Muffy St. Bernard

The third annual Guelph Pride Picnic took place in Royal City Park Sunday. Walking over, halfway down the block I felt a spit of rain on my arm, so went back for my umbrella. By the time I reached the park, the sun had emerged. Thunderclouds circled all afternoon, but never darkened or rained on our festivities.

The Rainbow Chorus performed. So did Muffy St. Bernard. Drag queens run the gamut from frivolous to offensive, but Muffy has class.

The entertainment in 2003 consisted of one long drag show carried entirely by Muffy and another persona who complained incessantly about the fact that she couldn’t drink (Guelph Pride is not a licensed event).

Last year, politics excluded drag queens entirely. Somebody had gall. These girls have been on the front lines since before Stonewall, fighting for civil rights and, more recently, raising funds for AIDS research.

I’m glad Muffy was invited this year.

“I like Guelph,” she said. “Everyone here has good attitudes. No drunken brawls. At least not over me. Yet.”

She seemed quite comfortable with herself, alcohol or not. Even comfortable enough, as you can see from the photos, to let a budding personality named Odessa upstage her.

( And where am I? )