Pride 2005 Recap
This year’s Pride Week was one of the best ever. Large crowds, virtually no hecklers, not unbearable heat for the parade, and the police were almost friendly. What more could you ask for?
Some of the highlights of the week were:
- The Friday night showing of the documentary “Tying the Knot” by Women of Color and OUT-OK at Church of the Open Arms. This film explored the many issues behind the gay marriage debate and focused on two couples where the death of one of the partners left the other in a legal battle fighting for what would be rightfully theirs could they have married. In attendance was one of the men featured in the film, Sam, an Oklahoma rancher who lost his partner Earl of 25 years.
- Herland’s Pride Picnic with over 150 people attending. The entertainment was great, the food was good, and many old friends showed up including Marla O. back from France for a visit, and Wanda C. with her granddaughter Sommer, now 13 years old.
- Moodswing at the festival on Saturday evening. We heard rave reviews about this all-women band from everyone who attended.
- Herland’s Float in the Pride Parade. Thanks to the efforts of Cheryl, Karen, Andy, Kendra, Andrea, Dominique, Margaret, Chris, Ashley (10 years old), Michaela (5 years old), and several others, Herland had a float in this year’s parade. The team made a replica of the Herland building facade and then stationed women at each corner of the float holding signs advertising different Herland activities. The group threw mini-Frisbees and other novelties advertising Herland to the crowd.
- And, speaking of the crowd, it was tremendous. Running the gauntlet at the end of the Strip was an awesome experience this year. The roar of the crowd was louder than any previous year and the surge of energy and excitement was incredible. For a couple of women in the Herland contingent, this was their first parade and they were truly amazed. (If you’ve never had the experience of running the gauntlet, you should do it at least once.)
- The Block Party on the Strip after the Parade. The Strip was kept blocked off to traffic for the remainder of the evening and hundreds of partiers crammed the streets for hours.