[cover story]

Finding PRIDE in the Port:
A week of acceptance and celebration is underway

In June, across the U.S., PRIDE Week will be celebrated in honor of diverse acceptance in communities everywhere. It’s an ideal that we—as in human beings through every generation—have been working on mastering for centuries. Whether we’re blurring the lines of racial inequality, gender inequality or even sexual inequality, we all work toward making our lives and environs harmonious and peaceful.
That’s the basis of PRIDE: making various personalities, lifestyles and creeds matter to everyone across the fence, from families to singletons, straights to homosexuals, children to parents. That we all live in one community and share the same resources, interact with many of the same people, exchange similar thought-processes (sometimes without even realizing it), all to support an area of growth and, more importantly, a cleansed soul of hope means we’re more than being heterosexual or gay, black or white, male or female. Such characteristics are only one facet of our existence.

PRIDE is a week of breaking barriers and moving mountains—accepting all walks of life into a slew of events that hail the Lesian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, which absolutely exists in Wilmington. Sure, we may not be New York, San Francisco or Dallas, but we’re most certainly thriving as a coastal abode with reasonable living and many outlets for entertainment. It’s only expected for folks of every color and creed to be drawn to our commune.

President of the board to OutWilmington—the organization behind Wilmington’s PRIDE week, going on three years now—is Amy Horgan, who also acts as co-chair of PRIDE 2008. Horgan took time away from her stuffed day-planner to work on a Q&A from encore. With many meetings filling her schedule during the final hours of planning this week-long event, which begins June 7th and ends June 14th, Horgan dishes on why Wilmington is gaining PRIDE and keeping it on its agenda forever more.

encore: PRIDE is still an infant to our small Southern town. How has it grown most over three years?

Amy Horgan: Wilmington’s PRIDE week has grown through the number of people coming out to enjoy the events, and we have been able to get bigger-name acts to perform in Wilmington.

e: Obviously, the point of PRIDE is to celebrate diversity and acceptance of all people in our community. But what do you think the festival’s greatest effect is on our community—long term, outside of one week a year?

AH: PRIDE’s greatest effect is the presence of the LGBT community being visible, and the community recognizing that members of the LGBT community are their neighbors, co-workers, business owners and important members of the greater community. PRIDE week is a way to get allies in the community involved in helping to bridge the gap that many people still feel exists in Wilmington.

e: How do you see our community thriving from PRIDE week in and of itself?
AH: It starts to open the lines of communication within the community, allows people to network, celebrates the diversity of the community and helps people to see that there is a LGBT community in Wilmington.

e: What is the most traditional event to take place at PRIDE?
AH: Having only had three PRIDE weeks, we do not necessarily have traditional events. However, a few of the events have continued throughout the years. The Spirit Awards have been an event prior to any PRIDE celebrations. The Spirit Awards are a great way of acknowledging those in our community that have been working on making Wilmington more diverse and open.

e: What are you most looking forward to during 2008’s celebration?
AH: Dixie’s Tupperware Party, [which is new to the 2008 event]. We have been able to get the Off-Broadway show to come to Thalian Hall. Kris Anderson has been nominated, and possibly has already won, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. And, this is an actual Tupperware Party, where you can purchase products!

e: How can families expect to be included in the events?
AH: We have planned a few events that families should feel comfortable to participate and bring the kids: the picnic on the 8th; Fun Night at St. Jude’s MCC on the 10th; ‘80s Roller Skating Party on the 11th; the Spirit Awards on the 13th; the Pride Stride, book sale and street festival on the 14th; and the church service at St. Jude’s MCC on the 15th.

e: If someone was at all ambivalent about joining in on the festivities, what would you say to encourage him or her?
AH: Our goal is to encourage the entire community, both straight and LGBT, to participate in PRIDE. Our goal is to celebrate the LGBT community and bring events to all members who would feel comfortable attending.

e: OutWilmington has really spread its wings over the past two years, continuously growing and turning PRIDE Week into as much of a festival as any of Wilmington’s other mainstays. What is OutWilmington most in need of from the community?
AH: While I feel I have to say the standard answer of financial contributions and volunteering of time at the center and on committees, what we need most are members of the community center. While we currently have a board of directors who enjoy planning and coordinating events for the community, presenting speakers and trainings in the community and continuing the mission of OutWilmington, there will need to be a change of leadership at some point, and we need members who will be willing to run for positions on the board and vote for the new leaders.

e: How has its effect on the community been positive?
AH: The board of OutWilmington has strived to follow the mission of informing, supporting and celebrating the LGBT community by providing resources and education. We have accomplished education through training the Coastal Horizon Crisis Shelter and Hotline volunteers about LGBT concerns, presenting at the local National Association of Social Workers meeting to discuss LGBT issues with licensed clinical social workers, presenting at a UNCW Master’s in Social Work class a panel discussion by members of the community who told their stories and answered questions by students. The OutWilmington Community Center continues to be a meeting place for numerous groups, with the youth group being the longest-running group to use the center. OutWilmington has been very supportive and enjoyed the local artists who have presented their art and/or music during our Third Thursday social event. We were presenting sponsors of WE Fest this year, and the center was one of the venues for the art crawl.

e: What else is in the works for OutWilmington’s growth?
AH: We are in the final phases of opening the Common Grounds coffee shop in order to become self-sustaining, [which will] allow us to not be entirely dependent on the financial contributions by members of the community. We are also wanting to collaborate with different businesses in town in order to bring more events to the community.