IT’S RHODE ISLAND
R P ID E SEASON!
by Joe Lazzerini, President, RI Pride
20
Options | May 2018
Friends, family, community members, and my fellow Rhode Islanders. Whether you were born and raised here or if this is your newfound home – Welcome! Rhode Island may be the smallest state in our nation, but after visiting our beaches and our cities, you will find that we Rhode Islanders have great Pride. What does Pride mean to you? To me, it’s remembering those we’ve lost to AIDS, suicide, and/or violence. It’s a trans woman of color running for office. It’s the queer person coming out to their family for the first time as non-binary. It’s a young person deciding to love themselves when the world around them tells them otherwise. Pride is in you, in me, and in every heartbeat of this beautiful state. We remember the Stonewall Riots. We remember the activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé, and Harvey Milk who paved the way so we could celebrate our Pride. We honor those continuing the work to find a cure for HIV/AIDS. We hold our rainbow flags high for those who couldn’t. The fight for equality in Rhode Island and around the country isn’t close to over. We must be persistent; we must be strategic; we must be
resilient, together. We must listen to our fellow community members about their struggles, hold the door open for them after we step through, and make sure they have a seat at the table. Because no one is free and equal until we’re all free and equal.Therefore, this year’s RI PrideFest them is “Louder & Prouder!” I look forward to seeing you at the 43rd Annual PrideFest and New England’s only Illuminated Night Parade on June 16. To the gay men and the lesbians, the bisexual folk and the trans people, and all the people I struggle to describe and will learn to describe, respect, and love – welcome to the greatest little state in the nation.This is where you belong. It’s 2018! Let’s be loud. Let’s be proud. Rhode Island Pride is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the visibility, equality, and diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, and providing a safe space to come out, express, and celebrate all sexual identities and genders. For more information, email info@prideri.com or call (401) 467-2130.