Features
Queer Summit VII Gets Out the Vote
P.R.I.D.E. Reorganizes
P.R.I.D.E. Reorganizes
Numbers Down, Collaboration Up
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by Euan Bear
Burlington
- Well, for once the weather cooperated. July 10 was a gorgeous, sunny
day, lightly breezy and not too hot. The parade stepped off on time, thanks
to clipboard-wielding co-chair Michael Glidden marshalling the marching
units into line.
Most of the usual suspects were there to
parade up Main St: The Barony of All Vermont, St. Paul's Cathedral, Vermont
Freedom to Marry, The Big Apple Corps marching band from New York, Burlington's
Sambatucada, Boston's Freedom Trail marching band, Outright Vermont, Love
Makes a Family, the Sisters LeMay in a pickup truck from Beaver Pond,
the Unitarians, the 'more light' Presbyterians, a Dignity group of gay
Catholics, Vets for Peace, Love Makes a Family, Pride Parade Grand Marshal
Yolanda striking a queenly pose on the back of a convertible, accepting
smooches from friends dashing up during parade pauses.
Perhaps less traditional, at least for Burlington, was the troupe of American
Tribal Belly Dancers.
"I think it was smashingly successful,"
declared P.R.I.D.E. Vermont Committee member and Outright Vermont Co-director
Lluvia Mulvaney-Stanak. She disagreed with assessments by observers noting
fewer people participating in the parade and fewer organizations and businesses
in tents and booths.
Politicians and candidates marched, canvassed
the crowds or established beachheads at tables in the organization tent.
The political contingent included a marching group from the Progressive
Party, including its chairwoman, Martha Abbott, Representatives Bob Kiss
and David Zuckerman, Lt. Governor candidate Steve Hingtgen, and what must
have been a very warm person inside the party's chocolate-brown moose
costume. Democrats were out in force. Identifiable Republicans were absent.
Among the Democrats were State Treasurer
Jeb Spaulding, lieutenant governor candidates Jan Backus and Cheryl Rivers,
Chittenden County state Senate candidates Ed Flanagan and Sam Osborne,
and Burlington House candidate Jason Lorber.
Republican Governor Jim Douglas was represented by a letter, read to the
festival crowd at the Waterfront by Mulvaney-Stanak, who had, she said,
requested a proclamation six weeks in advance of the event. Instead of
a proclamation, she got a letter. "The letter addresses us as 'Dear
Festival Participants,' and it never mentions Pride or lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender. And it doesn't proclaim Pride Day." The letter mentions
diversity and multiplicity and touts the signing of school anti-bullying
and racial harassment bills.
She contrasted the governor's letter with
the proclamation issued by Mayor Clavelle "that mentions lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender four times and declares Pride Day."
Both men are candidates for governor in the November election.
Mulvaney-Stanak characterized the celebration
as "more of a community presence, more collaboration" among
community organizations, pointing to a weekend-long spread of events,
from Thursday's concert to the wind-up picnic at St. John's Club. It was,
she said, "more cohesive" than recent Pride celebrations have
been.
P.R.I.D.E. Vermont Co-Chair Michael Glidden agreed with assessments that
the number of participants in the parade was smaller than previous years.
"Any group that found contributing $15 to P.R.I.D.E. a hindrance
I find difficult to understand," Glidden said. "There were those
groups and individuals who found it too much effort to register or to
put together their floats."
The cost of the parade alone, he added,
was about $1,000, between securing the staging area at Union Station and
paying for police escort services.
The Waterfront's vendor area - the booths
and tables under tents - was "smaller than in 2000, the largest Pride
we've ever had," Glidden said. But, Glidden added, "The number
of people who stayed at the Waterfront for the Festival was much greater.
Vendors got extreme exposure."
Glidden pointed to the shift in the committee's
method of registration for tables and booths at the PRIDEVermont.org
website. "Organizations are going to have to shift to coming to our
website to get their information," Glidden said. Three organizations
that called on the Tuesday before Pride looking for table space were turned
away.
Another change was the committee's decision
not to do traditional event and bake-sale type fundraising for the festivities.
Former P.R.I.D.E. VERMONT committee member
Brian Cina had a unique view as a security volunteer staffing an intersection,
watching the parade pass. "It was fun, maybe a little smaller. Every
group was there, but they were smaller." Except for the Outright
contingent, which had 30 youth marching, chanting and raising a ruckus.
But his overwhelming impression was that it was "tame." While
giving the current committee full marks for pulling the day together,
Cina observed, "It was more chill. The feeling of the day was mellow.
That's not bad or anything, I had a good time. It is so important for
new people to join [the organizing committee] each year, so that as people
rotate through there's still some continuity. People need to help, and
not just criticize."
Cina disagreed with moving the Speakout
from pre- to post-parade. "I like to get people riled up, give the
parade energy. It really should be before the parade."
Asked about P.R.I.D.E. Vermont's recent
budget deficits, Glidden declared, "I am confident we will more than
break even. In raw numbers, we did not spend more than we have on the
books as income." The committee is seeking to be fiscally "transparent,"
and the accounting for this year's Pride Festival will be on the website
by the end of August.
Asked whether he would sign up for next
year's committee, Glidden demurred. "I'm focused on winding things
down for this year. Next year's planning starts October 1. I would like
to think that I would stay on in some capacity."