Live bands, dozens of vendors, children with balloons and a parade down Main Street-for the most part, it looked like any other celebration held on East Campus. But there was something different about the one on Saturday, and it wasn't just the ruffle-clad drag queens.
With upbeat techno-pop to the tune of Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani, the 21st annual North Carolina PrideFest Day Festival and Parade kicked off early Saturday morning near the East Duke Building. The event was organized by the Pride Committee of North Carolina and celebrated gay lifestyles with a wide range of festivities, including informational workshops, a church service and a drag queen race on Campus Drive.
More than a hundred vendors and several thousand people from across the state attended the event, which provided a welcoming environment for college students and local families alike. Banners declaring "Equal Rights: No More, No Less"-the international theme for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender programs in 2005-were featured throughout the area and on board the leading float in the parade.
"I really like N.C. Pride because it's a very on-message event that's very representative of the entire LGBT spectrum," said senior Maddie Dewar, president of the Alliance of Queer Undergraduates at Duke. "All the universities in our area come to the parade. It's an opportunity to build community, celebrate culture and meet people who are different from you. It's very family-oriented even-you see people with their dogs or with their cats on a leash."
With the entire parade route-which included Main Street, Campus Drive and Ninth Street-draped in large rainbow-colored flags, some Duke students on their way to breakfast couldn't help getting caught up in the action. "It's a different vibe," sophomore Kathy Stanton said. "You can see that the people here are comfortable being together and being with the people they love."
Attendees from outside the Duke community pointed to the event as an opportunity to take advantage of the welcoming atmosphere and some of the unique shopping opportunities.
"We get to see people that we haven't seen in a while, and you have a chance to buy things that you don't usually buy," North Carolina resident Monte Epps said.
Duke's greek community also played an active role in the parade. As a part of Greek Week's Into the City program, several students from various fraternities and sororities decided to help out by carrying a massive rainbow flag in the parade.
"I have a few friends who've come out recently, so I was happy to be there," sophomore Carolyn Zwiener said. "Everyone in our [Into the City] group was so happy to help. There wasn't anyone with the stereotypical negative reaction."
Though the crowd responded to most of the floats with enthusiasm, the Log Cabin Republicans float received criticism from some spectators. The float, which bore the slogan, "Don't ask, don't tell," upset some people who perceived it as a poor reflection of the event's theme.
"This is a festival celebrating acceptance and acknowledging and solving problems. That policy is about conforming and being like everyone else," said Annie Strouman, a student at Durham Academy.
These concerns, however, paled in comparison to the generally upbeat and inclusive tone of the event.
"It's been nice to see [the LGBT community's] resilience," sophomore Ross Buckley said. "It's a great display of pride, that these people can be free with themselves despite society trying to put them down."
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