Post Pride Blues

Post Pride Blues	by Bryan Whitley-Grassi

Cheer up—there’s a month of good stuff to keep the good time going

Well, it’s over. Another fabulous Gay Pride weekend in Buffalo has come to an end.

Or has it?

This year’s Pride Buffalo parade and festival drew record numbers in both the crowd and parade participants. The stage was packed full of fabulous entertainers and the drink pavilion was rocking all afternoon. The bars were packed for after-parties and local businesses on Elmwood Avenue saw a steady flow of locals and tourists, both gay and straight, who came out for the celebration. It was a wonderful, sun-filled Pride weekend. But don’t get the post-Pride blues this year.

June is Gay Pride Month and that means that you can celebrate all month long by joining in on some great LGBT events in our city. To start, there’s the annual Pride Month Workshops presented by Pride Center of Western New York, Inc.. Each year, we plan and coordinate a month-long workshop series devoted to LGBT culture, history, family planning, and health. Our gracious community partners provide hours of community service to help plan and present them. This year’s series includes: “Navigating NYS Law for LGBT Couples,” “How to Grow a Grassroots Movement,” an LGBT sports and recreation open house, and our most popular annual LGBT history roundtable discussion featuring the Rainbow Elders of the Niagara Frontier and the Madeline Davis Buffalo GLBT Archives.

But wait! There’s so much more. June 20-22, the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus will perform their annual summer concert series. This year’s concert series includes special guest: the Royal Serenaders, an historical African-American all-male chorus that has been performing in Buffalo for over 60 years. This concert is sure to be a real treat.

With so much to do, the only blues around this June should be the stripes in our Pride flags. So, get out and enjoy summer in Buffalo and a fun-filled Pride month this June.

Reader Comments

Bidwell Bruce
13 Jun 2008, 15:34

As a resident of Bidwell Parkway, I am glad that Pride Weekend has come to an end. An event of this size and duration does NOT belong in Bidwell Parkway. Despite popular belief, Bidwell is not a park. Olmsted did not intend it to be one. The Buffalo City Charter refers to it as a park access, not a park. Moreover, due to the close proximity of high-value residential property, the constant barrage of summer events in Bidwell Parkway constitutes abuse of the rights of tax-paying property owners who are never gieven an opportunity to be a part of the permit process.

Why is the City of Buffalo so closed to resident review and input? Look at the article. Elmwood businesses love these events, and politicians know which side of the bread the butter is on.

Next year, Pride Buffalo, why not march down Bidwell, but hold your raucous gathering at Hoyt Lake and the March Casino, just a few short blocks away. Or how about Chapin Parkway? Share the joy with them!

Jim Bower
17 Jun 2008, 11:49

I empathize with you Bidwell Bruce. Maybe in your conversation with "Olmstead" to verify his intent for the use of Bidwell you should have also looked up the definition of "parkway". Webster says it's a "broad thoroughfare beautified with trees and turf". Which means it's a street which happens to have some trees and a big grass area in the middle. The City of Buffalo owns the streets last I heard. Many city streets get closed off for all kinds of events. How about Chapin Parkway, Lincoln Parkway for every race and event that spills out of Delaware Park. I believe the homes on those streets not to mention Notingham, Meadow and Rumsey are a little more "high-value" than Bidwell. Yet I have not seen any complaints from those residents.

When people choose to live in an area or on a particular street most choose to find out what goes on in their neighborhood before they buy, especially "high-value" property. If the neighborhood doesn't fit your lifestyle why would anyone want to move there to begin with. Unless you moved here from New Zealand in the dead of winter it would be impossible not to know that all sorts of events take place on ALL of Bidwell all season long. If you didn't do your homework don't complain about the grade you get.

Believe it or not. the wants of a few still don't outweigh the uses of city streets and or property for any group.

If the Pride Celebration is the only event you have a problem with perhaps you have a bigger problem than that. If so, maybe the first week of June would be less aggravating for you if you took a drive in the country for the day of the event.

Post Pride Blues

by Bryan Whitley-Grassi

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