The sixth annual Bakersfield Pride Festival, “Steppin’ Out,” opened with the boom of disco music Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., and it continued well into the evening.
Entertainers and musicians performed on or in front of the stage while those attending shuffled between the tables in front, the food stands and the vendors’ booths.
Groups like Spotlight Theatre, Rainbow Flags of Bakersfield and Rainbow Voices, as well as local musicians such as Michelle Weingarden performed throughout the event, and between each performance one of the two masters of ceremonies would provide commentary and point out various objects of interest at the festival.
Despite being good humored throughout the first half of the event, Billie Joe Fox ended his service as master of ceremonies with a few serious comments on the current issue of youths committing suicide due to being victimized by sexuality-based bullying.
That festival was held in honor for a youth from Tehachapi that took his own life. He then went on to point out that on that evening he wasn’t in any kind of elaborate costume – he was wearing the same clothes he would any other day – to express the acceptance of individuality within the community.
“I just want to stress,” said Fox, “that here in Bakersfield, the eighth most conservative city in the United States, that there’s nothing wrong with you being you.”
Located in the grouping of vendor booths were those representing large corporations and small social activist groups, and those coming from either camp, from Bank of America to the NOH8 campaign, were all openly supportive of the LGBTQ community.
Rick Riddick, representing PG&E, manned a booth alone and willingly chatted with anyone who stopped by to talk to him or snag a free keychain.
“PG&E is very supportive of the pride network,” he said. They provide scholarships, work for diversity and equality in the workplace and were “very active and very giving with the ‘no’ on Prop. 8 campaign.”
Jamie Garza, representing the Marriage Equality USA campaign’s Kern County chapter, spoke on their involvement in the pride festival.
“If Bakersfield Pride is running,” she said, “Marriage Equality will be here.”
The Democratic Party booth was filled with stickers, signs and buttons advertising the various local and national democratic candidates for the upcoming election.
Ginny Tunks shared with those curious how the Democratic Party has been involved in the various equal rights campaigns for the LGBTQ community at local, statewide and national levels.
“The democratic party supports civil rights for gays,” she said.