Okay, so I’m going to talk about my Rainbow Direction experience at the Boston show tonight here, since this is where I’m signed up for Rainbow Direction. It was absolutely incredible from beginning to end!
I was all rainbowed up when we arrived at Gillette–my big rainbow “Love Everyone” sign was a loss, due to their sudden no signs on the floor policy, but I got my folded up rainbow flag in with no problem. I had on all my bracelets and a t-shirt with a rainbow American flag. All night people kept telling me they loved my shirt, with that special little RD conspiratorial smile, which was awesome.
So when we arrived, we discovered that the last minute B stage tickets I’d impulse purchased last week were actually CATWALK seats right up against the B stage, directly in front of the bin of bottled water and towels for the boys. I tried to remember that I’m a grown woman and not jump around screaming. I mostly succeeded. I think.
I got my rainbow flag out and danced with it the whole night. As usual, the boys came down to the B stage after a couple songs, and I was on Harry’s usual side. He was back and forth blowing kisses and waving to people as usual.
Then he saw me and my flag. He looked at me, then looked very deliberately over at the flag I was waving around, and gave me a tiny smile and blew me a kiss.
I kept the flag out the rest of the night and shook it kind of pointedly at Liam during Drag Me Down, though I didn’t think he saw me. But then during Diana, Liam came over and pointed at me with a little nod at the flag. Just a little, yup, I see you. It felt perfectly friendly, so I don’t think Liam has a problem with rainbows anymore, if he ever did.
Not long after, Louis came over to our side, and he also pointed at the flag and nodded to me. Again, just a very, very quick acknowledgement.
But the best part was during You and I, when we did the Color Lights rainbow fan action, and let me tell you, it was incredible. I don’t know if anyone would have noticed it if they didn’t know what to look for, but as I looked around the stadium, I saw so many brightly colored lights in every section. I had been kind of afraid there wouldn’t be many, but there were SO MANY. I was blown away.
But the most incredible thing came a minute or so in. Harry was up at the front of the B stage at the far left microphone. He twisted around and stared directly at me as I waved my blue-lighted phone in the air. He kept looking at me and then pointed right at me. Then he pointed at me again, like he was really trying to make sure he had my attention. When I smiled at him, he pointed at my phone and then gave me a thumbs up before turning back around.
So yeah. Harry totally knew about the fan action. He saw my light and knew exactly what it was. I think he also pointed at a girl with a green light straight ahead of him, but she was a few rows back, so I’m not sure she saw.
Oh, and also Harry grabbed a different rainbow flag and ran the catwalk with it and then gave a beautiful (and very pointed) speech about love of all kinds. But you know all of that already.
After the show, I was sitting down in my seat to swap out my shoes. A couple of girls who had been a row behind us complimented my flag and then said, “Harry kept looking at you. Harry just loved you.”
So yeah. Thank you, Harry (and thank you, Amazon Prime next day shipping!) I have no way to know how Harry identifies himself, but he made it clear in Boston (as he has so many other times) that he is family regardless. It means the world to me, even as relatively old I am for this fandom, and I can only imagine that it means even exponentially more to younger fans who may be struggling with their identity and the acceptance of the world around them. Harry definitely knows that, and shows in every way he can that we have, at the very least, his whole-hearted support.
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