PrideFest draws thousands to annual community celebration

ROYAL OAK - Gray skies couldn't keep away the crowds from PrideFest, the annual celebration of the gay and lesbian community of southeastern Michigan, held on Sunday, June 3. This year, Ferndale was the host of PrideFest for the first time.

"We absolutely welcome PrideFest to Ferndale," said Ferndale City Manager Tom Barwin. "It's terrific."

Ferndale City Councilman Craig Covey is on the PrideFest Advisory Board.

"It had been held in a concrete parking lot and garage in Royal Oak for seven years. It wasn't a fun colorful venue," said Covey. "This year they wanted to literally be in the streets and have resources around like coffee houses, restaurants and stores."

Organizers' plans for a more colorful street celebration came true with this year's PrideFest. A dozen rainbows, fashioned from yellow, scarlet, emerald, blue and plum balloons, arched over Nine Mile and welcomed visitors to the day-long celebration. Music also welcomed visitors, from the simple richness of the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit choir to the throbbing beat of the C and C Music Factory.

An estimated 12,000 attendees strolled past booths manned by representatives of gay-friendly businesses, artisans and community service organizations.

The celebration drew people from all segments of the community.

"I'm not gay, I'm just checking this out. It's beautiful," said Kim Eby of Ferndale, who came to PrideFest with her three children, ages 6,7 and 10. "I'm for people living together and taking care of each other. Diversity is a wonderful thing."

Bob Beckman of Warren said this year was his third PrideFest.

"I come because you find out new and interesting things," said Beckman. "It's great to see people pulling together to make people more aware of our lifestyle, to make it more acceptable in the community."

Reverend Rene Garcia, of the Lighthouse Evangel Tabernacle in Ferndale, an Apostolic Pentecostal church, said he came to PrideFest to try to overcome misconceptions about what the bible has to say about homosexuality.

Garcia's church, part of the National Gay Pentecostal Alliance, teaches that the bible is the inspired word of God. They believe the original Hebrew and Greek versions of the bible were deliberately and intentionally mistranslated to forbid male homosexuality. They believe this mistranslation ignores two biblically recorded homosexual marriages, between Jonathan and David and the prophet Daniel and Ashpenaz.

"We're part of the gay Pentecostal alliance," said Garcia.

Garcia said the alliance was formed because gay people weren't welcomed in most Pentecostal churches.

"We exist because everyone said God couldn't love us," he said.

Representatives of PFLAG, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays were also at PrideFest.

"I have a gay son," said Linda Clark of Rochester, a member of P-Flag. "I was shocked when I found out, but I never thought being gay was a sin or anything. There was never any question that I wouldn't love him anymore."

Clark said her relationship changed in a positive way when her son told her he was gay.

"It's more honest. He doesn't have to make up stories anymore," said Clark. "And I don't ask him if he's met any nice girls," she said, laughing.

Clark said members of her organization try to educate the community.

"We go to schools with a panel with one gay, one lesbian and two parents, and talk to kids in 11th and 12th grade health classes. Everyone tells their story and then we open it up for questions," said Clark. "Someone once asked if we could wave a magic wand, would we change our children? We said no. We'd change society."

Attendees had the chance to find out more about dozens of organizations from the University of Michigan Gay and Lesbian Alumnae Association to the gay Libertarians. However, religious, family, educational and political organizations weren't the only groups represented at PrideFest.

"We're Sunshine Partners, a gay men's nudist group," said the group's vice president, Robert Gabrys. "Each month, we have a general membership meeting and a cookout at a private home, all held in the nude."

Gabrys said he enjoys being a nudist.

"I love being in nature," he said. "We came into the world as nudists, why not live that way?"

Jim Kruer represented the Michigan International Gay Rodeo Association at PrideFest.

"Rodeo is fun," said Kruer. "I like the people who go to rodeo events. It's a fun atmosphere, just like PrideFest."

Kruer said while he doesn't personally plan to tame wild mustangs or wrestle steers to the ground, the group's founder, Jim Brown, is a bronco rider.

"We promote the gay country and western lifestyle," said Kruer.

Kruer said MIGEA also helps raise money for charities.

According to Kruer, the last gay rodeo held in Michigan was in 1998 and the next one is planned for August 2002. Rodeo events range from the traditional men's and women's steer roping, bronc riding and chute dogging to some less traditional events.

"I was in the wild drag race. There's a guy, a girl and someone in drag. You have to lead a cow half-way down the arena and the person in drag has to ride the cow," said Kruer. "There's another event where someone has to put underwear on a goat."

Visitors who preferred more down-to-earth transportation weren't disappointed. A classic car show, presented by members of the Lambda Car Club, displayed an elegant 1936 Lincoln, a silver 1958 Buick Limited and a red 1967 Sunbeam Alpine convertible, attracting the eye of Paula Marshall from Hazel Park.

"I love the Alpine, it's really sporty," she said. "Cars had more style in the '60s."

Everyone from artisans to attorneys had the chance to display their goods and describe their services to visitors.

"I thought it was fabulous. The turnout was marvelous," said Edward Vettel, President of Maple Bates Associates in Birmingham. "We had a number of people who expressed an interest in our financial, retirement planning and investments services. I believe coming to PrideFest will a profitable experience for our firm."

Nobody was left out of the day's celebration. Andrea Deranian and Kevin Cikatricis of Ann Arbor helped translate songs performed by 13 bands, church choirs and musicians for deaf visitors to PrideFest.

"We interpret music by following the body rhythm," said Deranian.

Deranian and Cikatricis' job was complicated by sign language's complexity.

"The grammar and syntax of English and sign language are different," said Cikatricis. "You start out with the biggest part of the picture and work down to the details. A 'blue house' in English would be 'house blue' in American Sign Language."

Jeff Montgomery, Executive Director of the Triangle Foundation, the organizer of PrideFest, said he thought it was important for the gay and lesbian community to publicly celebrate and appreciate its richness and diversity.

"We're a community that's regularly been defamed and degraded by right wing extremists who use lies and disinformation to advance their own narrow agenda of bigotry," he said. "This event is a big, dramatic celebratory way to blow those arguments out of the water."

©2001 Between the Lines, reprinted with permission