Written by:
Kelli Dunham
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this Issue of Curve:
18#5
Rainbow flags, ho hum. Oh gee, another pink triangle butt plug? What a surprise. More drag queens? Yawn.
If that’s how you reacted to your most recent Pride outing, it might be time to leave your cynicism at home and make a Pride pilgrimage. You’ll be much less likely to run into your ex (ick) or your therapist (double ick) and some cities that are not typical Pride destinations can nevertheless put on quite a party. Here’s a few worth traveling to:
Big-City Event, Down-Home Feel: Ferndale, Mich. (motorcitypride.com)
Motor City Pride can’t logically be considered a small Pride. With more than 35,000 LGBTQ and allied people heading to downtown Ferndale each June to make merry, it’s the biggest event of its kind in Michigan. But while “Detroit” and “Pride destination” are not thought of as synonymous, perhaps they should be.
When asked to describe the activities that take place in the Detroit Metro area over Pride weekend (May 31–June 1), Chene Koppitz, the Triangle Foundation’s director of community events, responded at length. Not only is there a commitment ceremony and a pre-Pride film event, there is also a family picnic, a golf outing and women’s events organized by Where the Girls Are. On the day of the festival, things are rounded out with tons of entertainment, a doggie drag show, a car show, a beer garden and designated family and youth areas, with special activities for both groups. Koppitz explains, “Everyone, no matter who they are or what they want or need from our event...can find what they’re looking for at Motor City Pride.”
If you’re visiting downtown Ferndale in the days before Pride weekend, keep a close eye on area businesses; a Pride-themed window display contest helps local stores conjure up the festival mood.
Come One, Come All: Billings, Mont. (prideinbillings.org)
Montana folks are wonderfully understated. When asked what’s special about their Pride celebration, board member Traci Briske explains, “Montana is a big state and sometimes we don’t get to see friends, with the exception of special occasions. Just because Pride is being held in Billings, doesn’t mean that [people in] Helena or Missoula don’t participate in making the wonderful event happen.”
Considering that Montana is more than 600 miles long and 250 miles wide, the fact that the entire state cooperates to make the event happen seems just a tad shy of a happy rainbow miracle.
If you head to Montana Pride (which this year will be held in Billings; the location changes every two years), June 20–22, come prepared for a full party. You’ll find vendors where you can get tattooed or pierced (or maybe both), a political rally, a breakfast gathering on Saturday and a nondenominational worship service on Sunday morning. But don’t let all this homo-happiness distract you from the Montana Pride parade, which is led by gay veterans. Allied community groups, including local churches and, yes, the Shriners, participate too. (And, Diane Anderson-Minshall, CURVE’s executive editor, will be the grand marshal this year.)
Not that everything has always been smooth for the Pride wranglers in this Western state. Before the last parade Briske says, “We did have quite the [antigay] blog going in the Billings Gazette. But those people who sat behind their computers didn’t show up at the parade.” Robin McClure, co-chair of the Pride committee, says, “We did have one lone protester, and it was really rather sad because the kid couldn’t even spell his derogatory words properly.”
It’s more than OK in OKC: Oklahoma City (okcpride.org)
I have a bit of a personal history with Oklahoma City Pride. More than a decade ago, I sat in a coffee shop two blocks away from where the parade passed and nearly pulled a muscle in my neck trying to see all the action. I was a sophomore at a local Bible college that routinely kicked people out for “particular friendships,” and I didn’t want to risk my scholarship for a closer look at what was happening with my people.
Cathy Charish, co-chair of the festival, says of those early days of the parade, “At the first OKC Pride parade…the city’s KKK leaders decided they would protest and run off the ‘fags,’ but when they saw the large numbers of LGBT participants, they got in their vehicles and left in a hurry.”
Twenty-one years later, the parade has grown into a three-day event that attracts LGBT folks from as far away as Kansas and Texas, as well as supportive allies from the community. This year, OKC Pride starts with an evening parade beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 20, followed by a two-day festival at nearby Memorial Park.
The very energetic Pride association also sponsors other activities throughout the weekend including a drag bingo night, a formal “gayla” event and a volunteer appreciation dinner. Herland Sister Resources, the local women’s organization, traditionally schedules a picnic on Saturday afternoon.
Oklahoma City is known for its friendliness (I was once in a 12-car pileup there during an ice storm; everyone went for a congenial coffee afterward) and the Pride festivities are no exception. Organizers have built a “double back” into the parade route, so that folks who are part of the parade can get to see the other participants strut their stuff. Yup, right friendly.
Hippies, Hipsters and Lesbians: Eugene, Ore. (eugenepride.org)
Eugene has the reputation of being a hotbed of hippie culture; it is also completely surrounded by breathtaking Pacific Northwest beauty. If the town had a signature fragrance, it would definitely contain both patchouli and wildflowers. While Eugene’s is the second largest Pride celebration in Oregon (only Portland’s is bigger), it still retains a distinct coziness.
This year, Eugene’s Pride festivities take place on Saturday, Aug. 9. There is no parade, but you can soak up some local culture before the festival by exploring the downtown Eugene Saturday Market. At the outdoor market, which has been around since 1970, you can find all things tie-dyed, eat groovy food, buy original crafts and sign petitions for a few dozen progressive causes. The Pride festival starts at noon at Alton Baker Park, a large open area. You will never have to fight your fellow queer for a parking spot here.
Eugene doesn’t have a designated gay bar, but when you’ve had enough of the festival you can make your way to nearby Skinner Butte Park. The park (no, it was not named by Bart Simpson, and locals are very much over that joke) is the perfect place to watch the sunset. Want to make it a weekend? You can spend Sunday exploring Eugene’s many bike trails or go to one of the Pacific beaches, which are less than 45 minutes away. “Because summers in the Eugene area tend to be mild,” explains Jer Megowan, festival coordinator, “people here actually enjoy the outdoors.”
Birkenstocks on the Beach: Jersey Pride in Asbury Park, New Jersey (jerseypride.org)
The oft-maligned New Jersey seems more likely to be the punchline for late-night talk show monologue jokes than a LGBT mecca, but Jersey Pride actually started as a result of the state legislature’s discussion of gay-friendly legislation.
Laura Pople, one of the founders of Jersey Pride Incorporated (JPI) and the president since it was incorporated in 1994, explains, “New Jersey was the fifth state to have sexual orientation added to the laws prohibiting discrimination, yet New Jersey folks still had to make the trek to Philadelphia or New York to celebrate Pride.”
Harnessing energy from the fight to pass this legislation, the first Pride event was organized in under six months; the parade marched up the historic Asbury Park boardwalk. The event has grown over the years, but much of original spirit stays the same. “We really have wanted to showcase the strength and uniqueness of New Jersey. We acknowledge that we are suburban state, that’s part of the reason why we are in a park and we wanted to be near the Jersey Shore,” Pople said. “Near” is nearly a euphemism: Jersey Pride’s festival is across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. Festival-goers often pop over for a wade or a swim on hot days and the salt spray can almost be felt on the main stage.
This year Jersey Pride will be held on June 1. The parade starts at noon from the municipal center on Main Street. At the festival, in addition to entertainment and booths for both commercial and nonprofit community enterprises, there are children’s activities all day, including rides, inflatables and a family stage with kid-friendly entertainment. Pets are also wholeheartedly welcome, with dogs, ferrets and even the occasional potbellied pig all in attendance.
Jersey Pride Incorporated is also the sponsor or co-sponsor of many other related activities on Pride weekend, which this year will include a gay prom and a leather block party, among many other events.
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