PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

PRIDE FEST
by Branden Dudek Thursday, Nov. 07, 2002 at 3:29 PM
branden@cease.info 724-650-0621

Come to the preliminary meeting of PRIDE FEST to ask for fundamental changes in this event.

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Greenwich Village, 1969: the trannies, faggots and dykes were fucking tired of being arrested and hiding in bars. Our sisters and brothers were constantly harassed and sent to jail; arrestees� names were published in the paper and they were fired from their jobs. These people were arrested for being �perverts�. In the steamy summer of 1969 police attempted a raid on the Stonewall Inn only to find a new breed of �deviants�, one that was revolutionary and ready to fight back. These queers holed themselves up in the bar and later escaped to the streets, overturning cop cars and setting fire to their oppression. This was the birth of a new era, one for civil liberties, love and revolution. Unfortunately, commercialism, AIDS and apathy attacked the gay community stronger than any police unit could. We eventually turned to political platforms, ballots and target marketing to fulfill our movement.

It is no longer illegal to be gay in America, but you can still be fired or denied housing for it in a lot of states. Since the Queer Liberation in the 70�s our movement has become a homogenous adaptation of conservative heterosexual society. We rioted against police in 1969 and vowed to deconstruct sexuality and build it into a more healthy and compassionate non-institution, yet we now find ourselves letting these police escort us down the street in our parades. Gays are convinced they are free, or just haven�t thought about it much. Queers once battled against oppressions such as homophobia, violence, and imprisonment but now gays create institutions of classism, racism and sexism. We host these harmful institutions in our communities, they are bottled up expressions of our lack of pride and self-worth. We have been consumed by alcohol and drug companies and sell our souls to the highest fashion guru.

Gay �pride� has simply become another emotion for corporations and government to bottle up and sell to us in designer special-edition Prada day bags. Pittsburgh PRIDE FEST is the epitome of such expression. The organizers will host PRIDE FEST�s preliminary meeting to plan issues such as date, location, theme, entertainment, volunteers, etc. The meeting will begin at 7:00pm at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center located at 5808 Forward Avenue (the corner of Murray and Forward Avenues) in Squirrel Hill. Let�s join them at this meeting so that we can voice our concerns and affect social changes within the gay community by:

• Requesting that PRIDE be held somewhere other than Shadyside (one of the richest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh);
• Questioning why sponsors can decide who is allowed in the parade and what order we can march in;
• Asking the organizers what motives are behind �professional conduct� and why is it so important that they would remove any �offenders�;
• Suggesting that non-profit organizations not be charged for space unless they are selling stuff (Currently $50 for �community outreach and Non Profit Organizations�);
• Promote political and social agenda rather than pure entertainment and shopping theme.
• Determining what their money is spent on and help find other ways to support pride than corporate sponsorship;
• Asking if we can host workshops and skill shares and make PRIDE a learning environment, not just an outside mall.

Queer people must not settle for being sold. It is our right and duty to question all oppression and find ways to call it to our peer�s attention and develop ways to resolve it. You can come to this meeting and show solidarity for all people and instigate a resurrection of radical queer values. Let�s show the gay movement where it came from and why it is so important to remember what we all fought against and what we must fight against still. We can come together and outline our disparity and help build a future void of commercialism, classism, racism and all oppression so that future generations can know what it�s like to be a person not labeled by sexuality or any other oppressive categories. It is time to join the progressive movement and fight for freedom of all people.

RESYST all forms of oppression: make way for expression! There is a new forum in Pittsburgh for progressive queer people. It�s called RESYST and it meets twice a month at the Thomas Merton Center. Please contact Marie at tmc.development@verizon.net for more information on meeting dates and times and how to get involved.

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TITLE	AUTHOR	DATE
Pride Fest	George Kanakis	Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2002 at 7:29 AM
Meeting Date	Branden	Friday, Nov. 08, 2002 at 2:58 PM
hell fuckinh ya!	-	Thursday, Nov. 07, 2002 at 5:28 PM