Just out., June 06, 2003, Page 71, Image 71

June_&_2ÛQl*
there ^
Q : Why is the festival
fenced?
A : The Pride Northwest
board had been thinking about
fencing the festival grounds for
a number of years, mostly for
safety reasons. In recent years
nearly all the large festivals in
Waterfront Park started fencing.
In addition, by having a fenced
festival we can better control
the behavior of the protesters at
our event. We can also ask
them to leave if they become
obnoxious— something we can’t
do if the event isn’t fenced.
\V
h
0 *o pla^ev
Q : Why does the Pride
security protect the protesters?
A : Religious protesters
attend our event almost every
Portland Pride originally was scheduled in June to commemorate
year. Their goal is to provoke a
the Stonewall riots in New York
response from the attendees. A
verbal response is good, but the protesters are
Some of them are national, but most are local.
also looking for the opportunity to have an alter­
Some sponsors give us money, and others
cation between them and our attendees, creating
donate goods and services we need. We have a
the possibility for lawsuits and negative publicity
formal criteria for evaluating our sponsors and
directed at the queer community. Since we start­
try to find the ones that are the best fit.
ed fencing, the protesters tend to gather on pub­
lic streets during the parade. It is Pride North­
Q : Why are the booth fees so expensive?
west’s goal to diffuse any situations that might
A : Portland Pride’s booth fees are quite
become inflammatory and lead to an altercation.
moderate compared with other Pride organiza­
Therefore, we try to place a barrier of security
tions around the country. Larger Prides such as
personnel between the protesters and parade
San Francisco are an order of magnitude more
attendees. Since the entire goal of the protesters
expensive. We have different rates for profit
is to provoke a response, we encourage attendees
and not-for-profit organizations and for those
to ignore them and keep their distance.
who sell things or take donations and those
who do not. The rates increase after May 1 and
Q : Why does Pride Northwest ask for a
then again after June 1. We do what we can to
donation at the gate?
make sure that organizations and businesses
A : Pride’s yearly budget has increased sig­
that want booths can afford to do so. In addi­
nificantly. Some of the increases are beyond
tion, organizations can share a booth, and
our control. Permit fees and insurance costs
sometimes sponsors will donate their booths.
have increased astronomically. Others are a
The money from the booth spaces goes to sup­
port the event. Money for canopies, tables and
result of a larger festival and increased services
and entertainers. In the past, Pride board mem­
chairs goes directly to our supplier. There is no
bers and volunteers went around with buckets
markup on those items.
asking for donations to help with the cost of
the event. This approach was not particularly
Q : Why isn’t the event called “G ay Pride” ?
successful for a number of reasons. The board
A : The official name of our event is “The
decided asking people for a donation at the
Portland Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans Pride C el­
gate would be a better way to fund the event—
ebration.” Informally we refer to it as Queer
and it was. The donation is voluntary, and no
Pride, and our themes often reflect this. Pride
one will be turned away for not donating.
Northwest is committed to being as inclusive
as we can, both in our event and on our board.
Calling our event “Gay Pride” dismisses the
Q : Why does Portland Pride have corpo­
fact that many, many people who do not iden­
rate sponsors?
tify as gay attend our event and are part of our
A : Portland Pride cannot be funded entirely
community. The LGBTQI community is very
with donations and booth fees. Rather than
diverse, and as an organization we wish to
charge admission or raise booth fees, Pride
acknowledge and honor that diversity. J H
Northwest has several corporate sponsors.
You always have
a home at PFLAG!
Portland Parents, Families and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
welcomes community memebers
to its monthly meeting at
First United Methodist Church,
1838 SW Jefferson, Portland, OR.
7pm, second Tuesday of each month.
Pvents, Families and Friends o# Lesbians andGays
www.pflagpdx.org
Trade Roots
An eclectic mix
of unusual gifts
A world of difference in
clothing, jewelry & gifts
Get Lei'cJ ut D ingo's A J WeeRenci
a J'roMh m e*,can gri l l
hoif^
e
D in go's C elebrates P ride Hawaiian SfcjM
<D
r-
Party starts Thursday, June 12th (Dingo's Infamous "Girts Night Out") and runs through Pride Parade Sunday June 15th
Dingo's Party Hours: 12 Noon«12 Midnight, Thursday-Saturday/12 noon • 10 pm Sunday
m
I
Enter to Win:
w i. *
+ Pair of tickets to July 16th Meriners/Angels game
+ Pair of tickets to US Women's Open. .Pius other great prizes I
|o r m ore biform e tlon vlsitiWWW.Jlngosonline.com
T \r
B o o r ¡S. Hiiwuiiun
D rink S i joc iu|s/
+ 4 0 1 2 S E Hawthorne Bh
+
5 0 3 .2 3 3 *3 0 0 0
,
|P7