Harry: So, Dix, can you imagine living in a time when homosexuality is outlawed?

Dix: Not really. I can’t believe doing something so natural to me used to be against the law only a few generations ago.

Harry: But it did happen, and there are still men and women in parts of the world who are jailed or even killed for loving someone of the same sex.

Dix: I know. Not sure what I would do if I were in that situation. Probably continue fornicating with men until they lock me away. Even then, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for more gay sex in prison.

Harry: Not saying it doesn’t happen, but I doubt sex in prison is as much fun as it’s in porn.

Dix: No, but what else is there to do in prison when surrounded by other sex-starved men 24/7? Even the straight ones need to do something before their cum-filled balls burst.

Harry: I’ve no desire to find out. There are certainly a lot of prison sex themed gay porn out there.

Dix: Yeah. Cell-mates going at it with each other, the guards catching them with their trousers down and demanding sexual favours to keep quiet, the warden secretly watching the guards and prisoners banging on CCTV, just to be found out – and the whole prison ends up in one huge orgy. The possibilities are endless.

Harry: Either you’ve an overactive imagination or watched way too much porn.

Dix: Probably a bit of both.

Harry: There’s nothing wrong with indulging in a bit of fantasy, but I don’t think I’d last long behind bars in real life.

Dix: Same here. I will be like a lamb in a wolves’ den. It’s only fair if I have committed a crime, but I wouldn’t like to be locked up just because I was born different.

Harry: Future generations of gay men should never forget that many of the rights they freely enjoy have been hard fought by countless men and women in past decades. It’s too easy to use Pride as an excuse for a big party and disregard what it stands for.

Dix: That’s true, but we should also celebrate how far the LBGT community has progressed.

Harry: Sure. Which is why I’ll be marching and waving rainbow flags on Saturday again in the Pride parade.

Dix: Good for you. I wonder what will the bear group do this year during the parade? I thought the bathroom idea last year was brilliant.

Harry: Yeah. You can’t beat two dozens or so bears covered in bubbles, wearing nothing apart from a towel and a big grin, dancing in unison to Cher and Kylie.

Dix: I reckon it would be fun to join them one year, but I won’t know who to approach.

Harry: I’m not sure, maybe Butch can help, I think he knows a few of them. Come to think of it, he might have actually been on a bear float before in the distant past?

Dix: Sounds like the sort of thing he would do. No doubt they like having a big muscle bear like Butch as their poster boy.

Harry: Or poster bear. You should ask him when he gets back. So will you be watching the parade again this year?

Dix: Definitely, wouldn’t miss it. I’ll be waving when you file past. This year, for a change, a couple of daddy bears I’m friendly with asked me to go with them, so it should be more fun than going on my own.

Harry: Of course. So, is “friendly with” a euphemism “had sex with”?

Dix: Hmm… how do you guess? Am I that transparent? I met one of them online, and we played with each other on several occasions when his husband was away. Some time later he introduced me to his husband who actually wanted to share part of the action and I thought why not, the more, the merrier.

Harry: Ooh, I love a threesome! Lucky you. There’s been times Ian and I play with a third, too. Then again, it doesn’t happen very often, since it’s rare finding someone we both like and who in turn likes the both of us.

Dix: I’m not sure if I like to be in an open relationship – I’ll have to find a partner first!

Harry: In my experience, it works for some but not others.

Dix: That’s what the two daddy bears said, too. Apparently, they have been together forever. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was still illegal when they first started having sex together.

Harry: Good for them. They must have some stories to tell.

Dix: They told me they were both in tears of joy when gay civil partnership was first legalised. Of course, it was followed by the introduction of gay marriage, and they decided to finally make their lifelong relationship official. Can you believe they used to tell people they live together to save on rent – but no longer.

Harry: That’s great. I’m very happy for them. Like your friends, I feel very fortunate to be able to marry Ian.

Butch: Hey guys, here are your beers, what have I missed?

Dix: Thanks, Butch.

Harry: Thank you very much. Not a lot, we’re still talking about the advances the LGBT moment has made, and Dix was telling me about this daddy bear couple he’s been having sex with.

Butch: Oh yeah? You’re not satisfied with one daddy bear – now playing with two? I hope their bed is big and strong enough for everything the three of you get up to.

Dix: We manage, don’t you worry. They’re decent people, and I’ll be watching the parade with them on Saturday. Maybe I can persuade them to stay for a beer afterwards so you guys can meet them. I presume we’re still meeting for beer in the afternoon as before.

Butch: Sounds like a plan to me. I just hope I won’t scare them off.

Harry: You probably will if you turn up wearing your full leather gear. I’ll be there, but it’ll take some time to finish the entire route, so I’ll show up when I show up.

Dix: No problem. We’ll slowly get pissed, mingling with the bears and watching all the beautiful people pass by while waiting for you.

Butch: There’ll be plenty of those. Anyway, to Pride Not Prejudice!

Dix: Pride Not Prejudice! And another fun-filled Pride weekend, everyone.

Harry: Oh, sure, but I also look forward to the day when we have nothing left to fight for. To Pride Not Prejudice!

Butch: Won’t that be something? Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening any time soon. This country may be more progressive than others, but there are still plenty of LBGT hate crimes here, from everyday gay insults all the way to fatal physical assaults.

Dix: That’s a sobering thought. It’s easy to forget, since we’ve come a long way. Also, like Harry said earlier on, many countries in the world are still persecuting the LGBT community.

Butch: Yes, I know. I remember the Pride parades I went to years ago used to be a lot more political than ones today.

Harry: That's right. Less commercial, or focused on partying, and trying to advocate real positive changes. It might be wishful thinking, but I think the message is slowly getting through.

Butch: I’ve seen glaciers move faster. Certainly there have been big steps forward such as equal rights, anti-discrimination, and of course gay marriage. All unimaginable a decade or two ago.

Dix: That’s what Harry and I have been saying. The daddy bears I told you about have lived through all those changes and more, can you imagine the stories they can tell?

Butch: Sure. It’ll be interesting to meet them if they decided to hang around after the parade.

Dix: We’ll see. That reminds me, Harry said you might know someone involved in organising the bear float in the parade. Is that right?

Butch: Yeah. I used to be pretty friendly with a few of them years ago. I’m not sure if they still have anything to do with it these days, but I can find out. Why?

Dix: I was saying, maybe instead of watching the parade, I could actually be part of it in the future. The bears on the float always appeared so happy, dancing and waving flags.

Butch: It’s a hoot. I’m sure they are constantly looking for new blood to join in.

Harry: Weren’t you part of the bear float one year?

Butch: Believe it or not, yes! My mates had drafted me into the bear float once many years ago, I’m surprised you still remembered.

Harry: That’s a relief, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Weren’t you dressed up for it? As a cowboy?

Butch: OMG. Don’t remind me. The theme for the float that year was the Village People, and all they had me wear was a cowboy hat, one of those cowboy tie necklace, jeans and boots. Naturally, photos of my naked hairy chest appeared in all the gay mags the week after.

Dix: Now I’ve got to examine the evidence. Have you kept any copies?

Butch: Are you kidding me? It’s so embarrassing. I wish I could burn them all!

Harry: Don’t listen to him. He loved his fifteen minutes of fame and relishes all the celebrity-like attentions he received. I can see them going viral if social media existed in those days.

Butch: Thank god, it wasn’t. Otherwise, those photos would be in the public domain forever, and I’ll never live it down.

Harry: I’ll have to see if I have kept a copy somewhere.

Butch: But Harry, didn’t you also appear in some magazine’s Pride photos one year too?

Harry: Yes, I sure did, but I was marching in my full uniform and not posing bare chested and tits out to the cameras.

Butch: You win. Moving swiftly on, Dix, do you know Harry and I first met at a Pride parade many, many moons ago?

Dix: No, did you really? I know you guys have been friends for a long time, but you never said how you guys met. So were you both marching in the parade together?

Harry: Not quite, that’s way before the paramedics were part of the parade. It wasn’t long after I qualified as a paramedic, and I was on duty on parade day. I’m not absolutely sure any more, but I recall I was bandaging some guy and Butch came to help. Something like that?

Butch: Aren’t you a bit young to suffer from dementia? It’s like this, I was watching the parade filing past like everyone else when I heard a sharp squeal not far from me. I fought my way through the crowd to look and found this pathetic looking tall twinkie dressed in pink t-shirt, shorts, and impossibly high heels laying on the floor in tears. The people around him just stood back, not knowing what to do, so I scoped him off the floor and carried him to a quiet side road when you appeared out of nowhere with your first aid bag in hand.

Harry: Now I remember. I also heard the scream and immediately made a beeline to it to see if I could be of help. When I got close, all I could see was a gorilla-like guy picking up something pink, lanky, and limp, speeding away from the crowds. It could easily be a scene from the King Kong movies.

Butch: Who’s gorilla-like?

Harry: Well, it’s a compliment. Anyway, I reached them as the big guy put the young man who was wallowing in pain down gently against a wall. After brief examination, it’s obvious the twinkie fell over his high heels, twisted his ankle, and got a few superficial scrapes, nothing serious. So I quickly cleaned the wounds and bandaged him up. Before I could thank the good Samaritan, he had disappeared back into the crowd.

Butch: I saw no reason to stay since he was obviously in good hands.

Harry: Not long after, friends of the injured guy turned up and helped him away. I wrote a short report for reference and continued with my patrol.

Dix: And you didn’t even get each other’s names. So is that it?

Butch: Obviously not. Later that evening, I was drinking here with a few mates, but they didn’t stay long – probably heading to a club or some party. I didn’t feel like going home yet, so I stayed for another beer and at the bar I happened to stand next to this guy who looked somewhat familiar but for the life of me can’t put the face to a name.

Harry: That’s because we hadn’t met properly yet. After being on duty for hours, I went home, changed out of my uniform and thought I would go out for a beer after the long day. The Crown & Anchor was still busy, so I wormed my way to the bar and eventually ended up standing next to this massive guy. He stared at me intensely for a long time, and suddenly we both clicked who the other guy was.

Dix: What are the chances of that?

Butch: Yeah, took me a while to recognise you not in your uniform.

Harry: And it took me by surprise seeing you at a gay bar. Honestly, it had never crossed my mind you’re gay when I saw you carrying the injured twinkie earlier that day.

Butch: I get that a lot and still do. People say I don’t give off any gay vibe, whatever that means.

Dix: But you do give off some strong sweaty odour! I reckon it’s probably your size and attitude. They don’t really fit into the gay stereotypes.

Butch: Be honest, you can’t get enough of my stench. Surely, you know that’s just the way I am. Anyway, Harry told me the twinkie wasn’t badly hurt, and we ended up chatting and drinking together for the rest of the night.

Harry: In those days, most of my gay friends weren’t bears or into bears, so it was nice meeting someone with similar tastes in men.

Butch: I felt the same way, the bear movement had barely started in this country back then, so it was refreshing talking to someone who was also into big hairy men instead of young slim guys, muscle Marys or clones.

Harry: You gave me your number before I left, and like they say, the rest is history.

Dix: What are the chances you guys met through sheer coincidence? You have that twinkie to thank for it. I always assume it was through friends or even online.

Harry: That’s how I met many others, including Ian, but that’s a story for another time.

Butch: Now that you mention Ian, are we going to see him this weekend after the parade? It’s been ages since we all had a beer together.

Harry: I know, he should be making an appearance, but he won’t be drinking and has to leave early since he has to be back for the evening performance of The Pirates of Penzance.

Dix: It’s good timing opening on Pride week, I bet lots of guys are going to see it because it’s an all male version.

Harry: I think that’s the idea. He told me the run is mostly sold out already, which is great.

Butch: Have you been to see it yet? I’m looking forward to seeing Ian singing and dancing on stage dressed as a pirate.

Dix: Same here. By the way, thanks for getting us tickets for next Tuesday. I can’t wait!

Harry: You’re welcomed. I was at the dress rehearsal, and it left me it stitches. Even though Ian doesn’t have a big part, still it’s great to finally see it all come together. I’ve read a few positive reviews, and it looks like the show is fairly well received overall.

Dix: There is always one critic who complains about every minute detail.

Harry: That’s their job, I suppose, but I doubt most causal theatregoers like me will know any better. People just want to be entertained.

Butch: Same here. After all, it’s only Gilbert and Sullivan, not Shakespeare, or Chekhov.

Dix: It should be a fun night out. Why don’t we have dinner beforehand and go to the theatre together afterwards?

Harry: Sounds like a plan. Luckily, it happens to be my afternoon off. Ian has found a new Italian bistro near the theatre. He said it was pretty good and reasonably priced.

Dix: That works for me. Always happy to try something new, and I love Italian food.

Butch: Count me in too. As you know, I’m always hungry.

Harry: Cool. I’ll let you know where and when to meet after I’ve reserved a table.

Dix: Thanks, Harry.

Harry: By the way, there’ll be a charity collection after the show, so make sure you have some loose change with you.

Butch: I better get some cash out then. I use cards to pay for nearly everything these days.

Dix: What’s the charity?

Harry: It’s one that supports homeless LGBT kids who have been kicked out of their home for being gay.

Dix: That sounds like a really worthy cause! I better prepare more than loose change. It’s unbelievable this week we are all celebrating the positive changes the LGBT moment have made, and there are still families disowning their children just because of their sexuality. It’s too sad for words.

Butch: I agree. Regardless, it’s motivated by misguided orthodox religious beliefs, archaic traditions, or plain homophobia, how can they deny their own flesh and blood? It’s beyond me! Any charities who help these poor kids get off the streets and give them hope for a better life have my full support.

Harry: Me too. It’s heartbreaking learning some of them end up mixing with criminals or turn to prostitution simply to survive. God knows where I’d end up if that happened to me when I came out to my family all these years ago.

Butch: Definitely, and you came out while you were still at school, didn’t you?

Harry: Yeah, thankfully my parents were very understanding and supportive, which made a huge difference. The school bullies did give me a hard time when they found out I’m gay, but luckily, it didn’t last long before they moved on to harass somebody else.

Dix: It couldn’t be easy for you still. My mother wasn’t surprised at all when I told her I am gay. She said she had known for a long time, and it made no different to her whether I fancy a girl or a bloke.

Harry: That’s great. She must be a wonderful mother.

Dix: Yeah, I love her to bits. She told me one of her best friend was gay, and he was the nicest and funniest person she knew. Sadly, I’ve never met him because he died young.

Butch: Oh, that’s a shame. You guys are lucky having such families. It was a huge shock to my parents when I came out. You see, I had girlfriends at school and when I eventually told them I’m actually attracted to men, it took them a long time to adjust. I think they were banking on me giving them a few grandkids to play with. How wrong were they?

Dix: I can just picture you chasing after a few mini Butches.

Butch: No such luck unless I start selling my sperm. I think after all these years they have finally accepted that it’s not just a phase, but I don’t think they’ll be very pleased meeting my partner – if I have one – let alone having us sleeping together under their roof.

Harry: Well, at least we should be thankful none of us are sleeping on the streets just because we fancy someone of the same sex. Sorry, I don’t mean to dampen the mood, I think more beers will cheer us up.

Dix: It’s not you, but the state of the world we live in. I’m happy to get this round. Same again everyone?

Butch: Why not? Thanks.

Harry: Thank you, Dix. You’re a good man.

Dix: It’s nothing. I won’t be long.