Thousands pack pride
parade
ASBURY PARK EVENT:
Celebrates gay, lesbian culture
FESTIVITIES: Include
parade, food, music and education
BY A. SCOTT FERGUSON,
app.com from the Web, June 6, 2005
ASBURY PARK — Pride, advocacy
and celebration all mixed together Sunday as the annual Gay Lesbian Bisexual
Transgendered and Intersexed Pride Celebration marked its 14th year in the city.
The day started with a parade and ended with several hours worth of music and
other entertainment at Bradley and Atlantic parks near Fifth Avenue.
Waiting for the parade to head their way so they could join, Linda Detwiler of
Millstone balanced her daughter, Leah, 3, on her shoulders.
"We're just here to have some fun and celebrate," Detwiler said as a noisy group
of motorcycles with rainbow flags began to drown out her voice. "We also
wanted to let the kids see what's it all about. Plus, the weather was
great so we let them come along."
Detwiler belongs to New Jersey's Lesbian and Gay Havurah, a Jewish community
group for lesbians and gay men who meet throughout the state. Before
marching off, Detwiler said she was proud to live in a state that allowed her to
adopt a child.
"I think a day like today helps us out because people see what gay and lesbian
rights are all about," Detwiler said. "I'm so happy to live in a state
like ours."
Unlike last year, this celebration and parade passed without the visible
protests led by a group of local churches, whose members marked the parade route
with signs and placards.
After the parade ended at the two parks shortly after 1 p.m., the celebration
for the remainder of the day kicked into high gear with food, music,
entertainment and a hefty dose of advocacy and information.
By 2 p.m., city police estimated about 4,000 people had come to the parks.
At her own booth, Pat Sherman of Bradley Beach was busy signing people up for
the annual New Jersey Ride Against AIDS, a 250-mile bicycle trek the length of
the state that takes place between Oct. 8 and 10.
"So far, today, we had about a dozen people show up and show an interest in
participating," Sherman said.
The annual celebration here also brings a number of groups from around the
state.
At their own booth, members of the Jersey City Lesbian and Gay Outreach gave out
material and talked about their upcoming activities.
"This is our third year in the parade," explains Walt Boraczek, the
organization's executive director. "The community here is so great."
In addition to advocacy, Boraczek also reflects on the sense of community the
annual event represents.
"Over the years, the celebration has really grown, and it gives us a time to
remember those people who worked to get us where we are now," Boraczek said.
For the last 14 years, Bert Wentworth, 42, of Asbury Park has watched the
celebration grow from a few hundred to a few thousand people. He added
that the bright sunshine and warm weather this year helped as well.
"This is a chance for everyone to see that we're just as weird and just as
normal as everybody else," Wentworth said. "We've got a lot more crowds
than we had in the first year, and we're now expanded into both parks after just
starting out in the one park. It's been great."
Sitting on a blanket, Colleen Roberts, 34, of Woodbridge waited for the music to
start and said the city's celebration was better than those in New York City.
"It really shows that Asbury Park is up and coming," Roberts said. "Here,
it's a lot less congested, and there's more vendors and everything is a lot more
accessible. I've been coming here six years, and this year the parade is
the biggest I have ever seen."
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(STAFF PHOTO: DARYL STONE)
Stephanie Kolber, 19, of Wall holds up one side of a
rainbow balloon arch at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered and
Intersexed Pride Celebration in Asbury Park Sunday |
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