Black LGBT celebrates on the beach

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - During the weekend of Aug 7 to 9, Black gay men and women from all walks of life set up tents and spread their blankets on the beach in Cherry Grove for the 7th Annual Fire Island Black Out.

Over three days, members of the Black gay community, from New York City and farther afield, became recognizable faces on the playground of New York City's more affluent gay community at Fire Island.

 

According to James Wellons, CEO of Fire Island Black Out, LLC (FIBO), a corporation based in Philadelphia, PA, this year's event, which featured beach sports and parties at the Crystal Palace hotel, and attracted close to 3,200 people, was a success. FIBO, since being co-founded in 2003 by John Goodman, II, and eventual sale to Wellons, who established a corporation and a board; as an annual summer event has become a staple in the calendar of the Black gay community and a part of the overall celebrations of Black Pride. Beginning with a fund raising reception on Friday evening at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Islip, Wellons and the FIBO Advisory Board greeted close to 125 people who had gathered to support the Ali Forney Center, a homeless shelter for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in the City, raising an estimated $2,000 for the Center, and $500 to the Cherry Grove Doctor's Fund. Also at the reception, Steven Gordon, spoke of the work Ali Forney Center does and services it provides to the LGBT community, Wellons introduced a new board, and made a special presentation to Goodman.

Beginning early Saturday morning, the Fire Island ferries worked double time plying the Long Island Sound transporting the numbers of people hoping to meet up with others, party, and enjoy the effects of the three "Ss," sun, sand and sea. On the beach, arrivals who registered received at the FIBO hospitality tent unique temporary FIBO tattoos, which identified the wearers as eligible for discounts from Cherry Grove merchants and which granted access to the Ice Palace pool and shower facilities.

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City activists and promoters prepare for annual Labor Day "Black Pride" celebration

By Sr. Correspondent, D. Kevin McNeir

Black Pride celebrations begin each year April, traditionally beginning in Austin (Texas), Philadelphia and then Washington, D.C. right around Memorial Day Weekend. So it should be no surprise that an estimated 75,000 are expected to swoop down on the city of Atlanta like the birds of Capistrano to take part in the country's largest cultural event promoting a positive look at SGL and LGBTQ communities of color and African descent.

 

The 13th Annual Atlanta Black Pride celebration runs Sept. 2 - 7 during the Labor Day Weekend and is presented by In the Life Atlanta (ITLA) Inc. This year the bulk of the activities, not including the numerous parties that promoters and private hosts will sponsor throughout the area, will be held at The Grand Atlanta Hyatt in Buckhead. "ITLA is still here and still here for you and we [will] continue to provide safe spaces that affirm the lives and contributions of Black gays and lesbians because of the perseverance and determination of our outstanding volunteers," said Raymond R. Duke, president, ITLA board of directors, in a prepared statement.

The weekend will once again bring parties with a purpose, celebrity appearances and performances, workshops and seminars intended to inspire participants and health and wellness programs to a community that is quite diverse in its likes and dislikes.

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One Celebration of Pride

Jubilation, White Party Cruise, Expo, and James Baldwin, too

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

The battle of the Prides and celebrations -Jubilation and Pride in the City 2009 -began in earnest on Friday, Jul 31 with Jubilation, but James Saunders's and Laurence Pinckney's 7th Annual Moonlight White Party Cruise in New York's harbor, was one highlight of the city's Pride events.

 

Section of crowd at the White Party

On a pleasant summer night, close to 400 people, men and women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight, all garbed in their best white attire, formed an orderly line along Pier 62, and a few minutes after 12:30am, boarded the Spirit Cruise yacht which slipped its moorings and gradually drifted into the darkness over the Hudson River like a ribbon between the two collections of light, the city and the riverain cities of New Jersey.  The boat swung its bow and headed close to the New Jersey side of the river, passed Ellis Island, the Statute of Liberty, where it idled its engines for a few minutes, then to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, at which point it turned around, hugging the Brooklyn side of the estuary, up to the Manhattan Bridge, turned again and slowly inched its way back to its moorings at a few minutes after 4:00am.

White Party organizer James Saunders and DJ Baker, DoDaDirty Show

On board, there were three levels of merriment: up stairs, on an open deck where the VIP dined at white table cloth service, immediately below were others, and below more people. The second and lower levels each were fitted out with separate DJs with music, separate bars and separate buffets.  On the second level, during the mixture of house, reggae, soca, and even some Anita Baker selections, Tammy Peay, a comedienne who is often featured on the October Nubian Dreams Cruise, emceed the show which included male and female dancers, singing performer Allison Williams, and other hip-hop singers.  There was a best dressed contest, in which many men and women competed; some in simple outfits and others in more elaborate all white ensembles. A few men wore coat-tails, while others were elegantly dressed in simple cut white jackets, pants, hats, and shoes for a summer's evening.

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NYC Black Pride celebrations

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - Following on last year's 11th hour cancellation of the Pride celebrations, this year there are two Pride celebrations, a beach picnic and a boat cruise each vying for the coveted Black gay dollar in these challenging economic times. At a time when many in New York's Black gay community are reeling and suffering from the effects of the recession, and have to make choices which event they would attend, reports suggest that this year, the Black gay community is to be treated to two Pride events, "Jubilation" - A new Era of Pride, from Jul 31 to Aug 2; the 7th Annual Moonlight White Party Boat Cruise scheduled for Aug 1; Pride In The City 2009 - Expressions, from Aug 7 to 9; and the Fire Island Black Out (FIBO) benefiting the Ali Forney Center, a homeless shelter for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, also from Aug 7 to 9.

"Jubilation" -A new Era of Pride was conceived by a group of male and female club and party promoters who met and solicited sponsorships from several health and social service organizations serving the New York Black gay community. Pride in the City -Expressions is an attempt by Atlanta, GA-based National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities, Inc. (NAESM) to seize the reigns of the failed Pride In The City (PITC) events last year, which was hosted by the now defunct People of Color in Crisis (POCC).

The Moonlight White Party Boat Cruise is organized and promoted by James Saunders, the founder of Black Pride NYC, Inc., and Laurence Pinckney. Saunders says that while advance ticket sales are booming, he cautions that the price for tickets available at the pier would be higher.

FIBO, LLC, registered in Pennsylvania, PA and headed by James Wellons, was formed as an organization to promote and host the annual beach event at the Cherry Grove section of Fire Island. This year, a portion of the proceeds from the Fire Island event goes to support the Manhattan, NY-based Ali Forney Center, which has seen reduced funding for its homeless prevention and support programs.

With the exception of PITC 2009, FIBO has succeeded in collecting the support of several organizations and inter-related events, such as Circle of Voices, Inc.; SEWRVE, published by Washington, DC-based Brownstar Enterprises, and Next magazines; The Hilton Garden Inn; and Nubian Dreams Cruise 2.

Sponsors for ""Jubilation"" include Gay Men's Health Crisis, Gay Men of African Descent, Queer Black Cinema, Next Magazine, LezPlay, FP Promo, ShopUntilYouDrop.com, and Men Are From Mars.

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By Antoine Craigwell

 

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It's significance 40 years later

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - With June designated Pride month - celebrations and commemorations this year taking on additional significance - GBMNews.com asks several Black gay men about the meaning for and effect of the Stonewall Riots on the Black gay community 40 years later.


 

The Riots for many Black gay men, which took place in front of the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village in New York City on Jun 28, 1969; was a seminal occurrence in the larger social fabric. It enabled benefits, opened doors and identified safe spaces for Black gay men to express of their sexuality, emerge from the shadows of anonymity, and as an action, cascaded down through the years into tangible activism.

And, while many in the Black gay community recognize that the enduring legacy of the Stonewall Riots provides the impetus for defining the direction

and future of the Black gay community as a body and as a movement, they lament the absence of a viable central Black gay organization to coordinate, be a channel of resources, and talent in the community.

In 1969, as an 11-years-old boy living in Toledo, OH, Kevin McGruder, former executive director of Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) recalls hearing a television announcer mention the "gay liberation front." At the time he did not know what it meant, but as he grew into adulthood and became aware of the Stonewall protests, he was struck by how the numbers of Blacks and Latinos who were involved in that protest were overlooked as the White establishment subsumed it and made it their own. But, being able to be open about his sexuality and to work in and for the Black gay community were benefits, McGruder says, of the effects of the Riots, which was seen as ripples sweeping across the country. It's important, he cautions, as people get caught up in the symbolisms, to remember that some of the strategies used by the gay activists were borrowed from the civil rights movement and that, as is often forgotten, Black gay men and women were also active in the Black liberation movements in spite of some its homophobic and sexist slants.

The gay community had up until the Riots suffered indignities, persecution and injustices from the very people and institutions that were supposed to provide them with protection and ensure their safety as promised under the U.S. Constitution, says GMAD's current executive director Tokes Osubu.

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By Karanja Gaçuça  

Its pride week and to Greet The Press was just the perfect beginning to kick off this week's Pride events here in New York City. Presented by "The Future" a multimedia company targeting the LGBT community, Greet the Press was a spectacular gathering of modern gay media personalities representing print, online media and new media leaders in the black gay media. It was my privilege to have been invited to be one of the panelists on this, what I consider a very important forum produced by Dwight Allen O'Neal, and Richard E. Pelzer II, and co-moderated by Nathan Seven Scott and Cornelius Jones, Jr.


 

The event was billed as one to bring together the faces of the Black gay media, to address our lack of prominence on the national stage, to answer questions on important issues regarding our ability to tell our stories, and to hopefully harness the strength of our numbers into a bigger stronger more united force to reckon with.

I personally think this event succeeded in bringing many of us together and get us acquainted with each other, which I believe is the foundation for collaborative efforts in the future. The panels were broken up into three segments, including a separate panel for each of the three categories represented, i.e. print, online and new media. This gave the audience an opportunity to listen to the various perspectives of all of the panelists over a range of issues. It also gave us panelists the opportunity to express our views being that we were broken into small panels of four or five at a time,, as opposed to the possible fifteen that we could have had, had we all been on the same panel. The various panels addressed questions ranging from what we felt were the barriers to a greater synergy on the part of players in the Black gay media, why, if anything is it important to have a Black gay media, as well as why it might be important to have Black gays represent us in the mainstream media.

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By Rev. Dewey W. Edwards

Cleveland, Ohio hosted their annual Pride Day in downtown Cleveland this weekend.  There were many spectators from all over the Cleveland community and the many participants from other near by cities in the Ohio region. The event kicked off at 12:00 Noon capping off with a festival that concluded  around 9:00 P.M. In addition to the parade events there were many other gay pride events going on through out the " The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World" this past week.


 

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By Justin Smith

DC Black Pride has gone through so much in the past years. But it was better than ever this year. I personally was working on my midterms and now because of my hard work I should be getting my AA in Communications in the mail. Even though Im not done with school I decided that I would celebrate by going to the Bachelors Mill last night with my partner and a couple of friends.

I asked people at the picnic what does pride mean to them and this is what they told me

 

DC Black Pride has gone through so much in the past years. But it was better than ever this year. I personally was working on my midterms and now because of my hard work I should be getting my AA in Communications in the mail. Even though Im not done with school I decided that I would celebrate by going to the Bachelors Mill last night with my partner and a couple of friends. It turned out to be a very nice night with no pretentiousness and surliness. My partner and I danced the night away with my on lookers. When then woke up to coffee and Bloody Marys. Next we set our sights on Darryl Wilsons Picnic which was held in Temple Hills, Maryland off Allentown Rd. There was plenty of pure love everywhere. People Ive missed and people that I always see in my day to day life. We had a blast. My partner and I laid out a picnic blanket and laid out the chicken sauced with peppers, herbs and spices and of course fresh juicy watermelon, which made my mouth water. Even though I was literally at my computer getting my mid-terms completed I have a great time.

 

By Viktor Kerney

You always hear about the lack of a unified Black gay community or how there’s no one leading us in a better direction. And while those are legitimate issues, they sometimes fall on deaf ears. However, there is someone who is listening and that person is doing something about it.

 

Milton Smith saw the need to bring the Black LGBT/SGL community of Los Angeles into the forefront. While there many activist groups, elders and organizations for LGBT people of color, many of them are unaware of each other’s existence. With that in mind, Milton has developed a fantastic outlet to change this ongoing problem…Black Pride Los Angeles.

According to their official website, Black Pride Los Angeles wants to see activities that directly speak to the social, economic, and political concerns of the Black LGBT/SGL community in Los Angeles. Their mission is to promote policy and advocacy, address health disparities, and ensure preservation of the cultural and ethnic identity and relevance among Black LGBT/SGL (Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender/ Same-Gender-Loving) individuals and institutions in Los Angeles. Milton knows this will be a challenge, but is very optimistic. They have the support of International Federation of Black Prides, led by their president, Earl Fowlkes. He is also accompanied by Jasmine Burnett, another LGBT activist, hoping to make L.A. a more inclusive space for Black LGBT /SGL community. Together, they will reach out to younger and older groups to establish an effective and organized force. “Black Pride Los Angeles is more than a get-together,” Milton said. “It will be an on-going event.”

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

 

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic. Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

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By Ashwon Martin

I had the pleasure of meeting a relative new community member through the query of our editor for GBMNews. Let me introduce to you Marcus G. May. Marcus works for the AIDS Community Service in Buffalo, NY; he is also the LGBT Community Outreach Specialist. Marcus was kind enough to give GBMNews an interview; he is also the person who spear headed the first ever Buffalo Black Gay Pride.

 

Q. How did the Buffalo Black Pride come about? A. It started with the life changes group and through networking with other social groups, agencies (Pride Center Western NY) and gay houses.
Q. How long did it take to put the pride event together? A. It took approximately 4 mos. This is was done by street outreach, networking, internet annocements and word of mouth.
Q. What was the community reaction? A. We have had mixed reviews, the Caucasians gave the most opposition; they felt why have an identified ethnic specific pride. June 8th was pride day in Buffalo then we (Black Gay Pride) followed out our own on the 26th of July. The Caucasians thought one was enough.

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By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

After the controversies around DC Black Pride's two events at one time and New York's cancellation Atlanta is going forward with their Pride. Atlanta's pride promises to be filled with family and fun. The weekend is crammed with all sorts of things from parties to workshops from plays/movies to fashion shows.

Among the celebrities heading to town to celebrate Black Gay Pride are actresses Sheryl Lee Ralph and Gabrielle Union, R&B group Danity Kane, singers Chili of TLC and Tweet, and gay porn studs Bobby Blake and Alex "Militia" Castro from "American Gladiators." Several cast members from the upcoming "Noah's Arc" movie will also be in town Sept. 1 previewing clips of arguably the most anticipated black gay film ever.

Wednesday August 27, 2008 - Tuesday September 2, 2008

W Hotel Midtown - Atlanta
188 14TH St NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Category: Festivals
Website: http://www.inthelifeatl.com
Atlanta Black Gay Pride is held every year during Labor Day weekend. As the World's Largest Black Gay Pride celebration, we invite you to join us for a weekend filled with pride, celebration, education, and new experiences for everyone. The theme for 2008, Time to Act, signifies our commitment to accountability and to meeting the needs of Atlanta's residents and visitors.

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Hundreds of gay rights supporters have marched in the Indian capital, Delhi, for the first time.

Gays, lesbians and transgender people gathered in the central Connaught Place area in what was the country's largest ever display of gay pride.

Activists also marched in the cities of Calcutta, which has seen similar events in the past, and Bangalore.

The marchers were demanding an end to discrimination in a society where homosexuality is still illegal.

The gay pride marches are a global event held in the last week of June every year.

They commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York which broke out after police raided a gay bar.

'Celebrating sexuality'

Marchers in Delhi on Sunday shouted "long live queer movement" and danced merrily and waved the rainbow flag, revered by sexual minorities around the world.

"This is for the first time Delhi is organising a pride festival to celebrate sexuality and people of all sexualities," student Mario Depeno was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.

"Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and even straight are coming together here to talk and to celebrate, it's a party, to celebrate themselves," he said.

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Gay Pride - New Dehli

 

 

"Canada mirrors the experience that I want to see in Jamaica," Gareth Henry

TORONTO — Hundreds of revellers danced, shimmied, and strutted their way through downtown Toronto Sunday in the Gay Pride parade - and for the first time, members of the Canadian Armed Forces were among them.

"It's a huge thing for me personally," said Warrant Officer John McDougall, a parade participant who has been an openly gay member of the military for 13 years. "To be able to be in public and be recognized not just for being a soldier, but for being a soldier who happens to be gay is amazing." McDougall and his colleagues joined 5,000 drag queens, bikers, and scantily-clad men who marched in the parade in front of more than one million spectators. Other participants in the flashy celebration included Liberal MPs Bob Rae and Belinda Stronach, Toronto Mayor David Miller, and Federal NDP leader Jack Layton. Toronto Pride Executive director Fatima Amarshi said that the Armed Forces initiated their participation in the parade.

"We're all familiar with stories of lesbians and gays in the military and the struggle that they've had," she said. "So for the military to turn around and recognize its soldiers, the diversity within its ranks and the need to have a presence at Pride means a tremendous amount."

Garth Henry - 2008 Grand Marshal

Earlier this month, the Gay Pride festival in Hamilton, Ont., banned the Canadian military because of alleged human rights violations around the world. The decision ignited a furious backlash within some in the gay community who claimed that the military has changed since it overturned its discriminatory policies against homosexuality in 1992. "Different members of our community have all kinds of different opinions on the military, and they will make sure they are heard quite loudly," Amarshi said. She added that she didn't notice any "substantial" negative reactions to the military personnel in Toronto's parade.

Though the parade is seen as a chance to let loose and party in Toronto's streets, it also highlighted some of the political messages that permeated Saturday's Dyke March - a smaller, more grassroots parade that included a fist-fight between several women and a papier mache version of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Many participants in the Pride parade called for more support for people living with HIV/AIDS or held signs chiding the government for cutting funding to social programing.

Gareth Henry, the International Grand Marshal of the parade who left Jamaica after being persecuted for his sexual orientation, said that the parade "is not about a party."

"Pride Toronto is very unique in having a human rights component to the whole thing, where we can highlight the human rights violations that happen in some countries," he said.

Henry decided to live in Canada because of the violence he faced as a homosexual in Jamaica. He said he'd been the victim of homophobic violence at the hands of that country's police and had received several death threats.

"Canada mirrors the experience that I want to see in Jamaica," he said.

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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.

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Meet & Greet with the City Gym Boys at the Liberty, Unity, Strength Festival; Sunday, May 25, 2008 12 pm - 6pm Francis Field 2425 N St, NW Washington, DC

City Gym Boys is an elite team of natural bodybuilders from the inner city dedicated to mentoring young men and women on the lifelong benefits of fitness and exercise.

City Gym Boys was founded in 1997 by owner Charles La Salle to reach young men and women in the New York City area. "Our mission is to help eliminate the onset of obesity, particularly among African-Americans and Latino's in the inner city, by getting teens hooked on working out. If we can get 15 to 23 year olds to make fitness a habit, then we are on our way to reducing diabetes and heart disease", says La Salle, who is natural bodybuilder and personal trainer.

The City Gym Boys are proof of how dedication, patience and hard work can change one's body, mind and life. These positive role models are from different cultural backgrounds including: African-American, Barbadian, Cuban, Dominican, Ghanaian, Jamaican, Panamanian, Puerto Rican, Trinidadian and Venezuelan but they all share a commitment to increasing awareness among today's youth about the lifelong benefits of being fit.

The City Gym Boys have appeared on Rap City- Da Basement, 106 & Park and other BET programs. They have also appeared on Japanese T.V.- New York Style and other T.V. Networks. They have been on College Tours throughout the United States giving lectures and demonstrations. These athletes have also appeared in various magazines and newspapers such as: The New York Times, Vibe, Natural Bodybuilding, Honey, Men's Workout, Today's Black Woman, Young and Modern, Flex and the Atlanta Journal- Constitution.

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DC Black Pride festival is the nation's oldest Black Pride and in 2008 it is finally legal at age 18. With the event right around the corner (Memorial Day Weekend) committee members are rushing to prepare for the gathering of locals and out-of-towners. But there is one guest the didn't count on being there:

Darryl Wilson's new Chocolate City Fest 2008.

In the past, Daryl Wilson Promotions partnered with DC Black Pride. This year things are different.

Wilson has been a pillar of the Black Gay Entertainment and Promotional circle in DC. Last year he single handedly was at the forefront of the Black & Sexy party, the Black All Over party, the Dreamboys performance, and Patti Labelle and Jennifer Hudson at Love Nightclub.

Wilson gave this statement to Metro Weekly ''For the last many, many years I've worked alongside, in conjunction with, the DC Black Pride board,'' says Wilson. ''I've just seen a breakdown in the way they promote D.C. The numbers have dropped tremendously. You don't have anyone out in the market promoting DC Black Pride. You don't hear from them except once a year.''

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In less than four months, the city of Newark, NJ, will be home to the Newark-Essex Pride Week Celebration!

Sakia Gunn

This momentous event signals a turn in a city that has received increased attention in local and national media outlets because of the brutal murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year old same gender loving (SGL) female, at the hands of a homophobic adult male perpetrator. Since Sakia's death in 2003, the SGL community of Newark has attempted to strengthen its presence and maximize its voice.

Many organizations have put their hands to the plow including the Newark-Essex Pride Coalition (NEPC), which held its first Pride Week celebration in 2004. NEPC made history in 2007 when the rainbow flag flew high over Newark's City Hall as Honorable Mayor Cory Booker and Central Ward Councilwoman Dana Rone honored and celebrated Newark-Essex Pride Week.

This year we are planning, once again, to bring together the many faces of the SGL community–and its allies–during a week of celebration, advocacy, empowerment, and excitement in the city of Newark. We realize, however, that we can not accomplish this task without the help of partners.

Thus, I am soliciting your support. We are presently in conversation concerning sponsorships with large corporations and foundations; however, we are in need of funds for start-up costs. We have turned to you because we know that you are committed to social justice, human rights, and advocacy for the SGL community.

Please consider donating any amount! No amount is too small. Your donation will be tax deductible and we will include your name on our donor's list.

All checks should be made out NEPC's not-for-profit fiscal agent and community partner, The Prevailing Family, Inc., and NEPC Pride should be written on the memo line.

All checks should be mailed to:

Newark-Essex Pride Coalition c/o The Prevailing Family, Inc. 104 Norwood Street Newark, NJ 07106-1912

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this letter! Many thank for considering becoming a partner with NEPC as we endeavor to produce Newark-Essex Pride 2008.

Darnell L. Moore
Board Member, NEPC

By Mark Helmantoler

Over 20,000 people attended Chile’s Gay Parade 2007 on Friday, hosted by the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Freedom (Movilh). This figure represents the largest turnout ever for an event promoted by the organization.

The Gay Parade took place on Paseo Bulnes, near La Moneda, and featured 22 DJs, 16 go-go dancers and an animated show by Paulette Favres. Three stages played music simultaneously for the thousands of attendees who began arriving early in the afternoon.

“It was an event against all forms of discrimination, where gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and heterosexuals can dance without fear and say ‘no’ to discrimination” said Movilh president Rolando Jimenez. “People began trickling in at 3 p.m. and did not stop arriving.”