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THE CITY OF OAKLAND APPROVES RESOLUTION FOR OAKLAND PRIDE!
City Council Members Proclaim Sept. 5 Oakland Pride Day. Oakland CA - On July 20, the City of Oakland will approve a resolution to make September 5, 2010 "Oakland Pride Day". Councilpersons Desley Brooks, Ignacio De La Fuente, Rebecca Kaplan, Pat Kernighan, Nancy Nadel, Jean Quan, Larry Reid and President Jane Brunner, have each shown their support for the first Pride Celebration in 6 years, by honoring the Oakland Pride Organization for their commitment to Oakland's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities.
The long-term purpose of Oakland Pride is to educate and promote equality, awarenessand human rights within Oakland and Alameda County. Oakland Pride plans to spearhead funding for development of [the first] all-inclusive LGBT community center.
Amber Todd, co-chair of Oakland Pride was thrilled after hearing the news. "Despite how Oakland has been portrayed in recent media, it still rings true that Oakland is a beautiful place to live and arguably, the most diverse city in the country. We are proud to celebrate the rich history and culture that make up the melting pot of Oakland and the East Bay. Oakland Pride Day provides the LGBTQ community with an opportunity to show their pride and allows every person who loves this city to say 'We are proud of the beauty and the diversity that is Oakland!'"
An analysis by the Urban Institute of U.S. Census 2000 numbers showed that Oakland had America's third-highest concentration of gays and lesbians among the 50 largest U.S. cities. "Those of us who live in Oakland understand how living in a diverse community only strengthens our city. We are enthusiastically ready to celebrate our unique LGBTQ presence in the Bay Area", says Hawkins, co-chair of Oakland Pride.
The city of Oakland is no stranger to supporting issues regarding equality, including issues affecting the LGBTQ community and has actively supported LGBTQ politicians as well as legislation and policies. In 2000, Danny Wan became Oakland's first openly gay City Council member and started the Oakland LGBTQ Roundtable which met monthly at Oakland City Hall and introduced the idea of creating a "gay district" in the city of Oakland. The roundtable meetings ceased after Wan left office in 2005. However, in 2009, Oakland elected out lesbian City Council member Rebecca Kaplan, who won her at-large seat with 62% of the vote. During her short time in office, Kaplan revived the Oakland LGBT roundtable, spearheaded efforts to remove a 130 year old law against cross dressing and helped to launch efforts to create an LGBTQ center and bring a pride celebration back to Oakland.
The Port of Oakland has donated office space to plan Oakland Pride and the East Bay Express has signed on as a major media partner for the inaugural Oakland Pride event.
The LGBTQ Community, as well as their friends, family and supporters are invited to participate in the day's festivities in Oakland's Uptown district along 21stand Franklin. The festival will include stages with a diverse line-up of live entertainment. There will be family friendly and kid zones as well. Food, local vendors, informational booths, and a variety of exhibitors will also be participating.
Oakland Pride is currently registering vendors for the event and still needs additional sponsorship, individual donations and volunteers. Please call (510) 465-7433 for more information about how you can get involved. Be sure to visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for up to the minute updates.
info@oaklandpride.org
http://www.OaklandPride.org
http://twitter.com/OaklandPrid
[7/20/10]
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