The Cincinnati Pride Celebration Gets a Downtown Makeover

Cincinnati's annual Pride Celebration got a Downtown makeover this year. After years of success in Northside, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Cincinnati relinquished Pride Day planning to the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce, who merged their Equinox Festival with Pride Day events. Recalling the city's original Downtown Pride origins, some members of the LGBT community anticipated the changes as positive. Others expressed a sense of economic exclusion.

One comment on the event's Facebook page, Equinox: Gay Pride 2010, expressed an objection that the $50 admission to the Saturday night Ball "...excludes any member of the community that does not have the resources to pay." Another person suggested a change in the event name to include the word "..privilege."

Time and Place Makeover

Nearly every facet of Cincinnati's Pride Celebration was altered this year. The traditional June dates in Northside were abandoned for an Independence Day Weekend Downtown that follows the schedule of the 2009 Equinox Celebration. Instead of Northside bars and cafes, festivities started with a Friday Night LGBT Pub Crawl at Downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky venues.

Saturday activities began with a Fountain Square family Fun Zone and concluded with a Ball at Duke Energy Convention Center. Sunday's post-parade Pride Festival, previously held in Northside's Hoffner Park, made the move as well, filling Fountain Square and 5^th Street with food booths and live entertainment with Hamilton County Commissioner, Todd Portune, welcoming the crowd with a city proclamation.

Parade Makeover

The Pride Parade kept its Sunday start time, but shifted the route from Clifton Ave to 5^th Street, a Downtown location traditionally reserved for Taste of Cincinnati, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati and other major city events. Mayor Mallory waved to the crowd from the lead parade car, a key difference from previous years, as were the new Pride banners hanging above Downtown streets.

Sponsorship Makeover

There were fewer small businesses than in last year's parade; but employees sponsored by Cincinnati's corporate giants turned out in force. Macy's, Fifth Third Bank, Kroger and Proctor & Gamble's LGBT groups marched with pride. Some offered rainbow adorned mementos bearing corporate logos.

Political Makeover

Politicians were represented, but not in last year's numbers. Mallory and Portune participated, as did a Vote-for-Judge-Black contingent and volunteers for Congressman Steve Driehaus and Denise Driehaus, his State Representative sister. A Democratic group passed out stickers exclaiming, "Democrats value all Families."

Cincinnati Pride underwent a major makeover this year; but judging from the laughter, music and the smiling faces in the Downtown crowds, the Cincinnati Equinox Pride weekend was a complete success, and any growing pains are temporary.

Source:

Parade attendance

Cincinanti Equinox Pride 2010 Program

Equinox: Cincinnati Gay Pride 2010 on Facebook

http://equinoxcincinnati.com/

http://www.cincyglbt.com/hot-news-1/pride-gaychamberofcommercehosts72-74