NWA Pride events begin this weekend

Greetings from the Northwest Center for Equality

I am honored to welcome you to June Pride 2014 in Northwest Arkansas!

The NWA Center for Equality’s June Pride 2014 is a unique, month-long pride celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and straight ally community of Northwest Arkansas. Each year at Pride, we celebrate our community and our differences and diversities within our community.

June Pride allows community members and visitors to partake in a variety of events throughout the month of June, including the Annual NWA Pride Parade and June Pride Festival.

We have much to celebrate this year after the monumental ruling by Judge Piazza, and despite the stay, we should be moving equality forward; especially working towards workplace and housing protections, anti-bullying in our schools, and transgender education and healthcare support. There is much work to be done in the South and we should focus on collaboration efforts with people of color, women's groups, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and many other like-minded supporters of equality.

I want to personally thank you for your commitment to shaping the character of Northwest Arkansas by making it a more inclusive and open place for the LGBTQ and ally community. We credit the continued success of June Pride to supporters and donors like you; those who provide support to further our mission to promote, educate, advocate and celebrate the advancement to be one’s true self in Northwest Arkansas.

I know I speak for everyone involved with June Pride when I extend a very sincere thank you to all our volunteers, sponsors, vendors, donors, and performers! I invite all of you to join in celebrating June Pride 2014 and in renewing your commitment to be yourself. I also encourage you to learn more about the issues facing us - and get involved. We’ve come a long way - but we’re not done yet!

The schedule for NWA Pride 2014 is at http://www.nwaequality.org/, and in the printed issue of The Gayly, now available on newsstands in AR, OK, KS, MO, and parts of TX. 

by James K. Rector, President, NWA Center for Equality

The Gayly – June 5, 2014 @ 10:05am