Sunday, June 5, 2005
New Paltz will host gay pride
Ulster's first such festival will be June 12
By Hemmy So
Poughkeepsie Journal

NEW PALTZ — Stone Ridge retiree Ted Hayes has heart problems and bad arthritis. But that won't stop the 74-year-old from joining the Ulster County's first gay pride march and festival in New Paltz June 12.

He'll join friends and about 25 local organizations scheduled to march down Main Street to Hasbrouck Park, where the festival will be held. June 12 marks New Paltz Pride Day, as proclaimed by the New Paltz town board.

Village Mayor Jason West's decision to marry same-sex couples last year — an issue back in the public as West must soon stand trial for his actions — inspired the organizers, Denise Jelley and Corinne Lesko, to move to New Paltz with their family.

"In having a 4-year-old, our wish is that the town that we live in continues to be accepting of our family," Lesko said. "My hope would be that this march and festival ... will only educate and help people of the community that, maybe, are not that comfortable with gay and lesbian people."

Gay and lesbian groups comprise most of the marchers. They include local high school and college clubs, support networks and political groups. Organizers believe supporters from all over the region and New York City will attend.

To invite groups to march, Peri Rainbow, a women's studies professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz, called gay organizations she knew and organizations and businesses that advertise in gay-friendly magazines.

Eventually, people began calling her.

"I got a call yesterday from someone who asked, 'Is there a group of gay and lesbian families marching together? If not, I'll put one together,' " Rainbow said. "In fact, there are two groups marching!"

Participants outside the gay community include the New Paltz Democratic Committee, New Paltz Green Party and YWCA-Kingston.

Terry Dungan, a Democratic committee member and village trustee, said the committee is mindful of some Democrats who might feel uncomfortable supporting gay rights but wanted to show its concerns for human rights.

"For those who are part of the gay and lesbian community, it's gay pride and gay rights. For us as a society, it's the last barrier to achieve full civil rights," he said.

Community members have also made financial contributions to the effort. Linda Bradford, co-owner of the popular New Paltz restaurant and bar Bacchus, donated a dinner for two.

"A lot of [the gay community] are good customers and they're very nice people. I believe they're doing something good for the community," Bradford said.

Many had concerns about the tenor of the event, though Jelley and Lesko remain confident that the march and festival will retain a positive and family-oriented atmosphere.

Gay pride marches are popular targets for protesters, and last year's same-sex marriages garnered a handful of highly visible opponents.

That included the New York Christian Coalition, a conservative group led by the Rev. Bill Banuchi and based in Newburgh. On its Web site, Banuchi calls the gay community part of the "Homeland Axis of Evil" because of its marriage efforts.

The group is not scheduled to protest the New Paltz march, Banuchi wrote in an e-mail, though he did not rule out the possibility.

If protesters do show up, Hayes — a gay man and former Southern Baptist minister — has a poster he's ready to hold up in counter-protest.

"It says, 'God wants spritual fruits, not religious nuts,' " he said with a mischievous smile.

Hemmy So can be reached at hso@poughkeepsiejournal.com

On the Web

Scheduled speakers and performers include Mayor Jason West, former Clinton White House aide Virginia Apuzzo, Rainbow Flag designer Gilbert Baker and singer Ubaka Hill.

Visit www.newpaltzpride.org for more information.