Apr 24, 2009  |  By: James Worsdale  | COMMENTS     

Despite the nation’s economic woes, the spirit of Pride remains strong, particularly in light of the recent marriage news in Iowa and Vermont and the commemoration of the 40-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

Capital Pride Week is slated for June 5 to 14 and is under the leadership of Dyana Mason, the new executive director of Capital Pride Alliance. Mason, a lesbian, was formerly executive director of Equality Virginia.

Mason says there will be a heavy focus on the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, which she says is “arguably the birth of the gay rights movement.”

“What a great way to demonstrate the strides that our community has taken,” Mason says. “It’s a really clear indication of how far we’ve come and after having been the director of Equality Virginia, I can say that first hand.”

Capital Trans Pride and Latino Pride run as complementary Capital Pride Week events and are slated for June 6 and 12 respectively.

This year, Capital Trans Pride is officially affiliated with Capital Pride Alliance, whereas in the past Trans Pride events were separate.

Jessica McKinnon, chair of Capital Trans Pride and a trans woman, says the change will make the relationship between Trans Pride and Capital Pride “more positive than it had been.”

McKinnon says the direct affiliation has helped each group “take advantage of each other’s strengths” and cited minimal conflict between organizing forces.

“This is only our third year but now we feel we’re at a point where we feel more accepted within the community,” McKinnon says.

Other groups also will stage their own events.

Hyacinth Alvaran is co-chair of D.C. Pride and Heritage, a coalition of local community-based organizations for the Asian/Pacific Islander LGBT population.

Pride and Heritage’s 10th anniversary celebration this year, slated for May 2, parallels May’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Alvaran says they’ll be recognizing longtime Asian LGBT activists, specifically Shiva Subbaraman, the first director of the LGBTQ Resource Center at Georgetown University.

“It is similar [to Capital Pride] but there is a bit of a distinction,” Alvaran says. “It is not only celebrating our pride as LGBT people but also celebrating our heritage as Asian persons.”

She also says the group has been taking advantage of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to reach out to straight people in the Asian community to “carve a particular space for Asian LGBT people to celebrate both parts of their identities in both communities.”

Jose Gutierrez is the founder and facilitator of Latino Pride, which he started to “bring something with more focus on Latinos and Latinas” than Capital Pride could offer.

Race, gender identity and sexuality categories are only some identity threads that have brought about Pride events. Age is another.

Youth Pride Day is an annual festival for LGBT youth in Washington with informational tables of services and social groups, a stage program including coming-out testimonials and a dance event dubbed “Infatuation.” This year’s event happens Saturday.

Paul Marengo, Youth Pride director, is actively involved in community organizing and event planning as a member of Cherry Fund and main organizer of Cherry Weekend. He says Youth Pride is “probably one of the easiest events because of youth’s flexibility in standards and interests.”

“One of the things I try to do is make sure we reach all the different demographics,” Marengo says.
He says their common bond helps to transcend other factors that may divide them in a setting where they are more vulnerable.

“When you’re in school it’s a little more intense than when you’re at Youth Pride Day,” he says. “Youth Pride Day provides youth with a safe space where youth can express themselves.”

Mason credits her large volunteer pool for her success thus far as executive director, a sentiment Gutierrez echoes. He anticipates a higher demand for volunteers than in previous years.

“People are always calling me saying ‘Jose, are you really going to do this a third time?’” Gutierrez says. “And when I tell them yes they quickly say, ‘How can I help you? How can I help the community?’”