2018 Hampton Roads Pride Launch - Setting New Records

Numerous state and local elected officials 

Governor Ralph Northam

The husband and I attended the launch party of the 2018 HR Pride project for presenting this year's Pride event which will occur on June 30, 2018 in Norfolk's Town Point Park.  The event was at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk.  The event has grown larger and larger over the last five years as has the list of sponsors who help fund the festival.  Presenting sponsors will include Decorum Furniture, Newport News Shipbuilding ("NNS"), and WHRO-TV.  Stepping up at a truly amazing level was the City of Norfolk which now realizes that HR Pride and the annual Pride event is helping to make Norfolk in particular, by the region in general much more appealing to corporations and individuals seeking to relocate to a city/region where diversity and inclusion are welcomed.   Not that many years ago, previous mayors and city councils treated the LGBT community as if it were radioactive.  Today, the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach (on a much smaller scale than Norfolk), NNS, Virginia's larges corporate employer, numerous banks (one at the $10,000 level), USAA insurance, the CIA and many others all pledged funds to support the pride event which is now Norfolk's largest festival event other than Harborfest.

Politically, the event has also become the place to be seen, at least for Democrats and in attendance were Norfolk school board candidates, at least one congressional candidate.  The host of the event was Pam Northam, First Lady of Virginia.  With her was her husband, Governor Ralph Northam (who gave a much deserved shout out to my husband who does his hair), Congressman Bobby Scott, a number of members of the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senator Lynnwood Lewis, plus the Mayors of Norfolk and Virginia Beach (see the images above).

Perhaps most surprising was a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly - historically a body NOT friendly to the LGBT community - approved by both the Senate and the House of Delegates that recognized Hampton Roads Pride for the work it has done to increase diversity and inclusion, promote the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, and to recognize its 30th anniversary (see the image below).  Many older members of the LGBT community likely never believed that the day would come when such a resolution would ever be forthcoming.

All in all, it was an amazing event and convinced many of us of the old guard, if you will, that our efforts over the years have been worth the effort.   Sadly, in the age of Trump, we must redouble our efforts to make sure that progress continues. 

click image to enlarge