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The 30TH Worcester Gay Pride CelebrationBigger, Better, and Prouder than Ever! 
September 2005 - It’s the kind of morning when an entire
street can be shut down for the year’s most raging block party,
the kind of afternoon when a beer garden readily flows to the music of
the area’s hottest DJs. It’s the kind of day when the hottest
beauty kings in drag prance down the runway for the coveted title of Miss
Gay Worcester, the kind of evening when clubs open their doors for guys
and girls to mix and mingle until long after the rest of the city calls
it a night. Welcome to the 30th anniversary of the Worcester Gay Pride Celebration,
a daylong festival of diversity taking place on Saturday, September 10th,
on the Canal District’s main drag, Water Street. This is Where unions
that were once taboo are the hottest things to hit the streets of Massachusetts
and “queer” is as fabulous as it gets. And let it be known that when it comes to gay pride, everyone wants to
be a part of the open-closet fun. “All of the age-old, well-established
merchants, as well as some of the newer Water Street merchants, gay, straight,
or otherwise, all participate in the event,” says Tim DeSantis,
the spokesperson for the Worcester Pride Committee and owner of Rage Nightclub,
one of the night’s (and the city’s) most popular gay venues. Since the Worcester Pride Celebration first took over Water Street in
2003, the location of the festivities has been playing its part in the
transformation of Worcester’s gay population. “Those of us
of the new regime feel like that was a significant turning point in Worcester’s
Gay Pride Celebration because we’re defining Water Street as an
up and coming gay district, and this annual event has fostered that identity,”
explains DeSantis. “It’s really worked out very well to host
it on this street,” he adds. “It’s within walking distance
to virtually all of the city’s gay oriented venues, such as Vibe
and Rage, allowing us for the first time to tie all of the gay venues
into all of the day’s events.” While the celebration officially begins at 2 p.m., activities will be
going on throughout the day. A political rally, complete with speeches
by Mayor Timothy P. Murray and a special keynote speaker TBA, is scheduled
for 4 p.m. The first ever Gay Business Expo, featuring more than 75 Worcester
area gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses, will be another highlight
of the event. "This is the first ever GLBT Business Expo in entral
Mass," says CMBC President Paul Leone, adding that "It gives
attendees at Gay Pride a chance to meet businesses that support equality
for all Gay and Lesbians.” Meanwhile, all venues will be open all
day and all night for food and drink, and festival- goers will be entertained
by a moonwalk, dunk tank, face-painting stations, information kiosks,
drag show, and more. “I think a shortcoming in the past was people
wanting to make it overly political; we’re now putting the emphasis
on celebration and backing off politics,” adds DeSantis about the
increasing success of the occasion. So what’s so unique about this year’s celebration? Devries sees the spirit of the event as one of the greatest sources of
pride. “It’s a day where you can come out, be proud and be
yourself as you join together with everyone around you.” Adds DeSantis,
“the spirit of Worcester Gay Pride is to let our community shine.
While we welcome everyone, it’s really about the Worcester area
and what our Unfortunately, one of the more downbeat reasons for coming together is
to unite with the knowledge that absolute acceptance still remains a thing
of the future for this country. Recently, eleven states outlawed gay marriage,
with Massachusetts remaining the only one where it is legal. “We still have a lot of prejudice in this society, so this is really
just a day for people of all walks of life to celebrate diversity, to
be proud of who you are whether you’re gay or straight, Asian or
Latino, black or white, man or woman. In the end, it’s okay to be
who you are,” added DeSantis. When Worcester’s first Gay Pride Celebration took place in 1976,
there were only about ten people who bravely marched down Main Street,
attracting a good deal of negative attention. Today, the thousands of
participants at the city’s event prove that the times are slowly
changing for the better. “I feel a momentum in the gay community
in general that I’ve never felt before,” says DeSantis. “Three
or four years ago, it was probably safe to say there really wasn’t
a gay community in Worcester, and I think gay marriage has done a lot
to bring people out and fuel momentum in the gay community.” He
continues, “We have made great strides but still have a long way
to go. I’d like us to continue to increase visibility throughout
the year so that Worcester Pride is not just about a one day event, but
that there are events throughout the year.” Devries agrees, but emphasizes a greater outpouring of the public. “I’d
like to see more members in the community and surrounding businesses participate
and make our celebration bigger than ever,” he |