June 3-5, 2016 was the 40th annual Dayton
Pride festival. Friday evening, June 3, kicked off the experience with a beer
and food truck event in Courthouse Square downtown, which served as the center
of Dayton Pride festivities. Later Friday night, there was a .5 kilometer bar
crawl sponsored by Svedka vodka. Saturday festivities included a breakfast at
MJ’s on Jefferson Street, the Pride parade at noon, Pride festival from 12-4 pm
in Courthouse Square, followed by the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus at 8 pm in the
Victoria Theatre. Sunday activities included a 5k run/walk sponsored by PFLAG
and a round robin kickball tournament from noon to 6 pm.
I recently relocated to Cincinnati from Florida. I
have attended Gay Pride celebrations in multiple cities, mostly in South
Florida, but on June 4th, I attended my first ever Pride event in
Ohio at Dayton Pride. Not only was this my first Ohio Pride event, but my first
trip to Dayton as well. I tried not to have too many expectations as to what it
would be like. But I did know that it would be the smallest Pride event I have ever
attended.
I arrived in Dayton on Saturday around 11:30 am to
watch the parade staging activities. There was palpable excitement in the air
and choruses of “Happy Pride” rang out between friends and strangers alike. The
sun was shining, although rain clouds threatened and finally burst in
mid-afternoon. The visible police presence smoothed traffic issues for attendees
and Dayton residents to minimize driving delays. After visiting the staging
area, I walked along the first street of the parade route for several blocks,
soaking in the atmosphere and listening in on conversations. Visitors to MJ’s
spilled onto the outdoor patio, which provided a great viewing spot for the
parade. Large and small rainbow flags were on sale from street vendors as well
as other pride items. I found a spot on the curb towards the beginning of the
parade route to watch, take notes, and pictures. Just down the sidewalk from
me, a 30-something individual explained to her friend that she had been
attending Dayton Pride events since the age of 16. She recounted her amazement at
how Dayton Pride events and attendance had grown through the years, a sentiment
echoed by a number of people during the afternoon festival.
The parade began a few minutes after noon, and for the
next 35 minutes, individuals, floats, and other vehicles followed the parade route
ending in Courthouse Square at Festival booths and vendors.
There were visible
representatives from all spectrums of the LGBTQ community as well as a number
of community allies. A number of parade participants were from various church
organizations, such as The Center for Spiritual Living, Unitarian Universalist church, and David’s
United Church of Christ. Walgreens and Kroger had large contingents as well. The
color green seemed to be the theme of the day, as several organizations, such
as the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, marched in matching green t-shirts. Equality
Ohio had a visible presence, as well as GLSEN of Greater Dayton, PFLAG, and
LGBTQ members from local colleges and Wright State University. Floats for
Dayton bars were sponsored by Tito’s and Stoli vodka. I was dismayed and
disappointed that HRC (Human Rights Campaign), my favorite civil rights
organization, seemed to be missing in action in the parade, although they had a
small booth at the festival. Due to the GLSEN contingent and student marchers
from a local school, there were a number of children marching in the parade as
well. These children were made to feel welcome at the festival in an area for
children and families fittingly called “Rainbow Land,” which was new to the
festival this year.
As the marchers rounded the final street corner and entered
Courthouse Square, they were greeted on the left by several individuals holding
signs that read “Homo sex is sin Romans 1” and “Repent of your sins Believe the
gospel Obey Jesus Mark 1:15.” There was also an individual with a megaphone as
well, yelling at people to repent or face hellfire. Instinctively, parade
viewers with large rainbow flags moved in front of the picketers, shielding
them from the marchers’ view. I was somewhat shocked to see the picketers, as I
was unable to recall any other gay event I had attended where there were
picketers, especially a Gay Pride event. Throughout the afternoon, most of the
festival attendees ignored the picketers, although later in the afternoon they
became louder and more unruly and aggressive. In response to their increasing
volume an aggressive tone, the emcee asked festival goers to treat the
protestors in a loving and civil manner. I was proud to see that happening for
the most part, although I heard multiple comments within the crowd that the protestors
should be physically removed from the festivities. Their presence was a
tangible symbol of the work that is still needed in promoting LGBT civil rights
in Ohio.
During the festival, I was able to speak with a number
of individuals about the work of their organizations and what the festival
meant to them, personally. Equality Ohio volunteers were signing up individuals
for mailing and volunteer lists. They provided pamphlets on a number of current
legal issues affecting the Ohio LGBT community, such as bathroom bills and
conversion therapy. A member of the Center for Spiritual Living (Greater
Dayton) reported that this was her sixth appearance at Dayton Pride, but she
believed the Center had participated for at least the past eight years. Walgreens
employees conveyed to me that it was important for them to have a visible
presence; they view this type of community outreach as essential to show their
support for equality. Medical students at Wright State University expressed
they were visiting classes of their fellow medical students and conveying to
them some of the unique experiences and challenges of the LGBT community in
interacting with medical professionals. Kevin Mabry, the Co-Chairman of GLSEN
of Greater Dayton, explained to me the exciting and important work they are
doing in middle and high schools. I hope to provide more in-depth interviews
and information about this important work in future issues.
Although I was only able to attend the Dayton Pride
festivities on Saturday, I was buoyed by the optimistic tone of the festival
goers and volunteers at the festival. Although we realize there is a long way
to go in our journey to full equality for all members of our community, it is
an exciting time to be an LGBT American. Attendance at Dayton Pride was robust
and the younger generation was well-represented. Although admittedly different
from my past Gay Pride experiences, I was able to appreciate the hope and
optimism conveyed by festival attendees and volunteers alike. In the wake of
the Orlando tragedy on June 12th, I have realized that these events are even
more important for our community. It is vitally important to convey hope, love,
optimism, pride, support, and acceptance as we connect and reconnect with our LGBTQ
brothers and sisters and heterosexual allies. Although Pride month has brought
positive and negative experiences for our community, we must always remember
that love and civility are the only ways to overcome the hate directed at our
community.
Porter,
N. (July 2016). Dayton celebrates 40th
Pride Fest. The Gay Word, 25(2),
22-23.
No comments:
Post a Comment