The Atlanta Pride Festival may not be held in June this year, but organizers are making plans to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots anyway.
The Atlanta Pride Committee announced Wednesday that it’s partnering with Georgia Equality for a signature event June 27 to support both groups. Evening for Equality is expected to be one of several gay-themed events planned for the traditional Pride month of June. The festival is set for Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
“When we announced the return to Piedmont Park with an October festival, we never lost site of commemorating Stonewall in June,” Deirdre Heffernan, Atlanta Pride board chair, says in a press release issued Wednesday. “We also promised to deepen our relationships with peer organizations, and Georgia Equality is one of the causes we back whole-heartedly.”
Evening for Equality, dubbed a “cocktail attire” event, will include Georgia Equality’s Political Animal awards and Pride’s Community Builder awards. The event will also feature the Atlanta Pride Human Rights Exhibit, a popular piece of past Pride events that calls attention to the global battle for human rights.
Organizers hope Evening for Equality provides a much-needed fundraising boost for both groups.
“This year, we need your help more than ever, and we hope to see a phenomenal turnout at Evening For Equality to keep Pride part of the community for years to come,” Heffernan says.
Jeff Graham (photo), Georgia Equality’s executive director, says the partnership between the two organizations is a natural fit.
“Georgia Equality and Pride hold true to the same goal–equality for all Georgians,” Graham says in a press release. “So it’s a natural match for us to join forces on Evening For Equality. Georgia Equality approaches it by fighting for fair legislation and policies through the political process, and Atlanta Pride does it by creating a venue of personal affirmation and public visibility for our community.”
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