it too, but at one point I nearly ripped my petsuit on a robust sticking out branch. This was in a park, where we stopped again for a short break, sitting in the sun and chatting, with Emily kindly giving us a bottle of Finnish peppermint-flavoured liquor Minttu. It did concern me a little as I realised my entire outfit cost me something in the region of €700. I bought this incrementally, but it is amazing the price of these things. Meanwhile, the best costume I saw was the guy who was dressed out of the Lion King. He was wearing a placard saying 'now available in Brandenburg', a satirical nod to the main news in Berlin last week when a lionness was reported loose in Tetlow. It turned out to be two wild boars. Another good sign was 'It's raining them, hallelujah'.
Fortunately it didn't rain, meaning my wings - which I was also wearing alongside my genderfluid flag - weren't drenched. With the temperature at 21C, it was also quite pleasant in my petsuit, even if the wind made it a little cold on occasion. Indeed, I could have probably dressed in my fursuit, but I only saw partials along the route. Towards the end, we bumped into the ABDL community and as we left the Parade around 7pm, also spotted a small pup gathering with their own small bar, where our friend Shiyan was stood. I really need to get more involved in both the pup and ABDL scenes in Germany, but my lack of fluency in the language is a barrier. Despite this, Spooky was very impressed that as a non-native speaker I could speak any German, saying it wasn't that common in Berlin. The pup party was near Hansaplatz, which is where we were headed to get the U-Bahn. This was where the nasty comment took place, but soon we were on the train and headed to BRLO. I ended up being separated from the group on the train and got off at Zoologischer Garten to change onto the U2 when the plan had been to go one step further and use the U1. I realised just in time, darted back onto the train and went with my friends, only to discover the U1 was closed so we all had to go back and get the U2 instead.
BRLO was good. I walked into the complex in my full pup suit and loads of the bar staff and patrons commented on its awesomeness. However, I felt it best to change, so this is what I did in one of the bathrooms. Then, having only had a bacon sandwich all day, we grabbed some mac and cheese and a few beers. We hung around for a couple of hours, it being a nice wind-down to a hectic yet exhilarating day, before people started to split around 9pm. Emily and Spooky were the last to go, walking with us to Glesidreieck station before heading home. We ended up getting the fast train back from Potsdamer Platz, hitting Spandau at around 10:15pm, which was still buzzing with gay activity. We thought it best to get a kebab from the new place that's just opened up in Spandau Arcaden, Doner City. This was quite cheap at €6 but a similar kebab to what you get elsewhere. We then headed home and slumped on the sofa before heading to bed. We had intended to stay up and go on VR, but the tiredness really overwhelmed us and so we just slept. I didn't get up, again, until after midday despite thinking an early bedtime last night would help get me up earlier today to do something productive.
It was a really great day in the end, even if it was all organised a little last minue. Thanks to Wolfie, Feo, Notefox, Fiasco, Irah, Emily and Spooky - and Anna too - for a really fantastic and colourful day. It's always great to be yourself at these things and I really loved the bouncy happy vibe, with even some of the music being to my tastes too. It's even better spending it with friends, particularly some of our closest friends in the city, who were more than happy for me to be a huge pink and grey husky in their presence. Seeing so many other people feeling similarly liberated was very affirming too and I do feel sad that some people, like the two neo-Nazis that Anna saw at Spandau station, don't have that in their lives. I would certainly rather be on this side of society than theirs, allowing people to live their best lives and express themselves in safety. Wandering around Berlin in my husky gear, I felt quite safe, even away from the Parade but as we discovered, it only takes a couple of dickheads to cause a scene. Yesterday was an easy day to do it, but I do hope to do it more in future.
We had hoped to meet Emily at 11:30am but she was staying with her friend Spooky and his mother wanted to drop in. We therefore settled on 12:05pm, but having had a poor night's sleep and taking longer to get ready, this moved on to 12:50pm, particularly as the trains became inconvenient too. In a way this was fortunate as we bumped into the wonderful Anna on the train, who invited us to march with her Ukrainian friends behind the Ukrainian Pride float. This was definitely in the spirit of protest of the early days of Stonewall, lamenting the war and demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukraine. This was float number six, so we were right at the front for the first part of the march. We joined them at Potsdamer Platz where, conveniently again, all of our friends were convening at roughly the same time. Fiasco and Irah arrived first, followed by Notefox, with Emily and Spooky joining us around ten minutes later. With all furs present, we headed into the Parade with Anna behind the Ukrainians. This was fun, although some of the music they played was questionable. Indeed, most of the floats were playing the same kind of thing, with me preferring the pop stuff to the more electro/EDM/trance. As I have said before, I do wish there was more diversity when it comes to music in the LGBTQ+ community but I think I'm barking up the wrong tree there.
We dipped in and out of the Parade as we chose, chatting with some furs or other kinksters we bumped into along the way. I also got interviewed by someone - I don't know who - about my gender identity and pronouns. I only gave them my furry name, but the question flummoxed me for a short while as I have only gone by she/her pronouns for fewer than two months. Still, I did manage to discuss what those pronouns mean to me, even detailing the ban on LGBTQ+ education in British schools between 1988 and 2003 (the perfidious Section 28). Around halfway round, we headed into the same Edeka we patronised last year to pick up some beers and sit on the pavement, enjoying the sun. It was here where we met Feo, who changed into a wonderful dress, which really suited them. We then pushed on to Nollendorfplatz and Siegessäule, although the increased beer consumption meant the increased need to find a toilet. There was one in Edeka - where we gatecrashed a small party going on in the cubicle - but aside from that we had to do it in nature. This was fine as everyone else was doing it too, but at one point I nearly ripped my petsuit on a robust sticking out branch. This was in a park, where we stopped again for a short break, sitting in the sun and chatting, with Emily kindly giving us a bottle of Finnish peppermint-flavoured liquor Minttu. It did concern me a little as I realised my entire outfit cost me something in the region of €700. I bought this incrementally, but it is amazing the price of these things. Meanwhile, the best costume I saw was the guy who was dressed out of the Lion King. He was wearing a placard saying 'now available in Brandenburg', a satirical nod to the main news in Berlin last week when a lionness was reported loose in Tetlow. It turned out to be two wild boars. Another good sign was 'It's raining them, hallelujah'.
Fortunately it didn't rain, meaning my wings - which I was also wearing alongside my genderfluid flag - weren't drenched. With the temperature at 21C, it was also quite pleasant in my petsuit, even if the wind made it a little cold on occasion. Indeed, I could have probably dressed in my fursuit, but I only saw partials along the route. Towards the end, we bumped into the ABDL community and as we left the Parade around 7pm, also spotted a small pup gathering with their own small bar, where our friend Shiyan was stood. I really need to get more involved in both the pup and ABDL scenes in Germany, but my lack of fluency in the language is a barrier. Despite this, Spooky was very impressed that as a non-native speaker I could speak any German, saying it wasn't that common in Berlin. The pup party was near Hansaplatz, which is where we were headed to get the U-Bahn. This was where the nasty comment took place, but soon we were on the train and headed to BRLO. I ended up being separated from the group on the train and got off at Zoologischer Garten to change onto the U2 when the plan had been to go one step further and use the U1. I realised just in time, darted back onto the train and went with my friends, only to discover the U1 was closed so we all had to go back and get the U2 instead.
BRLO was good. I walked into the complex in my full pup suit and loads of the bar staff and patrons commented on its awesomeness. However, I felt it best to change, so this is what I did in one of the bathrooms. Then, having only had a bacon sandwich all day, we grabbed some mac and cheese and a few beers. We hung around for a couple of hours, it being a nice wind-down to a hectic yet exhilarating day, before people started to split around 9pm. Emily and Spooky were the last to go, walking with us to Glesidreieck station before heading home. We ended up getting the fast train back from Potsdamer Platz, hitting Spandau at around 10:15pm, which was still buzzing with gay activity. We thought it best to get a kebab from the new place that's just opened up in Spandau Arcaden, Doner City. This was quite cheap at €6 but a similar kebab to what you get elsewhere. We then headed home and slumped on the sofa before heading to bed. We had intended to stay up and go on VR, but the tiredness really overwhelmed us and so we just slept. I didn't get up, again, until after midday despite thinking an early bedtime last night would help get me up earlier today to do something productive.
It was a really great day in the end, even if it was all organised a little last minue. Thanks to Wolfie, Feo, Notefox, Fiasco, Irah, Emily and Spooky - and Anna too - for a really fantastic and colourful day. It's always great to be yourself at these things and I really loved the bouncy happy vibe, with even some of the music being to my tastes too. It's even better spending it with friends, particularly some of our closest friends in the city, who were more than happy for me to be a huge pink and grey husky in their presence. Seeing so many other people feeling similarly liberated was very affirming too and I do feel sad that some people, like the two neo-Nazis that Anna saw at Spandau station, don't have that in their lives. I would certainly rather be on this side of society than theirs, allowing people to live their best lives and express themselves in safety. Wandering around Berlin in my husky gear, I felt quite safe, even away from the Parade but as we discovered, it only takes a couple of dickheads to cause a scene. Yesterday was an easy day to do it, but I do hope to do it more in future.
