june 20.2002
J 1 J J -ÔÏ
J J O
J OjjJ -A
Thousands gather
to celebrate
Portland Pride 2003
Elton John’s
look-alike
never let the
sun go down
on Pride
P h o to s by M arty D a v is and R .E . Young
P
ortland Pride 2003 drew thousands
of queers and allies downtown
June 14 and 15 with the Wizard of
O z' inspired theme “Lions and Tigers
and Queers, Oh My!”
The weather was more cooperative than it’s
been in years, the Waterfront Park festival lay
out reduced congestion, and the organizers
managed to book a nationally known headliner
musician, Sophie B. Hawkins. The numbers
were impressive, too: higher attendance,
expanded performance schedule, more booth
revenue and fewer Bible-banging protesters.
“We’ve gotten good feedback from vendors
on the way the booths were arranged,” says
Jack Keegan, Pride Northwest president.
“People got to choose their own spots this year,
which made it easier.”
Keegan now is enjoying some much-deserved
rest: He arrived at the festival site about 6 p.m.
June 12 and didn’t get out of there until after mid
night June 15. Altogether he says about 35 volun
teers (“not as many as we needed”) put the whole
thing together and took it all down afterward.
Pride Northwest board members got
together June 19 for a wrap-up meeting— and,
of course, it’s never to early to start generating
ideas for next year’s festivities. Mark your
calendars for June 19 and 20, 2004!
—Jim Radosta
I have a feeling that we’re not in Kansas anymore!
Fluttering favorites
Amid the fun and festivities was the bittersweet march of the now-closed Portland chapter
of the N A M ES Project Foundation carrying portions of the A ID S Memorial Quilt
Poder Latino de Oregon’s white butterflies could out-witch those nasty flying monkeys any day
Honorable homos
Even on a rare sunny day, Portland always has a rainbow and a smile
Queer consolation ¡SU M
Energy among the Rose City Gay Freedom Band’s new color guard never seemed to flag
Is this count
looking for a
genuflecting
prince?
(or should we say boner?) prize goes to the
Radical Faeries’, float, literally the cock of the walk
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