Chesapeake Pride Festival Saturday in Mayo

The Chesapeake Pride Festival 2012 will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 4) at Mayo Beach Park in Edgewater. The festival is an opportunity for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community to come together to celebrate diversity and civil liberties and rights for all.

Evolve at a previous Chesapeake Pride Festival.

The festivities will include a family-fun atmosphere with swimming, a great playground, a car show by The Straight Eights Lambda Car Club, food, live music on the beach stage and a blessing of relationships by Rev. Wayne Schwandt of Evolve Chesapeake Spiritual Community.

After lunch, get ready for the drag show in the pavilion featuring Miss Chesapeake Pride Stormy Vain. Organizers promise that the standing room only performance will be a “show you’ll never forget.” Festival organizers said that they would like the Pride event to become the premier showcase for established and emerging talent in the Annapolis-Baltimore-Washington region.

The festival will also host vendors, including Bud Light, Barefoot and Bubbly Wines, the Trevor Project and Marylanders for Marriage Equality.

On the eve of the festival, Peter Hart and Associates conducted a poll of Maryland voters in late July who, by 54 to 40 percent, approve of the upcoming Marriage Equality referendum. No state has yet to approve a marriage or civil unions bill by referendum, although referendums to ban such unions has passed in nine states—most recently in North Carolina in May. Frank Bruni of the New York Times reported Thursday that the trend in Maryland since the February General Assembly vote has been moving toward more acceptance of the legislation/referendum. Bruni quoted Gov. Martin O’Malley (D):

“I believe that the people of our state are supportive of protecting religious freedom and human dignity and protecting every child’s home equally under the law.”

Organizers said that the mission of the festival is to foster an understanding of the LGBT community by raising awareness through education. They hope that the festival will ultimately help to achieve unity and harmony—celebrating diversity and civil rights and liberties for everyone.

The event is not restricted to LGBT persons, rather, festival organizers hope that everyone in the community also come out to show their support and have a fun afternoon.

Coolers, pets, bottles, cans and food are prohibited (Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks rules). Feel free to bring beach blankets, chairs, beach umbrellas and sunscreen. If you have any questions or concerns, email organizers, or call 410-599-0273. They may still welcome vendors and participants in the drag show.

There is no fee to get in to the festival, but a donation of $5 is suggested.

Here are some of the Chesapeake Pride 2012 sponsors and vendors:

• Bud Light
• Barefoot Wine and Bubbly
• Baltimore Outloud
• The Straight Eights (Lambda Car Club)
• The Highlands Inn (Bethlehem, NH)
• Evolve Chesapeake
• Matthew Briggs/ReMax (Anne Arundel)
• ID Lubricants
• Metro Silver Diner Towne Centre, Annapolis  
  
• Mary and Blanche (Funky gift shop—Downtown Annapolis)
• Marylanders for Marriage Equality
• The Trevor Project (suicide prevention among LGBT teens)
• GLCCB (Gay/Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore)
• YMCA
• Davis Pub (Eastport)
• Sly Fox Pub (Downtown Annapolis)