Savannah Wieshaar
Reporter
The UP center sponsors Champaign-Urbana’s 9th annual Pride Festival this weekend. The fun filled festivities will start on Friday the 14th and continue through Sunday.
Friday will kick off Pride fest with the Queer Dance Party starting at 9 p.m. The following day will be filled to the brim with things to do for anyone and everyone. Ice House will be having drink specials all day long starting at 11 a.m.. However, the activities will start at 2 p.m. with Drag Queen Story Hour, followed by several educational panels at Big Grove Tavern including “Biblical Self Defense Workshop” by CUCC’s Reverend Leah Roberts-Mosser, “Getting to Zero” by CU Public Health, “Advocacy and Policy: How to Create Change” by Equality Illinois’s Mike Ziri, “Hormone Replacement Therapy” by Planned Parenthood’s Len Meyer, and “Bisexual and Pansexual Meet and Greet”. Other activities throughout the day include a Vendor Fair and Queer and Trans Clothing Swap at Orpheum Children’s Museum. The official parade march and main event will start at 5 p.m. at the corner of Main and Walnut Street – with the lineup starting at 4. Afterwards, plan to enjoy free entertainment at local bars and restaurants downtown. The after-party and drag show will start at 8 p.m. at 51 Main, Champaign’s popular gay bar. The festivities will continue into Sunday with Drag Brunch at CityView. A pride after party will also be held starting at 5 p.m. at 51 Main as well.
Pride events originated to support the LGBT – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender – community. According to a CNN educational piece on the matter, Pride marches first began in 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots. The Stonewall riots occurred after police raided The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in New York City. New York’s gay community rebelled after years of harassment and ridicule from authorities, resulting in three days of neighborhood riots. After this, the idea of Pride grew, spreading nationwide. One of the very first marches was held in Chicago. Now, Chicago is known for hosting one of the largest PrideFest celebrations in the United States. This past June the city’s Pride Parade brought roughly one million people into the streets of downtown Chicago. While Champaign’s Pride may not be quite as big as Chicago’s, it is the largest Pride Parade in downstate Illinois.
For many individuals this is not only a celebration of universal love, but also a celebration of being able to be completely comfortable with who you are. The LGBT population is a very diverse community – hence the rainbow symbol – that wants to include everyone. Even if one does not identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender they are more than welcome to join in the PrideFest to show support, understanding, and simply have a little fun. PrideFest is meant to include people from all walks of life.
Not only does Champaign support the LGBT community, but so does Parkland College. Parkland Pride! is one of many student organizations at the college. According to Parkland’s official website, “This group supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students and seeks to educate the Parkland community on issues related to the LGBTQ population. Parkland Pride! is open to all students regardless of sexual orientation, as well as to all students who wish to be allies.” For more information and details regarding this years PrideFest go to unitingpride.org, and for more information on Parkland Pride! visit their Facebook page.
