Bend gay

The church doors were open, letting in an early autumn breeze, and I considered ducking back out. Before I could, though, someone waved me toward the sanctuary, where the pews had been pushed aside to form a dance floor. No one cares if you dance boy or dance girl.

This magnanimous spirit kept me returning every Wednesday night. Some couples danced in dapper matching outfits, but most of us arrived solo in our work clothes: sweaters and slacks, dresses and boots, t-shirts and jeans, hospital scrubs.

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I paired with people who had been square dancing since I was a child and who stayed behind after each tip to show me the intricacies of a particular call or an easier way to remember a step. I paired with people a quarter of my age, who managed to spin me beneath their ten-year-old arms.

I got to know the other dancers, who were queer themselves or the parents or friends of LGBT folks, or who just wanted to square dance without having to abide by the generally stricter dress codes and gender roles of straight clubs. I loved the flair and humor of the fluff, its over-the-top mocking of gender conventions.

The caller would announce Scoot Back, and the person scooting would, if dancing girl, place a hand to their brow and sigh, mimicking a fainting spell. If dancing boy, the scooter would grunt and flex. By the spring, I had graduated to angel myself, and that Fall, began learning the girl position.

I had just become confident enough to switch from boy to girl and back again with each tip when COVID hit, and the club went on what the club president, Jeff, calls a Ramblers Respite. I bend gay dancing with the Ramblers. I miss the high energy and higher camp.

I miss the mental focus required to listen to the calls, to be aware of my body, and to remain attentive to my partner and the other members of my square. I miss how it felt like a moving meditation, an orderly sequence: a square reforming as a line, a line bending to face a different direction, a step back to make a square again.

Learn more at www. Your Name required. Your Email required. Your Website optional. Don't bend gay All new comments Replies to my comments Notify me by email of follow-up comments. Log In My Account. Home Here's My Story. Jennifer Perrine. Previous Article Queer Life in Cairo in the s.