Ptown

I stood in the middle of the sea. Or so it seemed. The wind swept my face, as droplets of rain and the salty sea danced around me. The sprays felt cool and calming, and with each breath I felt rejuvenated with the refreshing smell of the great outdoors. In the distance, behind a veil of mist and dew lay a sleepy little town, hidden from sight.

Early Sunday, and together with a friend I ventured onto the rocky causeway that stretched across the bay. The night before, I sat on the same causeway under the cover darkness. Save for the softness of my own breathing, the sucking rhythm of the sea sounded like a low gratifying sigh in the darkness. The stars hid, and but the sky was broad and impressive.

By morning, the sea had gathered strength and splashed all around us. In the morning drizzling rain, braving the breeze that seemed to gather more and more courage, the attempts to balance ourselves on the damp gigantic boulders was a challenge. Each step was carefully calculated, each stride determined and firm. Even lashing waves and sudden showers of the sea that tried to turn us back could not dampen our spirits, and we went on.

At the eastern edge of Massachusetts is an arm-shaped stretch of land that surrounds Cape Cod Bay. Provincetown lies at the tip of this (…very) unique geographic phenomenon. The quaint little town is very different from when Pilgrims first founded it in the 1600s. Today, it has a known reputation as a seaside resort for the LGBT community. Despite the gray spell of weather, the vibrant lively, colours of the town could not be hidden.

The main street is filled with bohemian galleries, cafes, clubs and boutiques that sell everything from tacky fridge magnets and T-shirts to arts and crafts created by locals. The streets and alleys are narrow, and with the tourists that flock there in the weekends and holidays are crowded with character. There are charming cottages and houses with white picket fences and beautiful gardens. Owners in their rocking chairs friendlily smile and wave to passerbys, and the occasional transvestite strutting down the street. Small-town America in its warm and most welcoming form.

Besides the scenic coastline, and numerous trails that traverse the dune-scape, there is a reason why people come all the way out to Provincetown. There, the Star - Spangled Banner seems to flutter proudly alongside rainbow flags and flags of Peace. Symbolically, this is truly a place in the ‘Land of the Free’ where people of all sexualities and orientations live in harmony in a community that thrives on and celebrates diversity, inclusiveness, and hope.

It took a generation, setbacks and continuing struggles to build such a community. A place where it is not frowned upon to see couple of the same-sex walk hand-in-hand down the street. A place where how you choose to dress or behave is not met with the angry retorts of hell-fire and damnation. A place where families and children play on the same sandy beaches where couples openly display their affection for one another. For what does it really matter whom you love and choose to spend precious moments of life together with?

I looked at the sleepy town in the distance, tried to picture that dreamy, yet beautiful community hidden behind the veil of mist and dew. And in the lashing rain, and growing furore of the wind and waves, wondered when the world will be like the little town of Provincetown.