North Carolina Pride celebrated its 30th anniversary with the annual LGBTQ pride parade on East Campus last Saturday.
The theme of this year's parade was "Refections of Pride—30 Years," featuring a host of floats, vendors and a 5K run. Over past decades, the parade has been hosted in cities across North Carolina and the Triangle area, but has been on Duke's campus since 2001. Benjamin Reese, vice president of the Office for Institutional Equity, said that the heavy involvement of several groups represents Duke's commitment to equity and inclusion.
"[This shows] our recognition and celebration of the presence of the LGBTQ community," Reese said. "All of this occurring on East Campus, the home of our first-year students, just serves as part of their orientation to a place that continually strives to be inclusive within the Duke community, as well as in our engagement with Durham."
To celebrate the 30th anniversary, Pride featured a weekend-long slate of events across the Triangle, including discussions, parties and performances. This year's parade had strong commercial and local support, with 60 vehicles, 110 marching groups and 13 floats—significant growth from Pride's first year on Duke's campus in 2001, when there was only one float.
A number of organizations represented Duke, including Blue Devils United, Duke Student Government and Duke Athlete Ally. The parade comes in the wake of several high-profile moves for Duke's LGBTQ community, including the grand opening of the Queering Duke's History in Perkins Library—which examines Duke's treatment of LGBTQ students in past years—and the announcement that the Duke supplement on the Common Application will feature an optional LGBTQ-inclusive question. Additionally, this Fall marks the first time that gender-neutral housing is available to all undergraduate students, with the program expanding to freshmen on East Campus.
Freshman attendance in particular was large at the parade this year. BDU and DSG co-hosted a pre-party on the East Campus Quadrangle the morning of the parade. This new program was geared towards encouraging more students to attend the parade, especially freshmen. BDU President Daniel Kort, a senior, said that Pride's proximity to East Campus is as much of a positive for freshmen as it is for the organization.
"Hosting the statewide celebration of Pride around East Campus presents the perfect opportunity for new students to engage with the cultural treasures of Durham, including its vibrant LGBTQ community," Kort said.
The Pride parade and the accompanying celebrations were the protest sites for various issues of gay rights in state courts—particularly the recently filed Gerber v. Cooper, which seeks North Carolina's recognition of same-sex marriages established in other states and provinces.
Barry Garner, a Durham resident who participated in Pride, said that Pride's role as a discussion space shouldn't be undermined.
"Pride is the place that I've had the most meaningful conversations about issues like [Gerber v. Cooper]," he said. "It's a strange combination of celebration and discussion that brings up great debates."
Despite this, Garner said that Pride was a great way for newcomers to become acquainted with LGBTQ life at Duke and in the larger Durham community.
"Anyone at Duke, especially the freshmen who haven't had much exposure to Durham, can appreciate the vibrant environment that Pride brings out. It's a perfect way to get to know us."
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