Pride Northwest

Last updated
Pride Northwest, Inc.
Location
Website pridenw.org

Pride Northwest, Inc. is a community-based regional LGBTQ+ Pride 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The non-profit organization was founded in 1994 and the current executive director of the organization is Debra Porta, [1] who has served as the president of Pride Northwest since 2006. [2]

Contents

The organization is best known for organizing the annual Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade. It is dedicated to celebrating and bringing visibility to the LGBTQ+ community in the Pacific Northwest. [3]

Portland LGBT Pride Festival & Parade

Portland Pride Portland Pride 2014 - 016.JPG
Portland Pride

Portland's Waterfront Pride Festival and Parade is produced every June by Pride Northwest. Portland's Pride Weekend is normally scheduled the third weekend following Memorial Day, or the weekend after the conclusion of the Portland Rose Festival. It is a two-day-long event held along the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. [4] The parade typically begins near West Burnside and Park Ave. and extends down Southwest Pine St. and Naito Parkway, finally ending near the Tom McCall Waterfront Park where the main festival is held. [5] In 2019, the parade attendance was estimated to be 45,000 people and approximately 8,000 people from over 200 groups and organizations participated in the parade. [5] The festival is one of the largest donation-based pride events on the West Coast, with a suggested fee of $8 to enter the festival; however, the fee is not mandatory and everyone is allowed to enter. [4] The festival features official events that are listed on Pride Northwest's official website, typically including performances by LGBT talent, a “Gaylabration” at Portland's Crystal Ballroom, the “Big Gay Boat Ride” on the Portland Spirit, and screenings of LGBT films. [6] Many companies, businesses, churches, non-profits, agencies, sports teams, and LGBT organizations gather at the festival to celebrate and show support for the community. [6] Pride Northwest executive director Debra Porta stated that they typically expect over 60,000 plus visitors to attend the festival. [4] Porta encourages attendance for all families and people of any age, stating: “Portland Pride is considered to be one of the most family-friendly on the West Coast.” [4]

History

Pride Northwest was established in 1994, but Portland's first official pride event took place in 1975 when a group of approximately 200 people organized a Gay Pride Fair near the South Park Blocks by Portland State University. [7] The following year the Portland Town Council sponsored a fair that was held at the Waterfront Park, and one year later in 1977 the annual parade was added in addition to the fair after Mayor Neil Goldschmidt formally announced a “Gay Pride Day.” [4] The parade and festival have since been celebrated annually and are organized by Pride Northwest. In June 1989 the leather pride flag was used by the leather contingent in the parade, which was its first appearance at a pride parade. [8] According to its website, the organization's mission is "to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities, and to assist in the education of all people through the development of activities that showcase the history, accomplishments, and talents of these communities." [9]

Police involvement and controversy

Police in Pride Parade, 2016 Portland Pride 2016 - 003.jpg
Police in Pride Parade, 2016

Portland police officers expressed outrage after LGBT organizers requested that officers who attend the festival and parade not show up in uniform. Executive director of Pride Northwest Debra Porta made a statement explaining the historic divide between marginalized communities and the police, stating that many members of the community do not feel comfortable attending the festival alongside law enforcement in uniform, stating in a letter to Portland police: “To that end, we are asking LGBTQ and allied people in law enforcement, who plan to match in the Portland Pride Parade NOT to march in uniform.” [10] Porta continued to state that though Pride Northwest does not have a preference if officers march in uniform, it is their duty as an organization to ask that officers give thought to the concerns of the community.

The request was met with backlash, notably from Portland LGBTQ officers who expressed anger and sadness that they must hide a part of their identity from their own community and that asking officers to not be visible erases the struggles many LGBTQ officers have faced coming out and being visible in a patriarchal institution like the police force. [10]

Porta responded to these concerns, stating that “Pride Northwest is a little caught in the middle” regarding this issue. Porta stated that they recognize the work that LGBTQ officers have done for the community and welcome officers to the parade no matter what, however also stating that the historic implications of the police uniform and how marginalized communities who have negative histories with law enforcement are affected should also be considered. [10]

Traffic impact

The festival is known for having a large impact on Portland traffic that affects drivers downtown. The parade occupies Northwest Park Avenue and West Burnside Street and extends north on Southwest Broadway, east on Northwest Davis Street, and south on Naito Parkway. Drivers are encouraged to avoid parking near or along the parade route as cars parked within a two-block radius are removed. Traffic is also impacted by the festival that takes place at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. [11] The official parade route can be found on the Pride Northwest official website. Pride Northwest encourages festival and parade attendees and participants to use public transit, rideshare, and taxi services to reduce traffic impact. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pride Toronto</span> Annual LGBT event in Toronto, Ontario

Pride Toronto is an annual event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in June each year. A celebration of the diversity of the LGBT community in the Greater Toronto Area, it is one of the largest organized gay pride festivals in the world, featuring several stages with live performers and DJs, several licensed venues, a large Dyke March, a Trans March and the Pride Parade. The centre of the festival is the city's Church and Wellesley village, while the parade and marches are primarily routed along the nearby Yonge Street, Gerrard Street and Bloor Street. In 2014, the event served as the fourth international WorldPride, and was much larger than standard Toronto Prides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Pride (Ottawa)</span> Annual LGBT event in Ottawa, Ontario

Capital Pride, stylized bilingually as Fierté dans la Capital(e) Pride, is the annual Pride event in Canada's National Capital Region, which includes the cities of Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. It has been held annually since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudbury Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Toronto, Ontario

Sudbury Pride is a 2SLGBTQ+ Pride advocacy organization based in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Their now annual Pride festival, held for the first time in 1997 and organized by a committee that included sociologist Gary Kinsman, was the first Pride event in Northern Ontario, and the only one in the region until the launch of Thunder Bay's Thunder Pride festival in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indy Pride Festival</span> Annual LGBT festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Indy Pride Festival, formerly Circle City IN Pride, is the annual week of LGBT pride events in Indianapolis. The week is organized by LGBT organization Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival. Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indy Pride</span> LGBTQ organization in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indy Pride is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in the Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a community-based, non-profit organization that seeks "to unite and serve its members and the LGBTQ community of Central Indiana through leadership development, educational and support programs, and community events that achieve inclusivity, equality, strong community connections, and awareness of LGBTQ issues." The organization started in 1995 as the coordinator of the city's annual gay pride parade and event—Indy Pride Festival—but later grew into an umbrella for multiple LGBT community entities, including the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, Indy Bag Ladies, and Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Atlanta

Atlanta Pride, also colloquially called the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival, is a week-long annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) pride festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest and largest pride festivals in the United States. According to the Atlanta Pride Committee, as of 2017, attendance had continually grown to around 300,000. Originally a pride held in June, Atlanta Pride has been held in October every year since 2008, typically on a weekend closest to National Coming Out Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hands Across Hawthorne</span> 2011 rally in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Hands Across Hawthorne was a rally held at the Hawthorne Bridge in the American West Coast city of Portland, Oregon, on May 29, 2011. The demonstration was in response to an attack, one week earlier, on Brad Forkner and Christopher Rosevear, a gay male couple who had been holding hands while walking across the bridge. According to the couple and the Portland Police Bureau, a group of five men followed Forkner and Rosevear along the bridge before physically assaulting them. The assault was condemned by Portland's mayor, Sam Adams, and its police chief, Mike Reese, and news of the attack spread throughout the Pacific Northwest and the United States. The attack prompted volunteers from the Q Center, a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBT community, to form street patrols as a means of monitoring Portland's downtown area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis PrideFest</span> Annual event in Missouri

PrideFest St. Louis is an annual LGBT pride event in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is organized by Pride St. Louis, an LGBT non-profit organization in the Greater St. Louis area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Calgary, Alberta

Calgary Pride is an LGBT pride festival, held annually in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event is organized by Pride Calgary, a non-profit organization, and is currently held in the final week of August, with the closing parade falling on the first weekend of September when necessary, each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CC Slaughters</span> Pair of gay bars and nightclubs in Portland, Oregon and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Pride</span> Festival and celebration in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival is a week-long celebration of the city's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other identities ([LGBTQ+]) community. The festivities are typically held annually at the end of June but have happened as early as April and as late as July in various locations of Cincinnati, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Eugene, Oregon</span>

LGBT culture in Eugene, Oregon predates the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969, but that event coincided with organized efforts in Lane County, Oregon, to support and celebrate LGBT people. Even though Eugene has been rated on lists of cities friendly to LGBT populations, there are very few venues specifically for the LGBT community in the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon</span>

LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in New York City</span>

New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world, and is home to one of the world’s largest LGBTQ populations and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."

Tucson Lesbian and Gay Alliance, commonly known as Tucson Pride, is an American LGBT pride organization based in Tucson, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Cities Pride</span>

Twin Cities Pride, also known as Twin Cities GLBT Pride, is a nonprofit organization which runs an annual celebration in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota every June focusing on the LGBT community.

The presence of LGBTQ officers in law enforcement has a history of controversy. As times have changed, police forces have adapted by adding LGBTQ divisions, officers and committees within their ranks to account for legislation established by governments to protect individuals who previously had little or no voice when it came to laws impacting their own communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Police Bureau and the LGBT community</span>

The Portland Police Bureau was founded in 1870, and has been making societal changes in their city before others across the country, naming the first female police officer, Lola Baldwin, in 1908, being the first Bureau to ever do so in the United States. Its interaction with the LGBTQ community dates back to as early as 1912, with the Portland Vice Scandal, which involved many arrests in the community due to “indecency” or even counts of sodomy, when the arrests had little viable evidence and were heavily biased. The community kept low throughout the next few decades, until the early 1960s, when the community began to grow in size along with the rest of the city. Writers for papers such as The Oregon Journal stated: “The unmentionable people are virtually untouchable and they are growing stronger each week.” These reports were odd and prompted some early arrests in the 60s for “sex and pornography offenses” which prompted uproar. After these small incidents, the police became hands off with the LGBTQ community, and throughout the decades have embraced their inclusion in the Portland community, swearing to protect and serve all citizens of Portland. In 1977, the city recognized a national gay pride day, and campaigns against bigoted state measures in the 1990s helped halt discrimination and put Portland on the path to its current inclusive social environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TriPride</span> Annual LGBTQ parade and festival

TriPride is an annual LGBTQ parade and festival rotating between the cities of the Tri-Cities region in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia: Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia.

<i>Never Look Away</i> (mural) 2021 mural in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Never Look Away is a mural in Portland, Oregon.

References

  1. "Debra Porta". www.glapn.org. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  2. "Staff". PRIDE NORTHWEST, INC. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  3. "About Us". PRIDE NORTHWEST, INC. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Acker, Lizzy (2019-06-11). "Portland Pride expects 60,000 people for downtown festival, parade". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  5. 1 2 Oregonian/OregonLive, Mark Graves | The (2019-06-17). "Portland Pride Parade 2019: Tens of thousands clad in rainbow colors flood downtown Portland (PHOTOS)". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  6. 1 2 Sparling, Zane. "Portland Pride Parade shines with rainbow-colored love". PortlandTribune. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  7. Butler, Grant (2017-06-16). "Rainbow flags, drag queens, family ties: A visual history of Portland's Pride Parade". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  8. "Timeline". Archived from the original on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  9. "PRIDE NORTHWEST, INC". PRIDE NORTHWEST, INC. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  10. 1 2 3 Bernstein, Maxine (2017-06-17). "Pride Northwest asks police to consider not wearing uniform at Portland's Pride Parade". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  11. Oregonian/OregonLive, Hillary Borrud | The (2018-06-17). "Portland Pride Parade could impact traffic downtown today". oregonlive. Retrieved 2019-11-17.