Long Forgotten Fairytale

I recently made a visit to my hometown, and for the first time in a long while, I went for a walk as soon as I got in. The particular path I took brought up a lot of old memories in me. I passed a lot of places I used to go on a weekly basis, for you see, when you live in Port Alberni as a kid, and go against the grain (or the grain alcohol, as the case may be) you might find yourself bored and intelligent, with little recourse left to you but youth volunteering. I was involved in a weekly youth page in the local paper and helped put together a rather successful youth forum, but what really grabbed my interest was a group then known as YouthQuest. YouthQuest was a youth group for LGBT kids. In a small redneck mill town. I made some friends, learned a lot, and got to watch awesome movies like But I'm a Cheerleader.

I'd kind of forgotten about it, but I spent years going to those weekly meetings with a handful of friends and my sister. Eventually the primary organization disbanded and our group had to become independent and come up with a new name. We went with Wilde Youth, in reference to Oscar Wilde, and on our own, in 2006, we organized the first ever Pride event in Port Alberni, with the City's recognition. My band at the time, Japanese Economy Cars played at the event.

Sometimes I forget I've done anything with my life.

I think it's worth noting how far along things have progressed for LGBTI individuals. (For example, they just added the "I" for Intersex.) I definitely remember in my earlier years being convinced that no one would ever be an LGBTI ally without personally having something at stake, but time has repeatedly proven me wrong on that one, and I'm more than okay with that.

In case you were wondering, the title of this post is definitely referencing this song: