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Dayton Pride

Local Bars Support Pride All Month Long

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June is PRDIE month a celebration to recognize the sweeping impact that LGBT individuals, advocates and allies have on history in the United States and around the globe, according to the Library of Congress. 

The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the riots held by members of the LGBT community against a police raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969. The Stonewall riots were a “tipping point” for the gay liberation movement in the United States. The uproar also paved the way for the modern fight for LGBT rights.  Dayton Pride is this weekend with a Friday’s Affair at the Square from 6-10pm featuring 3 bands and The Rubi Girls. Saturday starts with a reverse parade down Second Street from 10-11am and food, drink, vendor booths and live entertainment at Courthouse Square from noon-4pm.

Many Dayton area bars are joining together to show their pride, by offering drinks specials that will donate a portion of sales to the Greater Dayton LGBT Center for the entire month of June.

 

Crystal Head Vodka is proud to be an ongoing supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. and is the official Vodka sponsor of Dayton Pride. They’ve just released a  limited-edition Pride bottle. The 2021 Pride bottle release contains our original vodka, distilled 4 times from the highest quality, locally-sourced Canadian corn. Silky smooth with a hint of sweetness and vanilla. Filtered through Herkimer diamonds and blended with pristine Newfoundland water. This pure spirit is completely free from additives and made with pride.  As they explain it, “Colour plays a vital role in the world we live in, often used as a powerful communication tool and form of creative expression. Colour evokes feeling and has a direct link to creative thinking. Crystal Head Vodka is proud to bring creative spirits to life in celebration of diversity and equality with our newest limited-edition release. We are committed to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and related communities through our continuous involvement with LGBTQ+ foundations, charities and organizations.”

Billy Cavallo, the East Coast Brand Ambassador for Crystal Head, will be in Dayton this weekend to celebrate PRIDE, and visiting many of the bars supporting the LGBT Center promotion. The following bar have all committed to show their Pride:

  • MJs on Jefferson
  • Right Corner
  • Club Evolution
  • Mudlick Tap House
  • Ned Peppers
  • Hole in the Wall
  • Newcoms Tavern
  • Carmels Southwest Grill
  • Patterson Pub
  • Troll Pub
  • Timothys Double 18 Lounge
  • Back Home Table and Tavern
  • Tuty’s Bar and Grill
  • WO Wrights
  • Warped Wing
  • Heather’s
  • Mr Boros
  • The Barrel

Meet Warped Wing’s  Pride-a-Rita, a refreshing beer cocktail that blends Milagro silver tequila, passionfruit syrup, Magic Melon Gose, and triple sec. This tasty cocktail is on special for the entire month of June. Show your pride and try one at either  Taproom!

Dayton PRIDE Celebration cancelled for 2020

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In a statement released by the LGBT Center, PRIDE 2020 is officially cancelled:

“It is with heavy hearts that the Greater Dayton LGBT Center Board of Directors has decided to cancel in-person LGBTQIA+ Pride for Dayton this year. We originally postponed the events for Pride weekend from June to August hoping the local effects of the COVID pandemic would have been minimized by that time. Unfortunately, it is painfully obvious that we are not able to hold large gatherings and parades such as Pride without risking the health and wellbeing of our community. Although it is never easy to make a decision such as this, we decided that your health is the most important thing this year.

Of course, we can’t just skip recognition of Pride during 2020 so we will be shifting our August 22 celebration from in-person to online. We are still putting plans together, but we will be holding a televised and Facebook Live event from 1pm to 3pm. The celebration will be similar to our Pride Stage Show featuring local speakers and entertainment. Please stay tuned for more information and plan to join us online August 22nd!”

 

With an estimated  5000 people packing Courthouse Square for this annual event, the cancellation isn’t much of a surprise, as the pandemic makes it just unsafe to proceed. Normally a 3 day celebration, with a bar crawl on Friday, parade and festival on Saturday and Sunday is the PFLAG 5K and the Spikes and Heels kickball tournament.

PFLAG has decided they are able to move forward with their Running with Pride 5K on Sunday, Aug 23rd.  The race steps off at 9am from Welcome Park on Edwin C. Moses Blvd.

 

 

PRIDE 2020: The Greater the Storm, the Brighter the Rainbow!

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Is it OK to be PROUD in a pandemic?
The LGBTQ+ community made it through the HIV epidemic.

Is it OK to be PROUD during social unrest? 
The community made it through the StonewalI Riots.

Is it OK to be PROUD through a rough election cycle?
The community put Barack Obama in office.

I assure you, the LGBTQ+ family has seen these obstacles before.  The obstacles weren’t times to just be proud, but times that made us proud as a community. Faced with challenging times, the LGBTQ+ community relies on one major thing: EACH OTHER.

Granted, Pride 2020 won’t be your normal June event. Social distancing, masks and empty dance floors definitely make the hurdles a bit higher. No matter…the idea that Pride is found in a crowded bar or a multi-colored parade, really scratches the surface of its significance. Those pieces, those parts are the celebration of the advancements and accomplishments of the gay community. Pride is about accepting where we’ve been, and realizing how far we still can go.

Sure, we need the fun. We need to feel the heartbeats of those like us within a few feet, sharing their smiles, their songs & their beers. Not this year…this year, it’s time to do what this LGBTQ+ family is known for: CREATIVITY!

There are plenty of rumblings about on-line Drag Shows featuring some of our local favorites, just dying to wiggle their foam hips to raise money for our local gay charities. There are rumors of socially distanced get-togethers, 6 feet apart, but still good for laughs! There are some really great films and shows on streaming services that give every angle of the Pride Movement. There are restaurants and bars returning to life with waving rainbow flags to welcome the family in for food and drink. And anyone who knows Dayton knows that somewhere, sometime a pop-up party in parking lot is always possible…(hmmmm???) And for the purist gay pride person, a parade is being planned for late August, to make sure we all having something to look forward to….all of that sounds GAY and good!

So, what will you do to move the needle forward for June 2020? Come out to your family and friends? Read about Marsha P. Johnson? Get to know about our most recent fallen icon Larry Kramer? Share a zoom meeting with your families and tell them your favorite Pride story? Make high heel shaped cookies, and share the recipe on-line? Talk to the more mature gay set about Dayton His/Herstory? Visit the Stage Door for a drink in one of Ohio’s oldest gay bars? Find out info about Natalie Clifford Barney, honored in the park at our main library? Buy your loved one an obnoxious gay pride t-shirt, for the hell of it? Find ways to raise money for our transgendered brother and sisters in their on-going quest for equality? Support the plethora of Gay/Lesbian businesses and restaurants in the area? Teach your children about acceptance of all people? Learn more about Bayard Rustan….

Ok, ok. You get it. PRIDE is not the parade...it is the long walk together we make when we aren’t in feathers and leathers! It is the long walk we make hand-in-hand when the world tries to separate our mission and our vision! It is long walk we make through social unrest, political unease and even epidemics.

 

 

Be PROUD of your gayness….you were given an amazing gift….the gift of WHO YOU ARE!

 

 

 

 

COVID-19 Causes Dayton Pride To Move to August

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The annual Dayton Pride Celebration that traditionally occurs the first weekend of June will be moving to August for 2020.   In an email released by The Greater Dayton LGBT Center they’ve stated:
 “It is with your health in mind that the Board of Directors of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center habe decided to postpone our annual LGBTQ+ Pride celebration this year. It was a heartbreaking decision, but we are dedicated to hold Pride this year while doing what we can to keep everyone as safe as possible. The new date for Dayton LGBTQ+ Pride will be August 21-23, 2020.”
The three day celebration brings the community together with performances by Dayton’s Rubi Girls and Gay Men’s Chorus on Friday night, a parade of cars, floats and organizations that begins Saturday’s festival at Courthouse Square with over 60 booths, food trucks and entertainment and Sunday’s Spikes and Heels kickball tournament.
More information is available on the Center’s website.

Dayton Celebrates PRIDE At Courthouse Square

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FriPride300The annual Pride Festival that celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ culture in Dayton, recognized as the “Queersest City in the Nation” by The Advocate, kicks off Friday, June 5th with a brand new event. The Affair on the Square will kick off at 5pm and features the infamous and ever colorful Rubi Girls on the PNC stage.   Guests can enjoy food from Zombie Dogz, Hunger Paynes, Jimmies StrEATery and Go Cupckae as well as beverages from the Bud Light Beer Truck.

Title Sponsor PNC’s Dave Mellon, Dayton Market Regional President will officially open the PRIDE festivities with remarks on why fostering an inclusive work environment is a business advantage e and improves staff morale for PNC.   The Greater Dayton LGBT Center will then honor local businesses that are Champions of Equality.

10346298_862458463765809_306331806018025819_n1This is a weekend you will not want to miss! “The LGBT community is made up of many individuals from all walks of life, so come out and show your PRIDE in being an individual,” states Randy Phillips, President of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center. “The goal of Pride is for every individual to have freedom to be who they are. That is not the case in Russia, among other places,” Phillips said. The average attendance over the past several years has been 3000 for the parade and festival.

Saturday, June 6th kicks off with a Pride Breakfast at MJ’s on Jefferson at 9am (suggested donation $5), followed by the PRIDE Parade, which steps off at noon from Cooper Park and ends at Courthouse Square. Grand Marshall’s Michelle Kay of PNC and Bella Harlow, Miss Diva US of A 2015, will lead over 30 participants including local businesses, organizations, churches, drill teams, and other LGBTQ supporters.

 

Mayor Nan Whaley will officiate at the annual commitment ceremony that the Greater Dayton LGBT Center has presented each year, until marriage equality is honored for all citizens in Ohio. Pride will continue on the PNC Stage with entertainment featuring the best in live vocals and local celebrity entertainment in a family friendly setting. The Festival plaza is sold out again with over 50 vendors including LGBTQ organizations, local businesses and varie39ae989d09530ee7a750cadeface7587ty of food, will l be on hand until 4pm.

At 8pm the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus will perform along with Tonya and Grammy winning superstar Jennifer Holliday at the Victoria Theatre in a Broadway Revue.

 

Wheat Penny Oven and Bar will host a special, once-a-year Sunday BruncDSC_0407-copy1h on Sunday, June 7 from 10am -2pm. Breakfast Pizzas, Egg and Sausage Poorboys, Liz’s famous Fried Chicken and Waffles with Spicy Rosemary Honey, Cocktails galore and who knows what else! Can’t wait to see everybody! Proceeds benefit the Greater Dayton LGBT Center.

Volunteers are still needed to help with PRIDE, you can sign up to help online here.

 

Greater Dayton LGBT Center Celebrates 25 Years of PRIDE

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The Greater Dayton LGBT Center is celebrating  Dayton’s 25th PRIDE weekend with the annual PRIDE Dinner this Friday night at Sinclair’s Pontiz Center followed by  a Parade and an expo on Courthouse Square on Saturday.  Friday’s 80’s themed festivities begin at 5:30pm with a cocktail hour and business expo highlighting many gay friendly business in the area. In a bold move of support, LexisNexis,a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions designed specifically for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting, and academic markets. has signed on as the 2012 Pride Presenting sponsor.  Earlier this year, LexisNexis was recognized by The Human Rights Campaign with The Corporate Equality Award, which recognizes a company each year for outstanding efforts in promoting equality for LGBT people in the workplace.

Alyce Clark, Vice-President of Human Resources at LexisNexis and PRIDE President, stated, “Reed Elsevier and LexisNexis Executive leadership strongly support all LexisNexis Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including our PRIDE group which was established in 2010. This is a key reflection of the company’s commitment to build a culture that embraces diversity and fosters an inclusive environment in which all employees can contribute to their fullest potential in the workplace and in their communities.”

Kevin Mabrey at the Pride booth on Courthouse Square

For LN Pride Community Outreach Chair, Kevin Mabrey, the Pride Celebration is all about “allowing me to be who I am, because I spent so many of my early years hiding who I was.  I’m glad I can finally be who God made me!  To have the support of my employer and know that we’ll have over 50 co-workers and their families walking in the parade is powerful.”  Mabrey shared that the LexisNexis Pride ERG has members in New York City, Atlanta, North Carolina, Amsterdam and is continuing to grow.  As a company LexisNexis has offered domestic partner benefits for years and the open arms they’ve given the Pride ERG has been encouraging and makes Kevin want to help recruit his other gay friends to work in an openly inclusive environment.  Their presence at Dayton’s Pride will be the first time the company has officially participated in a Pride parade.   Kevin credits their ERG sponsor, Doreen Tyburski from their New York corporate headquarters as the executive that is helping their group gain visibility.

Mabrey also shared that LexisNexis has declared June pride month at the company and will present educational messages and seminars throughout the month.  On June 21th LexisNexis will present a bullying conference, that will help educate their employees on the effects of bullying, how to tell if your children are being bullied or if they are the bully.
This was especially exciting to Kevin, as he shared he was that kid who was thrown against the lockers in school and made fun of for being gay. He’s proud to be part of company that is working to prevent that for future generations.

Kris Jackson

Kris Jackson, Development Director for the Greater Datyon LGBT Pride committee says ,” the whole focus of the Pride weekend is to celebrate our lives in an open atmosphere.  Corporate sponsors like LexisNexis and American Family Insurance prove we’ve come along way. Dayton unanimously approving the domestic partnership registry is another big win we’ll be celebrating. We’ve worked through so much adversity in the past 25 years that we can finally celebrate in an open,  family friendly atmosphere.  On Friday night we’ll be honoring Sue Spiegel with our Frontier Award  for outstanding support for our community.  As the ARC Ohio RED Gala chair in 2010 and 2012, she’s helped to raise over  $875,000 for education and prevention of HIV/AIDS  and support of those infected or affected by the disease.”  Jackson also shared that other awards will include the Impact Award which will go to City of Dayton employee Kery Gray, a Lifetime Achievement award to  local historian and former Gay Center Board Member, Leon Bey and the Celebrating 25 years award to John Zimmerman.

Parade Grand Marshall, Sue Spiegel

On Saturday Sue Spiegel of  Dayton Bag and Burlap,  will be the Grand Marshall of the Pride Parade, which steps off at noon lfrom the Natalie Clifford Barney Historical Marker in Cooper Park on Saint Clair Street and travels through the streets to end with a celebration at Courthouse Square for a fabulous festival of entertainment, food, and frivolity. Food, beer, and craft vendors alike will be on hand until the festivities end at 5:30pm.  Which allows you just enough time to go home and freshen up before the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus big show at 8pm at the Victoria featuring the music of Abba.

With so much to celebrate this year, be sure to show your Dayton PRIDE this weekend!

MV Pride Week – Thank You For Being A Friend

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The Miami Valley Pride Partnership is planning a weeklong celebration of Pride for 2011. According to their website:  “As we celebrate pride we are ever mindful of our friends and allies that have helped us to achieve the rights and freedoms we now enjoy. It is to our friends and allies that we offer our theme for our 2011 pride celebration: Thank You For Being A Friend”.

The 2011 Dayton Pride Festivities will begin on Memorial Day, May 30th, with a celebration at The Stage Door.  On Tuesday May 31st the party moves to The Right Corner. On Wednesday June 1st the fun and frivolity extends to Club Masque for a night of exciting Drag. Thursday the celebration continues at MJ’s Cafe for an exhilarating evening of fun and entertainment.  And as the weekend approaches the events get bigger:

Fri, June 3rd 6:30pm  RoofTop Rubi

This dynamic, close-knit troupe of professional men has been performing since the late 1980’s. Comprised of elementary school teachers, an occupational therapist, a clinical counselor and business owners, the group began performing for one another in an attic during college.  Now over 20 some years later, the Rubi Girls have  traveled the country raising over $300,000 for HIV research and education.

Join Ann Roberts & John Smith as they host RoofTop Rubi  benefit for The Miami Valley LGBT Pride Partnership.   The evening will begin with drinks and food provided by The Dayton Women’s Club. Throughout the evening enjoy our fun filled Monte Carlo games and bid on our array of fabulous items during the silent auction.

$15.00 General Admission
$100.00 VIP Admission (Includes Admission for 2, Swap Bag and Sponsorship Listing)
For Ticket Information email: contact@mvgaypride.com or call (937) 697-1190

Sat, June 4th

Breakfast at 9am at MJ’s Cafe with the parade line up at 11AM.
10am: Rededication of Natalie Barney Historical Marker

Noon: The Parade:
The Dayton chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) has been selected as Grand Marshalls of the 2011 LGBT Pride Parade and Festival on June 4th 2011. PFLAG will feature, in the grand marshall’s car, the family of Mary and Kevin Kirkendall along with their daughter Lillie and Elizabeth Gillespie, a proud PFLAG family who support their gay son and big brother, Noah. PFLAG Dayton has been active in the Miami Valley since 1989 offering support, education and advocacy. PFLAG seeks to promote health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, their families. They offer support to help families cope with an adverse society. PFLAG offers education to enlighten an ill-informed public all the while advocating to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.


If you would like to walk in the parade, please download and fill out the Parade Application. Once complete email to: logistics@mvgaypride.com

Sat, June 4th , HIV Testing, Dayton Library 12-5pm

AIDS Resource Center Ohio is proud to offer an orally administered,
rapid result HIV test.  The test is free, painless, and quick!  The test is administered confidentially and anonymously by request and requires only a swab of cheek cells from inside your mouth.  Twenty minutes later and under normal circumstances, you will be presented with preliminary positive results about your current HIV status.   And did we mention that the test is free?

Sat June 4th Courthouse Square Entertainment Line-Up

12:30 – 1:00 Parade arrives at Courthouse Square

1:00 – 1:30  BLESSING OF THE DAY: Liz Stutzman
1:00 – 1:30 READING OF THE PROCLAMATION: Josh West and Bret Wendell
1:30 – 1:45 Ohio Royalty: Alexis O’Hara, Brent Fabian, Sinthia D’Meanor, Rob Austin
1:45 – 2:00 Sashay Lorez, Elegance Black Lourdes, Aleksandra Grimm, Summer Day, Daray Lorez
2:00 – 2:15 MJ’s Café
2:15 – 2:30 MJ’s Café
2:30 – 2:45 AWARDS: Kris Jackson

The 2011 Theme Award Recipient is The Honorable Rhine McLin

The 2011 Frontier Award: Recipient is The Honorable Lt. Wendy Stivers.
2:45 – 3:00 Host: Amaya Sexton, Macy Kirkland, Justin Pryde, Endurance, Queen B, Claudia Cruiz

3:00 – 3:30 TBA

3:30 – 3:45 Cherry Poppins, Jenni Hoag, Foxxie Lane, Tasha Salad, Tramp Towers

3:45 – 4:00 Sky Black and The Kings of Dayton

4:00 – 4:15 Delta Blake, Shampaine Lopez, Maqualia Jaa, Arykah Alvarez, Howard Wayne

4:15 – 4:30 Jackie O’Toole, JJ Lopez, Rachel Torrez Kolbe, Niomi Necoll Onassis,

4:30 – 4:45 Diamond Black, Daray Lorez, Ashton Brooke, Patterson Michaels

4:45 – 5:00 TBA

Sat, June 4th Prdeapoloza 1-6pm Masque Parking Lot

Special appearance by  recording artist Pepper Mashay! A family friendly event with entertainment, food, games, and more!! Plus Pepper and the Masque Hostess show that night!!!

Sat, June 4th 8pm  Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus @ Victoria

THE ULTIMATE BOY BAND REVIEW
Get ready to scream and faint with excitement as the DGMC thrills fans of all generations with a musical look at America’s singing heartthrobs – the boy bands! The chorus has scanned the decades from the ’50s to the ’00s and everything in between to find your favorite songs; you know, the songs you crank up and sing along to while you’re in the car. They are all here for you from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to the Beatles, the Osmonds, Crosby Still Nash & Young, the Village People, the Bee Gees, the Temptations.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased through  www.ticketcenterstage.com or from a chorus member.

Pride Night At The Neon

Sun, June 5th  2- 6pm Family Potluck Picnic

Ernst Park at 1030 E David Road will be the location for the family friendly cookout.  Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided.  Bring along a side dish or dessert. Fun and games will be planned for all ages to have a blast.

Thurs, June 16th  Pride Night at the Neon 7pm

We Were Here is the first documentary to take a deep and reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco. It explores how the City’s inhabitants were affected by, and how they responded to, that calamitous epidemic.

Though a San Francisco-based story, We Were Here extends beyond San Francisco and beyond AIDS itself. It speaks to our capacity as individuals to rise to the occasion, and to the incredible power of a community coming together with love, compassion, and determination.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCb68ZkwG0&feature=player_embedded’]

Sat, June 25th  Pride Dinner 7pm, Sinclair

The Greater Dayton LGBT Center is celebrating its 35th anniversary by hosting the annual Pride Dinner.   Featuring bawdy comic Suzanne Westenhoefer and  Dayton Police LGBT liaison Sgt. Wendy Stiver to act as key note speaker.  In both serious and light hearted ways, these two women will help the Pride Dinner celebrate Pride 2011. The evening begins at 5 PM with an impressive business and non-profit exposition with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. At 7 PM dinner begins and is followed by awards and recognitions, Sgt. Wendy Stiver’s keynote speech, and Suzanne comedy show. The evening ends with the annual Big Gay raffle drawing for many prizes.
Tickets are $45.00 with an early bird special of $40 per person or $400.00 per table of 10 if purchased by May 1, 2011.  Contact the Center for more info at 274-1776