A rallying point

The air was a bit muggy and the sky threatened at any moment to rain on their parade Saturday, but weather couldn't cramp the 21st annual N.C. Pride Parade and Festival's style, held in downtown Durham.

The largest lesbian, gay, transgender and bi-sexual festival in North Carolina, it had more than 135 vendors and booths set up among the towering oaks of Duke University's East Campus, more than 145 brightly-colored marching units and floats and an estimated 5,000 people in attendance.

The crowd didn't disappoint members coming from UNC's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender-Straight Alliance.

"It's actually really refreshing," says UNC freshman Taylor Brown, a business major. "I've never seen so many (LGBTQ) students in one place."

The students marched alongside dozens of peers from other universities, carrying the GLBT-SA banner and yelling at jubilant supporters.

Though it was the first Pride Festival for most of the UNC students, sophomore psychology major Britanny Wofford, a Chapel Hill native, says she has seen the gathering change during the past few years.

"It's definitely got a lot more organizations for businesses and (cultural) diversity," she says. "And a lot more churches too."

Several churches and religious organizations had booths at the festival, such as the Imani Metropolitan Community Church, an evangelical Christian group dedicated to helping homosexuals reconcile their faith and their sexuality.

"We help those people who grew up in Jerry Falwell types of churches," says Clyde Zuber from Durham. He says the group holds regular Bible studies to help people understand what he calls "clobber passages".

Many other religions were represented at the parade, with marchers holding up large, black and white signs declaring, "I'm a Unitarian!" or "I'm Buddhist!"

All ages were represented at the festival too, as well as a smattering of different species.

There was a grandmother who tricked out her ride, a wheelchair decorated with rainbow stickers, and toddlers playing with their multicolor leis. Festival-goers also brought their bandana-clad pets, mixing a sea of prideful canines with the humans.

A large number of teenagers from local high schools also showed up to give their support to the LGBTQ community.

"Here, no matter what you are, people aren't going to automatically assume anything about you," says Clare Smith, a senior from East Chapel Hill High.

Her friend, sophomore Ellery Wieve from Durham School of the Arts, had her own reasons for showing up.

"The drags queens have the coolest shoes!"

The footwear was four inch sparkling heels in the case of Genea L'Tate, Tina Turner look-alike and Independent Weekly's Queen of the Triangle, who rode in the position of honor on a float.

She said she's seen the parade change a lot throughout the years.

"It's a lot flashier and there's a lot more people."

And though the parade, which made a meandering circuit around Main and Ninth streets in downtown Durham, was flashy, and the screaming crowds were enthusiastic, the accepting attitude was the real draw.

"It's a really friendly atmosphere," says Brown. "It's almost as if we're straight on campus."

 

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.