What is a Red Dress day?

In 2010, an indigenous Canadian artist, Jamie Black started the REDress Project to honor the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S+). Scratch that. Let's start like this Did you know that there IS a place in Canada called the Highway of Tears where women, especially indigenous women get attacked, abducted, murdered, and sometimes never seen again? I could list multiple widespread cases of overt violence against indigenous Canadians but I might be belabouring the point. There is violence against indigenous people, especially women and girls, and Jamie Black's project was to ensure the world would find it hard to forget. And in that inclusive world of remembering, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people fall under that broader umbrella of people running from the downpour of violence. That is what Red Dress day is about. Because indigenous women and girls are murdered and the world moves on. Because queer people are murdered and the world moves on. The Red Dress day happens so we never forget the violence they have faced. And because on the Friends for Life Bike Rally, we fundraise for HIV/AIDS which disproportionately affects queer folks, we extend the Red Dress as a reminder garb for HIV/AIDS awareness and advocacy. When the folks of the Bike Rally got on the road today for the 50km stretch from Adolphustown to Kingston, it was in different shades and shapes of red dresses. There were lads in superhero costumes, folks in ballroom dresses, short dresses, long dresses, sheer dresses, jumpsuits... just lots and lots of variations of red dresses. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Last year, I wore a red Kheffiyah in honour of Palestinian women and girls who have been killed by Israel's Zionist government. I still share my sympathies for Palestinians (even more now than before) but this year I chose to wear red with a touch of black. The black representing black women and girls with the red honoring both MMIWG2S+ and 2SLGBTQQIA+. The Devils of Devils Wear Lycra rode for most of the 50km ride. My hamstring was a bit relieved today. And my peeing problem seems to have reduced. We rode by water where it belonged; as a body in its own world, admired from afar. We stopped for pictures at intervals. And after about three hours of riding, we made it to the halfway point from Montreal. My tyre slowly started leaking air towards the last 5k but I'll get that checked in the morning. The bike mechanics are on break today. Tonight we will be sleeping in a hostel in Kingston. I have the same roommate as last year; Anthony. I have no complaints. My team won one of the fundraising challenges and earned a donation for a group dinner. Our group's captains agreed to bear the remaining cost of the group dinner so I am here, in a crowd of about twenty people, writing about today. I gotta go. See you on the road tomorrow. PS: If you followed the live tracker today and it didn't work, it's partly because I started then turned off the tracker. My phone was out of reach because I was wearing a dress and when I could reach it, I had forgotten. Tomorrow should be better. Much longer. But better. Catch ya!