This is the true story of seven team members and twelve interns picked to sleep on the floor and have their lives photographed, cartooned, tweeted, blogged, facebooked and autostraddled. Find out what happens when lesbians [and interns who claim to not be lesbians] stop being polite and start getting real drunk queer!

I learned this on the Rosie Cruise, didn’t I? How you don’t realize just how rarely you’re surrounded by like-minded people until the moment when you actually are. I blogged about it. The interns have blogged about it and their blogs made our hearts split right open and bleed gradient rainbows.

In honor of New York City Pride 2009, our Intern Army rallied like only an intern army can and came to NYC from Belgium, Canada, California, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, and various suburbs of New York City.  By the end of the weekend we were all completely in love with each other in the best, proudest, gayest, most self-accepting way ever. 

July 27 – Saturday – WordPress Workshop Fail

L to R: Alex, Intern Emily, Intern Nicole, DJ Carlytron, Intern Hot Laura, Intern X

I thought we’d begin this fine weekend with an educational afternoon where I’d teach the interns how to use wordpress, therefore enabling the intern army to perform a whole new set of menial tasks that we don’t have time to do ourselves.

intern daphne duck & her flamingo

Unfortunately, we also didn’t have time to verify if wireless internet access was actually possible from Brooke’s week-long sublet (Brooke is our Manager of Serious Things who came up from Miami for Pride/the pleasure of our company) and because we all live in small overpriced hovels, in New Jersey, or with our parents (cough*Alex*), our well-intended workshop was foiled.

Also this “workshop” is the first time that most of us met most of the rest of us. The Team already knew Lex, Jess, Nicole and Katrina, ’cause they’re local. Personally, I’d already run into Daphne Duck on the street by my apartment on Friday morning when I’d innocently strolled to my corner store unshowered sporting my morning faux-hawk, winter boots, gym shorts and the dirty t-shirt I’d worn to bed (and giant sunglasses, obvs) the night before, figuring no-one would see me, let alone Intern Amazing herself.

But most of us were strangers so we all got naked and made out. And by that I mean that everyone split up for the Dyke March and the L Word DVD making party (we were going to make a sex scenes compilation to play at our party), but instead … well, I was having really serious fibromyalgia and because interns work in magic ways, I’d been herbally cured by this point. Oh we never made the DVD, but we gave it a good solid try.

In other news, Daphne Duck was wearing an Elmo party hat, a rainbow lei, an inflatable pink flamingo and carrying a megaphone.

cartoon by stef

Q: What’s your number one feeling, post-Pride weekend?

Intern Emily: I feel happy. Very, very happy. I want to come out to my parents and tell them about autostraddle because it’s too amazing not to share with the world. Meeting everyone reminded me that there are some really cool, smart, beautiful, respectable lesbians who aren’t on tv [riese sidenote: YET!], who are just normal (“normal”) like me, trying to get through the day. That’s something I need to see every once in a while because sometimes I feel like an alien. This weekend reminded me that I’m not alone, and everything is going to be okay because we’ve got all these incredible people trying to make the world better.

Emily & Lex Strike a Pose

Saturday Night – Intern Dinner in Little Italy

Remember when you went out to dinner with a bunch of lesbos & otherwise inclined ladies and even though you were underage, you still were permitted to partake in copious drinking activities? Possibly not … luckily, we took photos!

Alex, Natalie and Intern Jess

Riese Feeds the Interns

Hot Laura is like What’s Up, why isn’t Asher wasted?

Intern Emily & Intern Katrina are One, Duck has a Megaphone

Team Represent

Saturday Night – Stonewall Dance Party

What better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stonewall than to go to Stonewall and dance to bad music with a bunch of dudes?

Dance Like You’re Under 21

By Intern KC Danger:

gaygrounding (n) – a common punishment for teenagers of the homosexual persuasion, where the subject in question is not forbidden from leaving her home, but from leaving her home to…do gay shit. This may include Pride events, hanging out with that girl with the short hair from down the block, or secretly running downstairs to watch Logo every time the parents leave. This last part, of course, still continues, as that is the point of secretly running downstairs. Gay grounding is usually highly ineffective and tends to promote increased homosexual behavior, but with a sexy, vindictive edge.

See: X, KC Danger

Many of our interns were staying together … in the same hotel room …

Q: What was your  most terrible/AWESOME decision of Pride Weekend?

Intern Heidi: Well I think it would getting drunk every night and allowing Daphne to sleep in my bed. I believe she tried to “auto straddle”(which is what she kept saying over and over) me. I don’t think she sleeps or eats must be a Belgium thing? …

P.S.. To Daph – don’t worry … I may have enjoyed it.

Intern Elizabeth: Let’s talk about the Pillow Fort & Beer Intern Army Ninja Pirates Pre-Party that happened Saturday! Eight interns, one hotel room, one bed, one couch, one chaise! Smuggled Belgian beer & cactus liquor. There wasn’t an actual pillow fort as the hotel was reluctant to bring extra bedding. Many people were already drunkish. We managed to open a window & crawl out on the ‘balcony’ where we sat & bonded over randomness & music. There was some discussion over the pleasure pack in the mini-bar prompting Katrina to inform us that tasting flavored lube out of context isn’t good & does not replace food. Also some flavors are bad because then all you think is ‘why do you taste like cake?’ Eventually we had to sleep- Intern Tetris time! Daphne & Heidi took the bedroom- the door didn’t block any noise. Katrina/Emily took the couch because they equal one person. Tirna & Asher can apparently sleep anywhere because they took a sheet & pillow each & passed out on the floor. I took the chaise & Laura made a nest on the floor. Not much actual sleep occurred. But it was so much fun! Like summer camp! I miss it!

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