JUNE 23, 1995 GAY PEOPle's ChroNICLE 11

A short march leaves Clevelanders fresh for Pride festival

Continued from page 1

Cathedral at E. 22nd and Euclid as originally announced.

The change resulted from a mixup in the permit process for the march. Five days before the event, a city official said a permit could not be granted for the march because East 9th St. could not be closed an hour before an Indians home game at Jacobs Field. The original march route would have crossed East 9th two blocks from the ballpark, blocking traffic to the game.

During the week leading up to the event, Chronicle publisher Martha Pontoni and Pride coordinator Brynna Fish repeatedly discussed ways to alleviate the problem with city safety director William Denihan, eventually moving the stepoff to just west of East 9th St. so the march would not conflict with game-day traffic. Early in the week, an announcement was made that the time had been moved earlier, but this option was ultimately rejected.

Fish thanked all the people who came through in the tenth hour, and said, "It's a testimony to our community that, faced with some problems of major consequence, Martha, myself and others could dialogue with city officials and solve the problems that existed." She also made it clear from the Pride stage the day of the event that city officials were very helpful, and at no time during the process was any homophobic sentiment expressed.

Approximately 832 people marched in the parade to Public Square, many carrying group banners or waving home-made signs. The Grid nightclub had a float which later

can man, and the person acting as Queen Cleopatra was white. Cleveland LesbianGay Center director Judith Rainbrook spoke from the festival's main stage and encouraged anyone who might have been offended by the float to discuss it with Szoka.

Bryon Thomas, the African-American man who played one of the "slaves" on the float said, "I feel that it was way out of line for the director of the Center to make those comments from the Pride stage. I also feel that it was very unfair to Jerry, who is a friend of mine."

"I felt that [being on the float] was a liberating experience, because I was able to say, 'I'm no longer carrying around the baggage from my past, or my ancestors' past.' There comes a time when you have to let go of some of that baggage and move on."

Pride is a family affair

Thomas also said that he was not the only person of color on the float-one individual was of Mexican and Indian descent while

Two Egyptian figures preside over the Grid's float

served as the dance stage. The float depicted an Egyptian scene complete with pyramids, two Sphinx-like statues guarding a “queen” Cleopatra being fanned by her "slaves," and Grid co-owner Jerry Szoka in a Roman centurion outfit cracking a bullwhip.

Some expressed concern that one of the "slaves" on the float was an African-Ameri-

COURTNEY BEHREND

The GRID

another was Puerto Rican—although he feels he was singled out for comments because he is black.

"As a black man with the last name Thomas, and as someone who doesn't speak in a certain 'urban' way, you open yourself up to being called an 'Uncle Tom,'--and that's how I feel I was being treated, in a rather

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backhanded way," he said.

Szoka said the float was in no way intended to be offensive to individuals of any ethnic group.

Controversies aside, the day was one for celebration and fun, with an estimated 1,000 people circulating around the square and shopping at the merchant booths. Several people said they had missed the march because of the location change, and gone directly to the festival.

Opinion was varied over the size of the crowd. Judy Rainbrook of the Center said, "I was a little disappointed with the numbers-I thought it would be bigger considering the great weather." On the other hand, Fish said that based on the number of "My Pride Counts" donation stickers that were handed out, “I think there was a grand total of about 2,500 people there on the Square." Fish said that there were 3,000 stickers or ́dered, and that there are less than 500 left over, which was how she arrived at her figure. Many people, though, wore more than one sticker, so an accurate count is unlikely. Fish continued, “Despite all the head-

CARMEN GOMEZ

aches and the problems, it turned out to be a fabulous day. It was a great turnout, people's spirits were high, many people stayed all day, and volunteers came through at the last minute, allowing me to enjoy some of the

DOW

COURTNEY BEHREND

A quartet of dancers accompanied magician Eric Brouman

day's events. It was really gratifying to see all those people out there having a great time."

She also reported, although exact figures were not available at press time, that for the first time in years, Pride, Inc. "came out ahead financially.”

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