Soul Essence This Weekend

Minnesota Soul Essence is this weekend:

"Come join the festivities, kicking off with Opening Ceremonies on Friday, August 11th at 7:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency (1300 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.) Opening Ceremonies will feature a dinner, local vendors, and entertainment. Soul Essence also features a White Party on Saturday, August 12th at the Ramada Inn (41 N. 10th Street) in Minneapolis beginning at 9:00 pm; a Family Gathering-Picnic on Sunday, August 13th at Theodore Wirth Park beginning at noon; and on Monday, August 14th, a Skate Jam at The Roller Garden (5622 W. Lake Street) in St. Louis Park beginning at 7:00 p.m."

"Minnesota Soul Essence was founded in 2002 as the result of the need for a stronger presence of GLBT African Americans in the Twin Cities. Soul Essence exists to provide a model of unity and pride for African-American GLBT residents of the Twin Cities. We achieve this by establishing relationships and networking within the African-American community, the Gay, Lesbien, Bi-Sexual Transgender community, and our allies."

For more information, visit SoulEssenceMinnesota.

Why Was Pride So Boring?

The Twin Cities Pride Festival was chock full of corporate goodness. Big box retailers, insurance companies, real estate agents, radio stations, etc. I didn't see the parade, but I can only assume it was hours of advertising for companies who 'support' the GLBT community.

The Star Tribune in the past week has printed to articles about Pride and it's corporatization. In "Gay pride parade an attractive marketplace for businesses", the Strib interviews some gays to ask what they think of the Pride Parade. Each one seems happy that each year there are fewer drag queens and naked guys in barrels (Naked Minnesota), or less of the 'silly glitter element' as Kirby Moore is quoted as saying. Apparently, a boring GLBT Pride is okay for some folks, probably the same type of people that think the Castro, the center of sexual liberation, should be child friendly.

Claude Peck and Rick Nelson banter back and forth in "Withering Glance: The Twin Cities GLBT Pride Festival" about the absolute dullness of Twin Cities Pride suggesting maybe we should call it "Twin Cities GLBT Marketing Opportunity." Where are the strange, sexy, outrageous, and fabulous elements of our community?

Claude says, "Gays and lesbians kvetch that the news media focus only on drag queens and Dykes on Bikes in covering the parade. But those are what are known as vibrant visuals. A phalanx of 75 people in matching Best Buy T-shirts does not exciting television make. Besides, weren't drag queens and dykes the ones who got the whole late-June pride thing going in the first place?"

I'm pretty sure they were. But corporate sponsors don't attach their names to butch, topless womyn on Harley Davidsons, or gaudy contingents of men in hag drag, or buff and tan 20 year olds in hot pants, or aging leather dadddies in harnesses. And the hetero (and gay) families that come down to see the "Gay Parade" would definitely pick up the phone and call to complain if they did.

Nevermind that the 'glitter element' might actually serve to educate people coming to our festival with an open mind, wanting to learn more about GLBT people and culture. Instead they get the message that GLBT people are exactly like them, except they spend a lot of money. The 'glitter element' is part of our history, and we should stop hiding it in favor of corporate sponsorship. Plus the 'glitter element' is fun. Twenty-five people wearing the same t-shirt is boring.

Out names Duluth-Superior Hottest Small Town Pride

Duluth-Superior Pride is Out Magazine's Hottest Small Town Pride in the June issue on page 155. It really is a great time, and a beautiful part of the Midwest. They've got a huge bonfire on the Lake Superior beach, a boat ride on the lake, a (small) parade, and a festival in the park.

I launched this blog, like 2 years ago by posting about my trip to DS Pride. I'm totally going this year (I think). If you're thinking of going to Duluth-Superior Pride over Labor Day weekend, better hurry! Hotel reservations are filling up fast. (Thanks Byf)

Sec. of State Kiffmeyer and Twin Cities Pride

Lloydletta and the Blotter have information on why the Secretary of State's office bought a booth at the Twin Cities Pride Festival, but did not show: they don't have enough resources this year.

Spokesperson, Kent Kaiser (from Lloydletta):

"Pride was worthwhile, but not as much so as the State Fair or Taste of Minnesota, the only two events that our office is attending this year, in terms of traffic to our booth and voter registrations collected."

It also clears up some of last year's questions of whether Kiffmeyer herself or her staff were present in the park. Her statement last year was "Where's the Star Tribune when I'm working Gay Pride and my staff has to take flak for being there?"

Noone is sure what the 'flak' was, but we know based on Kaiser's email that Kiffmeyer wasn't herself 'working Gay Pride,' although her office did hire several students who were there. Mike Mosedale at the Blotter contacted Pride spokesman Bill Nienaber who confirmed that the office paid for and operated a booth in 2004.