Gay PRIDE Month - Worldwide Parade Listings

June officially kicks off gay pride month, and there will be parades, and festivals around the globe to celebrate LGBT history, culture, and freedom.

Check out Gay Scout's event calendar for a global listing of pride parades.

Also, check out Gay City USA's - International Gay Pride Parades & Events Calendar

Be sure to attend the pride marches, rallies, and festivals in your area!

Happy PRIDE!

Word of the Gay: "Lavender"

"Lavender" is a pale purple color that has come to be associated with gay and lesbian pride.

Word of the Gay: "Pride"

"Pride" is a term used to reference joy, power, and expression of sexual and gender identity. The term "pride" can be used to denote queer celebrations.

No Pride for Gay McCain Supporters!

"If you want to order a custom made outdoor banner (25 character limit) from McCain’s website store - price $25.00 - here are the limitations given: “Demeaning or derogatory names or phrases are not acceptable”, and “All personalized banners are subject to content approval by the John McCain 2008 campaign.” No other limitations are mentioned.

You can buy ready-made signs with “Veterans for McCain”, “Sportsmen for McCain”, “Asians & Pacific American” for McCain. And you can also get ready-made T-shirts with “Jewish Americans for McCain” or “Business Leaders for McCain”.

So when Craig Brownstein who is a Democrat, gay and a supporter of McCain’s campaign for president tried to get a sign made saying “A Proud Gay Democrat for John McCain”, he got a call from a site representative rejecting the text.

Brownstein says, “I was told it could only be personalized with names.” They would for instance, accept “Craig and Doug for John McCain."

If you have any "customer service inquiries" you can contact the John McCain for President Store below:

e-mail - customerservice@goptrunk.com
phone - 877-542-1426

Crossposted from Bruce Blog

Pride Flag Defaced 5 Times, Police do Nothing!

A married lesbian couple in Solano county in California have had their rainbow pride flag defaced 5 times. The first attack on the flag was with coffee, and has escalated to motor oil. The police have not responded to the couples complaints about this hate crime. The couple has installed security cameras on their property and they and their neighbors are fearful for any possible escalation.

Contact the Vallejo Investigations Division and tell them to find the perpetrators of this hate crime

Rock the Vote With an Obama PRIDE T-Shirt!

Support the campaign and show your pride with this Obama Pride logo T-shirt.

Make a donation of $30 or more and receive a special edition Obama Pride logo T-shirt.

Click Here to Order an Obama Pride T-Shirt!

Barack Obama's Declaration of PRIDE

“I am proud to join with our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered brothers and sisters in celebrating the accomplishments, the lives, and the families of all LGBT people during this Pride season. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core this issue is about who we are as Americans.

It’s time to live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. Let’s enact federal civil rights legislation to outlaw hate crimes and protect workers against discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Let’s repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' and demonstrate that the most effective and professional military in the world is open to all Americans who are ready and willing to serve our country. Let’s treat the relationships and the families of LGBT Americans with full equality under the law.

We are ready to accomplish these goals because of the courage and persistence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people who are working every day to achieve equal rights -- the gay couple who demands equal treatment in our family laws as they raise their children, the lesbian soldier who wants nothing more than to serve her country openly and honestly, the transgendered workers who ask for the simple dignity of being judged by the quality of their work. Generations of LGBT Americans, at once ordinary and extraordinary, have made possible this moment in our history. With leadership and hard work we can fulfill the promise of equality for all.

The Obama for America campaign is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide Pride events over the summer. To find the events nearest you please visit Basic Rights Oregon; join us around the country as we show our Pride and support for Barack Obama!"

H/T to God is a Dyke for the story.

Open Forum: What Does Pride Mean to You?

Happy Pride Month everyone!!!

June traditionally kicks off PRIDE celebrations throughout the world! I figured this is a good opportunity to ask What Does PRIDE mean to you? How do you choose to live your life out and proud, or do you? Will you be attending a parade, a fundraiser, a rally of some sort? What are your thoughts on what PRIDE is about, what it should be, and how the media covers it?

Word of the Gay: "Lambda"

Originally a Greek letter chosen to represent a campaign for gay liberation that has gone onto become an international symbol of gay/lesbian rights. The lambda represents energy in physics and is also symbolic of the power and energy of the gay rights movement. Others suggest the symbol is reflectant of the fact that Queer people operate on a different "wavelength". It is now seen as a symbol of unity and pride, and frequently used in Queer Theory and academic circles.

The Rainbow is not Shining in Alabama

According to Sweet Homo Alabama:

"Birmingham, Ala. Mayor Larry Langford has denied a request by the board of Central Alabama Pride to issue a city wide proclamation marking the city’s annual gay pride celebration.
Organizers of the event sent an Email to the mayor’s office requesting the proclamation and received a reply on Wednesday. The response from the mayor is as follows:

“I have received your request for a proclamation celebrating Gay Pride Week. While I do not personally ascribe to any form of discrimination, I believe it is not the role of local governments to condone, endorse or support the personal lifestyle choices of its citizens.”

The proclamation has usually been issued by the mayor’s office each year to be printed in the guide handed out to pride participants."

Feel free to call or mail the mayor with your thoughts on his refusal to issue a proclamation, allow banners on city property, or grant the parade permit...

Birmingham City Hall
710 20th Street North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203-2216

Phone: 205-254-2277 FAX: 205-254-2926

PRIDE Celebrations Around the World!

The weather is hot, the summer is here, and that means the Queers are out to show their true colors, pride, political aspirations, and to unite as a community.

That's right! LGBTQAI PRIDE month is coming up!

Here are some links to websites that list PRIDE parades and celebrations around the world... They are pretty detailed but there are some locations missing, so feel free to post if you know of a PRIDE event that has not been listed.

Gay Life - Parade Listings

Gay.com PRIDE Celebrations Listing