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Don Duncan
owner
( 503 ) 642-9992
1 - 800 - 356-1884
Aloha Market Centre
20455 SW TV Highway
www.westsideflorist.net
&
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Chris Mee
Rose City Mortgage
Ernest Cooper, ABR
RE/MAX Equity Group
Visit our booth at
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Question: W hat is
Pride Northwest?
Answer: Pride Northwest
is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organi
zation whose main objective
is to organize the Portland
Pride celebration every year.
It is an all-volunteer board
that strives to create a diverse
and accessible event. The
mission of Pride Northwest is
to encourage and celebrate
the positive diversity of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and
trans communities and to
assist in the education of
all people through the devel T he parade is held on Sunday to increase anticipation and to ease
downtown traffic rearrangements
opment of activities that
showcase the history, accom
plishments and talents of these communities.
¡ event, to increase the anticipation and excite
ment by building upon the festival and dance. It
is easier to rearrange the downtown traffic around
Q: How does Pride get organized every year?
the parade route on Sunday as well.
A: The Pride Northwest board starts planning
in August for the following year’s Pride event.
Q : W ho organizes the Dyke March?
Each board member leads or helps lead a com
A : Although the Dyke March occurs on
mittee that organizes a particular part of the cele
Pride Weekend, and is an important part of the
bration, such as entertainment or parade. Com-
event, it is not organized by Pride Northwest.
mittee members are drawn from the community
The Lesbian Avengers organize the march and
and volunteer their time to help plan the event.
are solely responsible for the work that goes
into making it happen.
Q : W hy does Pride happen in June?
A: Pride celebrations have been happening
Q: Why does Pride Northwest allow women
in Portland for nearly 30 years. Originally, the
to
be
topless at the event? Why are there scanti
event was scheduled in June to commemorate
ly clad men in the parade? Why are there kink
the Stonewall riots in New York.
and leather-oriented people in the parade?
A: Pride Northwest provides a venue for
Q: W hy is Pride on Father’s Day weekend?
members
of the LGBT communities to gather,
A: Pride was originally scheduled on the
celebrate, disseminate information and enjoy
third weekend in June. As Waterfront Park has
one another. These communities vary widely,
become more popular, and more events reserve
and people come from many different back
weekends in the summer, it is increasingly
grounds and hold many different beliefs.
harder to find a free weekend. In addition, the
Therefore, Pride Northwest is not responsible
parks have a strict maintenance schedule and
for the opinions and actions of each and every
are very careful about giving enough time
person who attends the event. We have a free
between events for turf remediation. If we
dom of expression policy that states that as
hadn’t had the tradition of reserving the third
long as people are not breaking the law or
weekend, we would have a hard timé schedul
demeaning or degrading one another, they are
ing Waterfront Park at all. Although the event
free to do as they like. In Portland it is not ille
does conflict with Father’s Day, it would be
gal for women to go topless in public, so they
nearly impossible to hold it at any other time.
arc free to do so at the Pride events.
Pride encourages all of its attendees to express
Q: W hy is the parade on Sunday?
A: Originally the Pride celebration was a one- themselves as they chcxise and reminds people
that we have to he tolerant of one another. The
day event, with a parade and a festival. Several
event
belongs to everyone in the LGBT commu
years ago it became a two-day event. It is more
nities, and we don’t always agree on things.
natural to make the parade the culminating
live long
live Strong.
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