HR Pride "Out in the Park" Norfolk 2011

Sunday at Out in the Park was AWESOME! Some of the following photos were taken by me, and some were taken by others.

Next time we will try to get there earlier. The very diverse crowds had already thinned a bit by 2.30 (when we arrived) and we missed the DC Cowboys perform. There were Gays, Lesbians, Straight Singles, and whole families (kids, strollers, and all) Gay and Straight, participating. Truly the first time (at least in this area) I have ever seen people from all walks of life attending. Maybe there is hope?

WE ARE ONE, was this year's theme... There was no drama, no over-exposed bodies, no crazy/queer outfits, and best of all no conflicts of any type...  Perhaps We ARE One...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA, USA

Pride Still Flying High in Richmond...

Va. Lawmaker Wants Pride Flag Removed

By Advocate.com Editors

Virginia delegate Robert Marshall wrote a letter to the president of the Richmond Federal Reserve urging that a rainbow flag being flown for gay pride month be removed.

The Washington Post reports on the letter that Marshall wrote to Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Richmond Federal Reserve. Prism, the bank’s LGBT group, requested that the flag be flown, and a Federal Reserve spokesman said that the flag reflects the bank’s commitment to diversity, adding that some critics mistakenly think the bank is a government entity.

However, according to the Post, Marshall, among the most conservative members of Virginia General Assembly, said that homosexuality “adds significantly to illness, increases health costs, promotes venereal diseases, and worsens the population imbalance relating to the number of workers supporting the beneficiaries of America’s Social Security and Medicare programs.”

He wrote, “I do not believe that a celebration of ‘gay pride’ has anything to do with the mission of the Federal Reserve under the Federal Reserve Act passed by Congress. This is a celebration of a behavior that is still a class six felony in Virginia. How can the American people trust the judgement of the Federal Reserve as an institution when its spokesperson celebrates an attack on public morals?”

Delegate Riley E. Ingram also contacted the bank to oppose the flag.

Rainbow on the River...

This picture (rainbow and all) was taken on the Elizabeth River, with downtown behind the tug
(used without permission from the AltDaily website)

Hampton Roads (the name commonly used for our area) Pride, is sponsoring "Out in the Park" today. This year it will not be tucked away in some suburban city park, but rather in downtown Norfolk's newly renovated Town Point Park, sitting right on the Elizabeth River... In front of EVERYONE...

It starts at noon (which is good, as there is a line of showers moving through this morning) and runs until 6pm. Normally the Hampton Roads Pride event gets a little blurb or two on the local news, but this year because of it's high profile location, it's been all over the news...  

Great move for a great event...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA USA

Federal Reserve Celebrates GLBT Pride Month...

Today, Equality Virginia sent a press release commending the Federal Reserve Bank (in Richmond, VA) for raising the rainbow flag in celebration of National LGBT Pride Month.

The Family Foundation and Delegate Bob Marshall are against the flag’s display. On the Family Foundation’s blog, they write:

"Although the Federal Reserve is a private entity, it is disappointing to see it participate in this celebration. Media reports indicate that there have been complaints from employees who are offended by the flag. According to Sally Green, chief operating officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, “We strongly support a diverse and inclusive culture at the Richmond Fed and have learned that it is important to value and embrace differences, both seen and unseen.” Apparently that inclusivity doesn’t apply to those who do not condone homosexual behavior."

Equality Virginia’s Executive Director James Parrish supports the Federal Reserve Bank on its action.

“The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond should receive accolades for its decision to recognize and celebrate its GLBT employees, customers and vendors during Pride month,” Parrish said. ”It’s a private business and should be able to make its own personnel and corporate policy decisions without Bob Marshall’s guidance or the Family Foundation’s approval.”

Parrish also notes in the statement that the Family Foundation is out of touch with the mindset of most Virginians – stating that 80% support non-discrimination for LGBT individuals.

More from Equality Virginia:

Yesterday Delegate Marshall made public a letter he wrote to the bank saying:  that flying the “homosexual flag” is a “serious deficiency in judgment” and, likening the flag to the Berlin Wall by implication, exhorting the Bank’s President to “take down that flag!” The letter cites the state’s sodomy law which is unconstitutional in claiming that the flag celebrates felonious behavior and wrongly asserts that the Bank is in a federal building.

Over and FELONIOUSLY  "Out", from Portsmouth, VA, USA

Sexy Baby with Tom Hanks...

This is yet another reason to love JKL...  I was watching GMA this morning and they did a piece on "Pageant Dads", and the public response to dads being involved with their daughters for shows like Toddlers & Tiaras (rather than the traditional parenting role most dads have).

Not sure how Jimmy got Tom Hanks (and the rest) to participate in this spoof, but he definitely has some "big ones" to pull it off...  

Make sure to watch the reaction Hanks has after the winner is revealed.

Over and "Out" on the first day of National Pride Month, from Portsmouth, VA, USA

Memorial Day 2011

All there is to say...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA USA

Zip-a-Dee-Ga-Ga...

Just like Hugh Jackman did in the Oprah Australia show:

Lady GaGa ziplined (without a crash into a light) onto the stage this morning in the kickoff to ABC's GMA Summer Concert Series in Central Park (NYC). Click the interview below to watch her answer some questions from George, Robin, and fans:

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA