HERE IS THE CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS FOR THE “FIRST-EVER” O.C. PRIDE WEEK:
•MONDAY, JULY 27 Kickoff Party at Tin Lizzie Saloon in Costa Mesa
•TUESDAY, JULY 28 Lesbian Pride Night at Original Mike’s in Santa Ana
•WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 Bisexual Pride Nightat El Calor in Anaheim
•THURSDAY, JULY 30 Transgender Pride at The Center on 4th in Santa Ana Transgender Pride Night at The Frat House in Garden Grove
ORANGE COUNTY
EXPANDING THEIR HORIZONS… AND THEIR REACH
PRIDE by chris carpenter
Orange County Pride is backand poised for a major ex- pansion, thanks to its new president, Zackery Glass. The festival, themed “Color Our World With Pride,” will take place for the fourth consecutive year in downtown Santa Ana on Saturday, August 1. For the first time, official O.C. Pride-related events will be extended beyond its previous geographical limits, as well as, from one day to an entire week,Monday, July 27 through Sunday, August 2. “Personally, I’m most excited about changing the format of the festival
to make it more immersive and use more of downtown Santa Ana,” Glass told me in a recent interview. “It’s a step toward expansion and hopefully offering a parade next year. That’s the goal.” Some in the community have been critical of the lack of an annual Pride
Parade in Orange County. Expense, especially since the O.C. Pride Festival is presented free of charge to participants and space restrictions are the main obstacles. Glass, who became president after serving as director of programming last year and with several years as a volunteer, is working hard to overcome those obstacles. “I’m really excited because for the first time, we have events going on
throughout Orange County and beyond Santa Ana,” he said. “I really want to extend O.C. Pride’s reach to all of Orange County.” Glass admitted to a bumpy transition in assuming leadership. “It has been a challenge. We officially went out on our own this year as a separate organization. That whole process was something I didn’t expect, but we got our 501(c)3 a few weeks ago and things are now going really well.”
24 RAGE monthly | JULY 2015 | JULY 2015
cause for the first time, we have events going on
“I’m really excited be-
throughout Orange
County and beyond
Santa Ana.”
•FRIDAY, JULY 31 Gay Pride Nightat WTF Fridays at Shark Club in Costa Mesa
•SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 O.C. Pride Festivalin Downtown Santa Ana Rainbow Pride Partyat Velvet Lounge in Santa Ana
•SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 Beach Partyat West Street Beach Closing Party at Main Street Bar in Laguna Beach
O.C. Pride annually partners with local LGBT and
LGBT-friendly establishments, to promote events that spotlight various segments of the LGBT com- munity, in an effort to increase visibility for each group. All events are open to everyone and are an opportunity for any person, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, to embrace one another. Youth and family-friendly activities will continue to be the highlight of thePride Festival on Saturday, August 1, in downtown Santa Ana, which will open at noon and run until 10 p.m. This year’s excitingMain Stage performers, spon-
sored by the Yost Theater, will include American Idol alumniFrenchie Davis andDavid Hernandez,Lun- den Reign, Katja Glieson and powerhouse singer Thea Austin, best known for her vocal contributions to such dance classics as “(I’ve Got) The Power” and “Rhythm is a Dancer.” Several renowned DJs will be spinning all day in the festival Dance Tent and spe- cial speakers on a variety of LGBT topics will appear as part of the 2015 Rainbow Symposium. Also, the annual Kids’ Club will run from noon to 5 p.m. and includes a treasure hunt, cupcake walk and other fun activities for O.C. Pride’s youngest attendees. President Glass made a special recruitment pitch
For additional information and updates on all events, visit
prideoc.com.
before ending our conversation. “If anyone is happy with the direction of O.C. Pride and this year’s event,” he said, “We’d love to have them volunteer with us and be part of our planning committee!” Potential volunteers can express interest via the website.
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