Rainbow flags and balloons fluttered in the wind as people from all over Lane County gathered to celebrate the 15th annual Pride festival at Alton-Baker park, with the theme “Pride not Prejudice.”
Festival organizers said Pride is an opportunity for members of the gay community to come together and celebrate who they are without fear of judgment. The festival, which is one of many gay pride events held around the world, is a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, festival coordinator Jer Megowan said. The riots, which were a response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, are considered to be the turning point of the gay rights movement, he said.
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, who attended and spoke at the event, said she views Pride as an event where people can celebrate both their differences and commonalties. She said she views Eugene as a city that is “pretty far along” in its understanding of human rights and that everyone has something to gain from living in a city which embraces diversity.
Performers from around Oregon entertained the crowd. Acts included musicians, dancers and the local SheBang! drag troupe, which drew loud cheers from the audience.
The day was kicked off by the Spin Cycle Squares, a Eugene-based gay and lesbian square dancing group. Dancers clad in rainbow tie-dye twirled their partners to the music as a caller announced dance moves.
The group, which belongs to the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs, has performed all around the country, spokeswoman Wendy EagleWolfe said. She said the group offers lessons to any new members and that there are few requirements to join.
“Two left feet are optional, but not required,” she said.
In between performances, festival-goers wove their way among the many informational booths sponsored by non-profit groups and political organizations.
Breathe Free, the Oregon LGBTQ Coalition against Tobacco, shared a table with the Portland-based Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center to tell people about how tobacco companies target LGBTQ people, particularly youth, smyrc youth leader E Dominguez said.
Dominguez said gay and transgendered youth are more than twice as likely to smoke as their peers. The group tries to educate the LGBTQ community on tobacco because companies try to paint themselves as gay-friendly by advertising in gay publications and offering money to sponsor booths at pride
festivals, but then give money to politicians who sponsor anti-gay rights legislation.
Another booth was run by the Religious Response Network, a group of 12 churches in Eugene that formed two years ago in response to the passing of Oregon’s constitutional Amendment prohibiting gay marriage. Because much of the argument in favor of Amendment 36 was religious in nature, the churches in the network wanted to show that there are churches that are open to members of the gay community, group member Clifton Johnson said.
“So many lesbians and gays are turned off to religion because they’ve been rejected, so we want to introduce them to congregations that are
welcoming,” he said.
Members of the Democratic Party of Lane County were at Pride signing members up for its LGBTQ caucus. Carol Horne, a precinct committee member, said the establishment of a caucus would give the LGBTQ community formal representation with the state and local government. In addition to formal representation, having a caucus would force politicians to pay attention to LGBTQ issues, she said.
“Speaking as me, a queer, we have the opportunity to make sure the local party is not afraid to say the word ‘gay,’” she said.
Festival organizers said they were pleased with the turnout. About 1750 people attended and organizers finished the day less than $10 away from making enough money to cover all the festival’s expenses, Megowan said.
Todd Simmons, a member of the festival committee, said the festival started very well, with almost 400 people showing up in the first two hours. Many festival-goers dressed for the occasion and even some of the dogs who attended wore gay-pride themed bandanas.
“I’m loving it. This is significantly bigger than the last one I was at. This is a great start,” he said. Simmons said Pride has traditionally been held on a Sunday, and attributed the large turnout to the switch to a Saturday festival.
Springfield resident Christian Clouser described Pride as too laid-back and mellow for his taste. Clouser grew up in the area but spent 13 years living in Portland and
Chicago. He said pride festivals in those cities are much livelier and said that he’d like to see Pride do more to attract younger people. Clouser suggested adding things such as a parade and more contemporary musical acts would help attract a younger, more “jazzed” crowd.
Sally LeDous, the Womenspace advocate for Cottage Grove, liked that Eugene Pride brings out “a lot of older gay people,” but also said more music would help liven things up. She said there should be music broadcasting when live acts are not on stage.
Lane Community College student John Bartlett said he came to Pride to support his friends, who performed with the SheBang! drag troupe. He liked the laid-back crowd and said the mellow atmosphere and folksy music gave the festival a very “Eugenean” feel.
“It’s a very open atmosphere. It’s so comforting to see a place in this day and age where people can be who they are with no fear of response,” Bartlett said. “You see same-sex couples who are able to show their affection in a world that accepts them. It’s nice to be at an event that celebrates togetherness and love.”
Pride not prejudice
Daily Emerald
August 14, 2006
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