Theme: Generations 2008 Celebrating 20 years of pride


On Saturday June 21, 2008 the Cleveland Pride LGBT Organization hosted its annual pride day parade and festival in down town Cleveland at the Voinovich Park by the water. All the parade participants and venders gather downtown around 11:00 A.M. on the corner of West 3rd and St. Clair near Rockwell Street to register in and be placed in the assign order for the step off parade.

As I walked around from corner to corner and crossing the streets as everyone gathered and started setting up their props etc. I was excited and proud to hear  local residents watching and shooting out words of pride words of encouragement. I could look back in time at the days when cities would not allow any type of gay/homosexual marches such as the one today.

Yes the gay communities have come a long way. It's time for a change and it looks like our times have come to help make this change come about. As Senator Barack, Obama shoots with authority Yes We Can Oh Yes We Can. Has help set the stage give the LGBT community hope as they move to reach another milestone.

It would be robbery to not mention the Grand DAME Brynna Fish, MSW
Brynna Fish who has been a social activist and "rabble rouser" all of her life. Cleveland Pride is honored to have her serve as the event's Grand Dame of Ceremonies. Landing in Cleveland in 1979, this community organizer and advocate has invested three decades of service, strengthening the LGBT community in Northeast Ohio.

Fish's passion for the LGBT community coupled with her creative vision has left its mark in many ways, the largest being the annual Cleveland LGBT Parade and Festival. Both as a volunteer and then as the paid coordinator, Fish has held Pride together for twenty years. Her contributions on the current version of the Pride Festival include creating the three entertainment stages. Fish has worked with hundreds of Pride committees, board members and volunteers and is thrilled that this, the most dynamic Board yet, has given her the honor of the 2008 Pride Parade and Festival Grand Dame.

While all of the parade participants are getting ready for the parade one of the P-Flag members was proudly waving and holding a Gay Pride flag with all of it's colorful colors I ask what was her name and she go by the name Barbi.

I stood and watch a team work so well together making sure everything was in order and everyone knew where and when to be in place for the parade. This was the Cleveland LGBT staff and volunteers I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the pride staff nd volunteers who have been and still working hard with the committee in making this 2008 event step off with a bang.

A few step over I found the LGBT @ Case western group holding and promoting their banner.

Across the street I notice a group unloading their vehicles and wearing white T-shirts proudly campaigning for Peter Lawson Jones County Commissioner Democrat they all had such a pleasant smile I had to take their photo I'm sure you will agree with me this photo is priceless.

I walked further down the line and came up to the Obama Pride group here in support of pride day and promoting Senator Barack Obama for President.

Then I looked off to my left and seen and heard this lively group of individuals just dancing and cheering while preparing for the parade. The Cleveland AIDS Task Force Group. If you was not in the spirit all you had to do is hang around this group and before you knew it you was dancing to the music and beats with them.

It is now 12:00 and the crowd all went silence in a silent prayer for all the love ones who was not a live or in attendance for this year event. Then the Cleveland Police Department leads the parade down its path. As the parade procession down the streets of down-town Cleveland there we're people every where standing and coming out of building offices looking on as the parade passed by them. Then on one side of the street there was the anti-gay protesters shout out there chats but to my surprise the supporting crowed voices got loader to the point for drowning out the anti-gay voice.

As I arrived to the park where the Festival was been held I came across the Emmanuel Fellowship from Akron Ohio who came to Cleveland to take part in this 2008 Pride parade.

There was so many venders I could not photo all of them but I did come across to one booth with a few ladies who made crafts to raise funding to support there newly organize group/organization, called Naked Phat Ladies I had to laugh with them. They don't have a web site as of yet but if you would like to get in contact with them you can call one of there members at (216) 323-6978 to learn of get more information about their group.

As I was preparing to leave I visited one more booth it was a joy and a pleasure to come across the Aflac booth. I took a photo of one of the Aflac reprehensive and a gentleman who was looking of things in the booth who is now holding a Aflac duck which is now his for posing in the photo and of course I got my own duck too but I had to pull tooth and nails to get it ( Just joking ).

The pride festival is by no way over it is just getting fired up with lots of entertainment yet to come through out the evening with contests, and other schedule performances to come to mention a few: Dario, Jaclyn Bradley, Tracey Walker, Bitch & Ferron.

There are more exciting events coming up in the future here in Cleveland. Please come back to our web site regular to hear of those events and read about the events.

There was more than 40 plus participants who taken part in the parade processional and to name a few.

 

AIDS Task Force Melissa " Cha-Cha " Figueroa ( Stop AIDS Today) (Former American Idol Contestant) Blazing River Freedom Band Men's Discussion Group Bridget McCafferty, Judge Mercy for Animals Brynna Fish Metro Health Gay Straight Alliance ( Cleveland Pride Grand Dame 2008 ) {GSA} and Pride Clinic CinnaMone Motor Bikes Cleveland Cocktails North Coast Softball Cleveland Fetish Community Obama for America Cleveland Kings and Girls Oberlin High School Gay Straight Alliance Cleveland Couples Together County Dancers OLOC Paco Martinez, Mr.Ohio Gay Pride, Maria (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change) Garrison, Miss Ohio Gay Pride Clinic Pride Emmanuel Fellowship Equality Ohio PACT Cleveland Kaiser Permanente

First Grace United Church of Christ First Unitarian Church of Cleveland UCI Mounted Unit Lynn McLaughlin Murray for Judge Universalist Church of Akron Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church RAMONA WEST RETRO RYDER ( Queen of Country ) ( Free shuttle to Clifton Arts Festival ) Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church  Stonewall Democrats of Summit County Fairlawn West United Church of Christ LGBT @ Case Western Reserve University Euclid Avenue Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ Franklyn W. Singley, Gay Games VII Gold Medalist, Men's Figure Skating ( Level 9 ) & Coach Mark Lang PFLAG Cleveland Rainbow Wranglers GANLEY Chevrolet HE SAID / SHE SAID Human Rights Campaign Trans Family