The fact was clear: Despite the importance of any issue, it's difficult to get a group of friends to come to a Marriage Equality rally on a pretty almost-summer Sunday afternoon. The solution? Beer.
A great cross-section of friends old and new gathered, pre-rally, at Studio Space, the new beer garden in Astoria. There were my girly-girls from Brooklyn and Harlem. My buddies from Brooklyn. My other buddies from the 'hood and Manhattan. And new friends from Out Astoria.
We gathered at our tables, drank beer, ate burgers and brats. More girly-girls arrived post multi-mimosa brunch and almost immediately took pictures with a model-pretty bartender. More buds came and fretted over just the right beer for the day. Diligently we filled in our signs with the Crayola markers.
The just-married-last-week-in-Connecticut-because-they-can't-get-married-in-their-home-state-of-New-York lesbian couple arrives and our tables let out a cheer as we present them with our sign for them: "I Married a Girl, and I Liked It."
Beer continued to flow as time came close for our departure to the rally. One of the girly-girls has an idea: Let's get on the stairs and take a quick picture with the signs.
And then something magical happened.
We gathered for the picture and then, quickly, the Beer Garden holding hundreds of people out enjoying a Sunday afternoon erupted in spontaneous applause and cheers from the crowd. We looked at one another, suddenly electrified and yelling "Thank you, Astoria!"
