By Katelyn Bidondo.
The KC Gay Pride Festival kicks off on May 31 with the Westport Street Blast followed by Pride on the first of June, and this year’s festival will be held on Westport road between Main and Broadway. If you know Kansas City, you know this is a perfect spot for Pride! There are already amazing bars and restaurants in that area, imagine adding live DJ’s, vendors, and thousands of gays = amazing! The theme for the festival this year is “Back to the Basics”. There are 3 “basics” for the theme, and they are:
- Basic One: This year’s Festival will be held out in our community, right on Westport Road between Broadway and Main Streets.
- Basic Two: All entertainment will feature local artists, from musical acts to DJs, who embrace and support our LGBTQIA community.
- Basic Three: This will be a grassroots Pride. Anyone and everyone who wants to contribute are welcome to volunteer. All voices are to be heard.
So, what I gather from this is basically that we are getting back to our roots, truly supporting Kansas City’s LGBTQIA community, with local artists, vendors, and musicians, and doing all of this while including people from every walk of life. The Kansas City Diversity Coalition (KCDC) had this to say on Facebook, “KCDC is here to cater to everyone in our community, not just a select few. Let’s show them we are better and capable of more than nit picking and arguing within our own community. The time for a united KC, is now”. I couldn’t be more excited about this year’s event. This is my first ever Pride in Kansas City! So, let’s unite, get back to our roots, and have a blast at KC Gay Pride 2013!