Saturday 25 July 1998, 01.55

Chris is here, reading the program now. We came back early (FSVO) from a city taken over by Europride - at least Söder seemed to be cram-full of gay folks, and dogtags glint at you wherever you are. Even on the train home - we met three visitors from Linköping who are actually staying on the same street I live in. To be added to the other two locals I met on the train earlier in the day. My housing estate has a gay community! None of us, I think, had thought this possible.

It rained today, so it wasn't such a bad move to be volunteering at the conference center. Jill was fun to work with, and there were lots of people around, lots of people to sell daypasses and dogtags to, and, well, lots of people to just joke with and get to know. There to do yoga and learn about Selma Lagerlöf and Swedish gay history and watch lesbian porn. Almost everyone enjoyed what they'd been at.

At PridePark the weather improved during the day, and it became clear that Swedish is no longer the default Europride '98 language. Now there are lots of Norwegians and Danes and Finns, and I got to meet some nice exmaples of each. The numbers of Americans and Germans and Brits seem to be increasing too. And well, there are just lots of people. The crowd for the (very competent) Abba cover band in the evening was huge and enthusiastic. Sonia, lesbian singer/guitarist from the US, had the unenviable task of following them, and did quite well. Considering.

Ann has had her hair cut and must have cut quite a dash at the Girls' Party last night. Patrik turned up in the most glorious cowboy hat, and immediately took over the lead from Helena Westin in the Best Hat In Pride Park That Doesn't Belong To Mrs Green stakes.

It was too wonderfully busy and cheery and clear-skied at PridePark to leave early, so by the time the bus made it to Queerpunk at Studion, the place was full and they weren't letting anyone in. So there were masses of people out on the street being sociable. I think the Queerpunk folks may have overdone their publicity and let in a lot of straight people, but what the hell. It was clearly a fantastic success and for once I was quite happy not to have been able to get in. Me and Chris are a bit old anyway...

Both Häcktet and SideTrack were also impossible considerations, and goodness knows what happened to Sjögräs's reopened 'Bar Timmy'. But Half Way Inn had been amost entirely taken over by gay men, and was an absolutely ideal pub to spend the last hour or so of the evening. Tomorrow, we take the rest of the city! Stockholm will not know what's hit it.