Tonight…Maybe…Possibly 🤔

As long as I am feeling well and get up the courage to actually do it, I plan to go out tonight and have a little fun. Since 2007, there has been a get together of gay men once a month called Burly Bears in Burlington. It’s basically a dance party at one of the bars. Burlington has LGBTQ+ events in a regular basis, and they are becoming more common in Vermont outside of Burlington as well. Most of that is centered on drag, which I love, and geared towards the LGBTQ+ community, which is great in itself. However, as far as for events geared towards GBTQ+ men, Burly Bears is the only thing out there in Vermont. Don’t get me wrong, inclusivity is great, but I also think there is a time when GBTQ+ men want to be surrounded but other men and not also surrounded by lesbians, which outnumber the GBTQ+ men in Vermont, at least 2 to 1. 

I haven’t been in a long while and I would love to go to the Burly Bears event tonight. I just get nervous and, you might even say, cowardly about going alone to an event like this. I can be a very shy, nervous, and awkward person. When I host guests at the museum, give tours, or teach classes, I am not particularly shy or nervous, though I am probably still a little awkward. I am always afraid when going to events like the Burly Bears that I won’t get up the courage to talk to anyone and no one will come up and talk to me. I know I probably sound stupid about this, and I should just get over myself. I am not the most confident person most of the time, and, let’s face it, gay men can be a little cliquish, especially gay men in Burlington, Vermont. The city of Burlington tends to separate itself from the rest of the state.

Anyway, tonight the theme for Burly Bears is the annual Black Party. As described on Facebook: “In the spirit of New York, Miami, and Montreal: It’s our Burly Bear Black Party!  Pull out those black shirts, shorts, and Ts! Get those leather vests, jocks, pup masks, boots, and harnesses out.” Wearing all black is not an issue for me. I have a lot of black clothes in my wardrobe, so that’s easy peasy. Putting myself out there is the difficult part. I have to admit, I loved black leather and that whole part of the gay culture, though I have never ventured much into it myself. I just need to make myself go, because I know once I am there, I’ll be ok, and if I’m not, I can always leave. There’s only a $5 cover charge and all proceeds go to Outright VT, so if I just go and leave, it’ll only cost me $5 that will go to a good cause anyway. Once I’m there though, I’ll get a drink and, hopefully, have a good time. If nothing else, they always have hot bartenders working at these events, and who doesn’t love a sexy, flirty bartender?

If you will, send some encouraging energy my way, because I really would like to get out more, be more of a part of the LGBTQ+ community in Vermont, and meet some new people.