Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbowOregon coastal towns may be quaint, their windy skies filled with a rainbow of flying kites, but that usually doesn’t translate into groups of gaymos…at least not permanent fixtures. That’s why it’s so exciting to see Lincoln City seizing the rainbow and hosting their first ever gay pride celebration this weekend from the 19th through the 22nd called the Iris Pride Festival.
From Just Out:
“Our City Council adopted a resolution that Lincoln City would embrace all diversity, including all types of sexual orientation,” said Sandy Pfaff, director of the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau. “Many people assume that all small towns have mostly conservative opinions, but in our community, most people do not find an issue with the LGBT culture.”
Lincoln City is hosting its first Gay Pride event, the Iris Pride Festival. Iris, the goddess of rainbows and messenger of peace, was the perfect symbol of the event, according to festival board members.
…
“Driving down Highway 101, almost every business has the Iris Pride poster in their store window. So many people, both gay and straight, are really excited for the weekend,” said {festival coordinator Nichole] Le Sage. “Our town is definitely not your average small-town America, and events like these showcase how unique Lincoln City is.”
Indeed, the weekend holds events from the cute — including a clam bake and Flamingo Bingo — to the more brazen — such as a dollar queer youth dance and an Iris-goddess look-alike contest — all presented in a colorful PDF schedule. Portions of the AIDS quilt will also be on display through the 23rd.
For more information contact Nichole Le Sage at nicholel@lincolncity.org.
Rock on Lincoln City… that is so awesome!
It seems the poster of this press release got a little excited and just assumed the PR from Lincoln City visitors and convention leaders was all true. It was just PR.
In fact, most business that put posters up in their window here did not even know it advertised a gay pride event until the local newspaper did a story on it last week. A large number of posters never mentioned the word “gay”. Many of the posters came down when word got out.
Also, there is a Drag Queen parade near the family epicenter of Lincoln City. So that has created a quiet uproar in this little town among families with small children (my family is one case in point) who need to avoid the Taft area of Lincoln City all weekend. The reason? Trying to explain what a “drag queen” is to an 8 year old without communicating a weak message of “Well little sweety, absolutely everything is fine for everyone if it makes them feel happy”.
Before you print/promote stories like this… please speak with others in the community first to get a balanced view.