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Walker hefted his end of the banner again – an hour in and even a sheet on a stick was starting to get heavy. On the other hand the sun was warm, and the crowd was busy around them, most people foot tapping to the pounding drums of the dance troupe ahead of them.
He glanced across to the far end of their Pride in Education banner and grinned at the sight of Kathy, one arm over her girlfriend’s shoulder the two of them walking in close step under the banner. Given that they’d met Kathy with her battling abuse from her students and a gaping chasm where the support of her head of department should have been only 8 months ago, it was good to see them happy.
As the yellow shirted stewards motioned them to a halt again, Walker felt the warm bulk of his boyfriend press up behind him, one strong arm snaking around his waist, and turned his face into the kiss.
“You look happy.” Luke smiled at him.
“I am.”
“Good.”
There was another squeeze around his middle, and then the stewards waved them on. Luke fell into step along side him.
“Sorry I was grumbling about you doing this.”
“Yeah – you should be.” Walker teased. “We do good work!” He nodded across at Kathy as an example. Advocacy and support was only one aspect, but it’s the one that struck closest to home. “Who knows – if I’d known about this sort of group down in Bristol, my teaching year might not have been such a nightmare.”
Luke’s hand found his, the contact solid and reassuring.
“Sucks that you had to go through all that alone.”
Walker nodded “One homophobic fuck on the PTA, and a whole school goes into red alert over nothing. Can only hope that all this might eventually get somewhere to the root of all of that.”
Looking around at the marching masses and the crowds lining the parade route, he had a hope that it might. Eventually.
He glanced across to the far end of their Pride in Education banner and grinned at the sight of Kathy, one arm over her girlfriend’s shoulder the two of them walking in close step under the banner. Given that they’d met Kathy with her battling abuse from her students and a gaping chasm where the support of her head of department should have been only 8 months ago, it was good to see them happy.
As the yellow shirted stewards motioned them to a halt again, Walker felt the warm bulk of his boyfriend press up behind him, one strong arm snaking around his waist, and turned his face into the kiss.
“You look happy.” Luke smiled at him.
“I am.”
“Good.”
There was another squeeze around his middle, and then the stewards waved them on. Luke fell into step along side him.
“Sorry I was grumbling about you doing this.”
“Yeah – you should be.” Walker teased. “We do good work!” He nodded across at Kathy as an example. Advocacy and support was only one aspect, but it’s the one that struck closest to home. “Who knows – if I’d known about this sort of group down in Bristol, my teaching year might not have been such a nightmare.”
Luke’s hand found his, the contact solid and reassuring.
“Sucks that you had to go through all that alone.”
Walker nodded “One homophobic fuck on the PTA, and a whole school goes into red alert over nothing. Can only hope that all this might eventually get somewhere to the root of all of that.”
Looking around at the marching masses and the crowds lining the parade route, he had a hope that it might. Eventually.