Cleveland Pride

It’s that time of year again. Cleveland LGBT Pride inc. is looking to expand their general membership, and we would like to invite you to consider becoming one of our general members. This is a great way to get involved in the community and help make decisions in our organization. Please attend our general membership meeting on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. located at our office at 11100 Detroit Road, Cleveland, OH 44102. The yearly dues are only $10.00.

Thank you for your consideration on this excellent opportunity, and we will see you next week!

Photographs of the 2010 Cleveland Pride Parade and Festival are now published, and can be viewed at either of the following links.  If you have photographs of Pride, please upload them to facebook.com, and tag the Cleveland Pride facebook page in the photos.  Add Cleveland Pride as a friend HERE.

Eric Paul Owens Photography.

KLM Photographics.

There will be a Cleveland Pride debriefing meeting on Wednesday, July 28.  This meeting is open to the public.  We will be discussing the successes of the Cleveland Pride 2010 festival.   All individuals interested in helping out with Cleveland Pride 2011 are urged to attend.

The meeting will be held at the Cleveland Pride office at 11100 Detroit Ave at 7:00 p.m.

The Cleveland Pride Executive Board and Board of Directors would like to thank all Volunteers, Sponsors, Vendors, Entertainers, Parade Participants, Attendees, and Partnerships for making Cleveland Pride 2010 a fantastic experience and successful event.  We have received a lot of great positive feedback, and without everybody’s help we would not have been able to reach such a big goal.

Keep checking back for more updates on wrapping up Cleveland Pride 2010 and initial planning stages of Cleveland Pride 2011!

Leading up to the Cleveland Pride Parade and Festival on June 26, 2010, Cleveland LGBT Pride Inc. will be holding several exciting events:

Tuesday, June 22, 2010: Dinner and Drinks at Uptown, 11312 Euclid Avenue, from 4:00 p.m. until closing.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010: “Wicked Wednesday” at Bottom’s Up, 1572 W. 117th Street, from 10:00 p.m. until closing.
Thursday, June 24, 2010: Gay Skate at Winterhurst Ice Rink, 14740 Lakewood Hts. Blvd, time TBA.
Friday, June 25, 2010: Pride Poker Run from 9:00 p.m. until closing, Starting at Leather Stallion Saloon, 2205 St. Clair Ave NE, and ending at Twist, 11663 Clifton Ave.
Saturday, June 26, 2010: Pride Parade and Festival at Voinovich Park from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; After-party and Bounce Nightclub, 2814 Detroit Ave.

We are also working on planning a volleyball, softball, or tennis game this week. If you would like to host a game, please contact us at executiveboard@clevelandpride.org or Marketing Director Adam Bowers at adam.bowers@clevelandpride.org and we ill add that to our events list.

Cleveland LGBT Pride, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Grand Marshall for the 2010 Pride Festival will be the Cleveland Synergy Foundation.
Jeff Steinberg, President/CEO of Cleveland Pride, Inc., states “the reason for our decision to extend the invitation to the Cleveland Synergy Foundation is based on their fortitude and dedication in bringing the Gay Games to Cleveland in 2014.  They were the driving force behind this tremendous opportunity for the cities of Cleveland and Akron.”
Steinberg further says, “by extending the invitation to Cleveland Synergy Foundation, we are hoping that this shows a Unity between the communities.  We are hoping that this is the first brick over the divide that separates us and that we can continue to build up our city and community for the games in 2014 and beyond.”
Cleveland Pride Festival is being held on Saturday, June 26 2010 at Voinovich Park.  The Festival runs from 12:00 noon until 9:00 p.m. with the Parade starting at 12:00p.m.

Cleveland Pride strives to get you the best entertainment possible, well this year is no different.    This year, our headliner is “Club Pride,” bringing the atmosphere of an exciting night club to the  2010 Cleveland Pride festival.  Much gratitude to Entertainment Sponsor Billy “J” Disk Jockey for providing a state of the art DJ booth, making this year’s party bigger than ever.

This year’s DJ line-up is:

Big G (Greg Cross)
Billy “J” Disc Jockeys– Sponsoring DJ Booth
Heather Ike
Mike Textbeak
Pink Flash Productions
Saint
Veruka Assault

For more information about Entertainment, please contact our Entertainment Director Bella Sin at bella.sin@clevelandpride.org

Eric Paul Owens has agreed to become Cleveland Prides official photographer for this year’s 22nd Annual Cleveland Pride on June 26, 2010.

Owens was booked by Entertainment Director, Bella Sin.  When asked why Owens was chosen as the featured photographer for Pride 2010, Sin explains “for his vision, He has an interesting take on his art and photography.”
Owens is one of the most prestigious and innovating artists of our day.  Owens is best known for his food project called “Foodiepo”, which is a series of “modern pinups”.  He also has a book coming out soon which is a sampling of his glamour photography, titled “Glamit”.  You may also know him by his exhibits that are shown throughout the northeastern United States.  He also has regular shows that are shown in numerous venues in Columbus, Ohio.  Owens enlightens, “Photography to me is magic. You set everything up for the moment the shutter clicks and then you have captured that instant.”
Cleveland Pride thanks Owens for agreeing to be our official photographer.

This Wednesday, June 9 2010 from 8:00pm to 12:00am, Union Station Bounce is hosting a Fundraiser, ‘Cleveland Pride’s Showcase’.

Join Cleveland Pride at ‘Cleveland Pride’s Showcase’ held at Union Station Bounce located at 2814 Detroit Ave. Show your support for the LGBT and Straight Alliance community by celebrating with Le Femme Mystique Burlesque, CKG, Anthony Covatte, Kali’s Fire, Wasted Productions, Drag Queens and many more. There will be an auction held for a date by a secret member of the Pride Showcase, raffles and Pride-tinis will also be sold. Remember, we can’t have Pride without YOUR help! See you Wednesday night at Bounce.

There will be an informational meeting for all registered volunteers for Cleveland Pride on Monday, June 14 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at our office at 11000 Detroit Ave.  or more information, contact our Volunteer Director Dr. Michelle Nicopolis at michelle.nicopolis@clevelandpride.org

Cleveland Pride is proud to reveal the official list of vendors  for our 2010 festival on June 26.  We may still be receiving contracts from vendors we approach our festival date, so keep checking back for updates!

View the full list HERE.

Cleveland Pride is proud to reveal the official list of sponsors for our 2010 festival on June 26.  We may still be receiving contracts from sponsors as we approach our festival date, so keep checking back for updates!

See the full list HERE.

Continental and South West air lines have partnered with Cleveland Pride for the 22nd Annual Pride Cleveland Rally, Parade and Festival to be held on June 26, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio at Voinovich Park.   Three pairs of airfare tickets for any destination within the United States will be raffled off.
This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of, with the cost to travel rising significantly.  To purchase tickets, visit any of Cleveland Pride’s fundraisers.  One ticket is $10.00, Two tickets are $15.00, and five are $45.00.   The winners will be announced at the festival, and will not need to be present to win.  Thank you, as always, in your continued support with Cleveland Pride.

General registration pricing has been extended until June 4, 2010.   Vendors registering before this date will not be charged any late registration fee. Being a vendor at the Cleveland Pride festival is a great opportunity to promote your business or charity. With over 10,000 attendees at the 2009 Pride festival, the prospect of networking with many residents and businesses of the Greater Cleveland area and Northeastern Ohio is excellent. Take advantage of the extended general registration pricing and become a part of this year’s Cleveland Pride.  Thank you for your support.  For any questions regarding vending, please contact Vendor Coordinator Chris Cavna at Chris.Cavna@clevelandpride.org

Cleveland Pride is proud to reveal the official list of entertainers for our 2010 festival on June 26.  Performance schedules will be listed on a later date.   We may still be receiving contracts from performers and entertainers as we approach our festival date, so keep checking back for updates!

View the full list HERE.

On May 13, 2010, 19 lesbian and gay plaintiffs take their fight to federal court in Boston to confront DOMA.
In 2004, when Kathy Bush and Mary Ritchie got married, they thought that they would finally be seen as a ‘married’ couple and with that, receive what ‘legally seen married’ couples receive, they were wrong.  Among other lesbian and gay couples that were married in Massachusetts six years ago when same-sex marriage became legal in that state, they are now still fighting for their rights to be acknowledged as legally married in the eyes of the federal government.  The Federal Defense of Marriage Act is now halting their ability to have this dream come true.  Bush and Ritchie, along with 17 other lesbian and gay plaintiffs, will be appearing in federal court on May 13, 2010 in Boston, to fight for their right to equal rights.  Gary Buseck, with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders is their attorney.  Buseck states, “DOMA violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution because it is discriminatory”.
Now in 1996, Congress had a debate over DOMA, Smith writes, “One of DOMA’s authors, former Republican Rep. Bob Barr, proclaimed, “The flames of hedonism and the flames of self-centered morality are licking at the very foundations of our society.” Barr, now a libertarian, has since called for DOMA’s repeal, saying it violates states rights. President Obama also supports repeal. But his administration is in the awkward position of having to defend the law in court. As a Department of Justice official put it, we “can’t pick and choose which federal laws [to] defend based on any one administration’s policy preferences.””
It’s plain to see that this is not going to be an easy fight for the LGBT Community and those who believe in EQUAL RIGHTS, but one that is necessary none-the-less.
For more information, read the full article here.

On May 1, 2010 BCJ Photography from Chicago, Illinois interviewed and shot Cleveland Pride board member and Entertainment Director Bella Sin of Le Femme Mystique Burlesque/Ohio Burlesque for their nationwide documentary and book All That Glitter’s: Burlesque Performers In Their Homes.

Sin stated, ““I’m lucky to be the one representing Cleveland in this nationwide documentary and book. I must thank all of you; your support alone has gotten me to this point.”

As a burlesque entertainer, Sin has been well known in the LGBT community for performing for different events benefiting different causes such as the AIDS Task Force’s “Dancin’ in the Streets,” Cleveland Pride 2009, and  Frivolity 2009.

Sin has been preserving the name of burlesque in Cleveland for the last seven years and plans to continue uphold the art form’s legacy.  Le Femme Mystique Burlesque advertises many signs of unity throughout the community along with female empowerment and Cleveland history.

For more information about All That Glitters and BCJ photography, visit the BCJ website or the BCJ blog.  For more information about Bella and Le Femme Mystique Burlesque, visit their Facebook page or their Myspace profile.