Pride can be quite the exciting time of year for LGBT people and their allies all over the world. It is can celebrated in a multitude of ways from parades and parties, to spoken word readings and relaxing with friends. It is up to you how you celebrate who you are. As I pride goer, one of my favorites and closest to home events I go to is Columbus' pride celebration. As a city in the U.S with one of the highest populations of gay men, and one of the largest pride parades, it makes a wonderful experience for a guy like me. This is my second consecutive year going to Columbus pride and overall, just like the prior year, it was a blast. Below are some of my favorite memories of my three day adventure. I know I will be coming back to Columbus for pride, even if I end up in another area after my time at Miami. I would like to thank the organizers, volunteers, and the city of Columbus for showing the country and the world how it is done. Thank you all for an amazing weekend. Without further ado, here are some mild and wild memories.

1. Seeing the AAA girls at Axis Nightclub

Three amazing drag queens, one night. Courtney, Alaska, and Willam put on an amazing show, with costume changes, solo and group numbers, and enough sass to fill a hot-air balloon. I even got close enough to take some good pictures and video. The best part of it all is they donated their tips to the relief fund in Orlando. Super talented, super prideful, and well worth the price. Thanks Axis in Columbus for bringing the girls in.

2. The Parade

Columbus has one of the largest parades in the nation and its three hour running time shows that. What I loved about the parade was all of the ages, body sizes, sexualities, communities, you name it represented. The streets were full of pride, fun, and smiling hopeful faces for the future. The crowd filled either side of the streets, clapping and cheering for their brothers and sisters marching. It is a pleasure to see every year, and I hope I can be back for more.

3. Seeing my friends

Look how cute we look!!! This was taken as we left the hotel Sunday morning. It was wonderful to see Ryan, Natalie, and Josh, going left to right, for some amazing pride festivities. We partied, celebrated, mourned, and were together to represent Miami University, we are all current or former students, and ourselves during this wonderful week. I love them and it was a total blast.

4. The Parade Party

Continuing a tradition from last year, I was fortunate enough to go to a party for the parade and to celebrate. The four of us, see above picture, spend the afternoon at a family friends house, thank you Paul and Chad for opening up your home, and had an absolute blast. It was quite a popular party too, people coming and going, sharing a hug, a kiss, a drink. I met new people, made some new friends, and saw basically this picture in the pool later that afternoon. It was a wonderful way to spend our Saturday.

5. The Lady from the State Farm Booth

On Friday of Pride Weekend, we went to the festival in Goodall park. One of the first booths we came across was the State Farm booth. One of the representatives from State Farm asked if we wanted to take a survey to earn a free gift. As broke college students, we heard her gleeful tone and free and jumped at the opportunity. She was so sweet and lovely, asking how we were and welcoming us to pride. I believe we caught her name then, but in the hustle and bustle of the weekend, meeting so many others, it has escaped my mind. But to the lady at the State Farm booth, you are amazing and were so welcoming. Thank you for being a warm presence on Earth.

6. Seeing ODA represent

During our time at the festival, I got an unexpected surprise. Several of the students I see all the time at the Cultural Center at ODA were there as well. They all looked wonderful, being colorful and prideful. I was so glad to see other Miami students representing, especially younger students being so proud of who they are and what they can be. I am so proud of you all and expect to see in the office again this year.

7.Taking an outdoor nap at the festival

As Natalie put it, there is nothing better than an outdoor nap. After the parade party, we were all so exhausted that we found some food and a nice place to nap. There was an uninhabited patch of grass by the street with most of the food on it and we stuck our claim. We must have been there a solid 45 minutes to an hour, relaxing and napping. The three of them absolutely passed out, while I was a little slow in my sleeping process. It was so peaceful and we woke up to only a few people staring.

8. Chinese Food in the Hotel Room

At the end of the long day, all you need is a very large portion of delicious food, a decently comfortable place to sit and your friends. That Firecracker chicken though, amazing. I don't know how canned soda, Chinese food, and Sister Act 2 mix normally, but it was perfect in this situation. Especially for four singers who knew all the words to all of the songs. Sorry fellow hotel patrons.

9. The thirst was real

As I said at least once this trip, nothing makes you feel more self-conscious than a gay pride. There were so many hot guys around. Really any "taste" that you have, there was one for you. I'm gay so I was focused on all of the hot men, but there were plenty of hot women, and any other gender on the spectrum was representing their beauty. I immediately came home and worked out and did yoga before doing anything else.

10. Celebration, Camaraderie, and Safety

One of the most important aspects of pride is making sure everyone can celebrate who they are safely. I thank the Columbus area police department and any other departments who came in during the weekend. The security was increased in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting, and I felt safe, watched over, and protected, free to represent myself to the fullest. I know that more prides in the future will have this increased security. Be sure to thank those protecting you during such times of hate. Being proud and being at pride shows we are not afraid. If you are attending any prides this summer and want to know about the safety pro cautions they are taking, you can call the local police department or the pride celebration organizers, they will have the information you need.