A scene from the Rehoboth Beach Open. (Photo by Chad Hrdina)
Well, it’s almost May. And that makes it now one month away from Memorial Day — the unofficial start of gay D.C.’s summer, when we all rush to the still-too-cold-to-get-in waters of Rehoboth Beach. We crowd on Poodle Beach — our beach — and celebrate the start of the summer and, well, ourselves.
And we should, right? It’s been a year. And we deserve it. We’ve played by the rules (mostly), stuck to our bubbles, and stood in line to get our shots. The question “you a Pfizer or a Moderna gal?” will be echoed a thousand times up and down the East Coast, from Fire Island to South Beach. Slight prediction here — Moderna will be the shot to have. As that’s the one I got and that’s the one gay icon Dolly Parton championed. That and gay men like arbitrarily separating folks into groups. We can be snobby like that.
And I think we’re all ready for a little sun, a little sand under our toes, a little saltwater on our lips. Just pass by Logan Circle any Saturday or Sunday, and the poor grass is trying to keep up with the burgeoning crowds as best it can. Almost every square inch of the circle is full. And as the weather warms and more and more folks get the jab in the arm, the vibe is similar to the first day of school – excited faces greet others they haven’t seen in months.
And now word has it President Biden may be as soon as this week dropping the mandate of wearing a mask outdoors. Probably long overdue really. I was only wearing a mask outside around town so folks wouldn’t think I was a Republican. But with masks down, smiling faces will soon be visible.
I myself am off to Fire Island this summer. And wherever you’re planning on going or even if you’re just staying put, the question on everyone’s lips seems to be: “Do you think this summer will be somewhat normal?” The answer seems to be “I think so.” At least we know that it will certainly be better than it was. Incrementally we will get there. Every so often a new marker will be set — no masks for the vaccinated, more concerts, etc. And before we know it we’ll be back at underwear parties.
And many have predicted this summer will be a wild one. A new Roaring 20s, as we’ve been sitting on a spring for a while now — nowhere to go and nothing to do. But as we all prepare to go a little buck wild this summer, never regret it. We deserve it, and we’ve earned a ‘Shot Girl Summer.’ And yes the shot is a miracle, but one decades in the making. Let’s remember that just one reason why the vaccine was produced so quickly was that the mRNA technology it relies on came about largely due to the AIDS epidemic. Yes, it was all brought about by some incredibly talented scientists who deserve the credit and admiration of the entire world. But we can also credit the countless gay men who were in the streets, quite literally clashing with police and facing arrest, in order to pressure the government to act on AIDS. Just Google groups like ACT UP and people like Larry Kramer and you’ll see what I mean.
So, we deserve it. We made it, and in more ways than one. So have that Shot Girl Summer you so deserve. And don’t forget a lot of people helped get us here.
Brock Thompson is a D.C.-based writer. He contributes regularly to the Blade.
