Today, June 5, is Pride Sunday for Hampton Roads, Virginia. The local pride event, called Out in the Park, is organized by Hampton Roads Pride. This year the celebration will be held in downtown Norfolk, at Town Point Park.
I can’t imagine that anyone outside of Hampton Roads would appreciate the magnitude of change this represents. Norfolk was the site of gay-bashing in the late ’90’s, and we have been the “buckle in the bible belt” so to speak. LGBTs have kept their heads down. For most of the 21st century the pride celebration has been held at Chesapeake City Park. It is a nice park, and we’re all appreciative to the city of Chesapeake, Virginia, for allowing us to use the park in past years — but it’s 12 miles southeast of downtown Norfolk.
Twelve miles is no big deal if you have a car, or if you live in a metropolitan area with reasonable public transportation, but using Hampton Roads Transit it would take two hours, including three miles of walking, to get from downtown Norfolk to the park. That means the park is for all practical purposes unreachable for the thousands of Hampton Roads LGBT who don’t own a car.
This year’s location, however, is smack in the middle of Norfolk, and is as accessible to the less prosperous citizens as anything in Hampton Roads could be. Here’s hoping the formerly invisible L, G, B, and T people are able to show their many, many faces. Wish us luck!