Baltimore Has Pride
Yes its true, Baltimore has Pride. This past Saturday ( and continuing today, Sunday June 17th), Baltimore City is representing its Pride for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Trans-gendered (LGBT) Community with its annual Pride Festival. Now it should be noted that the Pride festival isn't just for members of the LGBT Community, it's really for everyone.
Lets face it, our world is different and diverse. Everyone you might meet is different, so why not celebrate our diversity together and have a great time doing it? Baltimore's Pride festival was my first Pride ever, and I will be going back again. The streets are filled with people dancing, laughing, and showing their love for each other. Its a safe and comfortable environment for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and also heterosexual couples to appreciate each other and show their support for the hardships we all endure.
We started our day by just getting a feel for the different atmosphere and areas. The streets were packed with vendors, food, beverage stands and of course, fun loving couples. The event centered around a large stage where the resident MC Drag Queen kept the crowd entertained. Around 4 in the afternoon the parade began, and everyone cleared way for the floats and beads to come flying by. Drag Queens in cars, LGBT church and bowling groups and many more waved and cheered along with the crowd, and even the current mayor of Baltimore Shelia Dixon came out to show her support.
After the parade came more dancing, singing and enjoying the surroundings. Now, I should note one big thing. The Pride festival isn't inappropriate for children. I saw many different couples, heterosexual and homosexual alike, with their children out. After all the point wasn't to exploit adult circumstances, but rather to share love and friendship. There were lots of booths with fruit smoothies and hamburgers, so there were tons of great choices to snack on. The weather was warm that day, so everyone was in lighter clothing like t-shirts and shorts, but there wasn't anything too intense.
The night came and more people gathered as the DJ's began to spin great music. My group grabbed a quick bite to eat at a place called the City Cafe (post coming soon) and went back out to the party. I have to say that this was one of the best nights I've had in a long time. I recommend looking up your city's Pride festival and giving it a go, even if you aren't LGBT, trust me, they won't care and you'll have a great time!
visit: www.baltimorepride.org for more information
Photographs supplied by Drew Heartley (dshphoto@yahoo.com)
