OKC Pride to march in 2016 MLK Parade

by Michael Clark
OKC Pride President

January is the month we recognize and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his quest for equality. “I have a dream,” he cried from on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, “One day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed…that all men are created equal.”

Dr. King’s demand for an end to racial inequality parallels our own call for an end to discrimination against those in the LGBTQ community. This is why OKC Pride is honored to join the Oklahoma City Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade for the second year on January 18.

We have made great strides in both areas but both are still far from equal. Hateful, discriminatory stories fill the news and cloud political rhetoric; however, we celebrate our successes while remaining vigilant in defense of equality.

Since the June 26 Supreme Court decision, marriage equality is the law of the land. We have seen greater support from individuals, businesses and the community at large supporting LGBTQ rights. The groups opposing equality for the LGBTQ community are dwindling but the fact remains that in the state of Oklahoma, an individual can lose their job, housing, even parental rights based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Please join OKC Pride on Monday, January 18, at 1 p.m. to march in support of equality for all. The theme of this year’s MLK Parade is “The Color of Unity” and our rainbow of colors representing the LGBTQ movement fits ideally with that theme. We had resounding support from the crowd last year and are looking forward to a huge turnout this year. Let’s march together to show Oklahoma City just how many people support true equality for all races, creeds, religions, ages, genders and sexual identities.

Dr. King said, “Segregation not only harms one physically but injures one spiritually…has it scarred the soul…it is a system which forever stares the segregation in the face, saying ‘You are less than…You are not equal to….’”

We will continue to work toward a society where there are not straight and gay marriages but just marriages, not “normal” or “queer” but people. Until we reach that day, we will remember those who fought so hard before us for the rights we have today and strive every day to expand those rights to a level of full equality.

The MLK Parade this month is a great kickoff to the year and we will post updates on times and dates to assist in building our parade float and joining us to march in the parade on our social media sites.

In February, we’ll host the first annual “Valen-Trans Party” where we invite member of the trans community to join us for a free celebration of Valentine’s Day with makeovers, information, food and fun. March brings our first citywide LGBT Youth Prom, another free event for those 16-20 who want to celebrate the prom season in a safe, welcoming environment. April marks the third year for OKC Pride’s Second Chance Prom for those over 21. This event continues to grow and is always lots of fun.

Mark your calendars for the 29th Annual OKC Pride Block Party, Festival and Parade, the weekend of June 24-26. This year is looking to be even bigger and better than last. We have begun negotiations with great, internationally known entertainers and are reaching out for huge community-wide support and involvement.

You can join OKC Pride by going to our website www.OKCPride.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Gayly - 1/9/2016 @ 9:57am CST