Mission:
OUTstanding Amarillo promotes empowerment and acceptance of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population of the Texas Panhandle by initiating dialogue, providing education, and creating support systems with the ultimate goal of social change.
NALGBTCC Member
days until e
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE - JUNE 2000
Gay Pride 2000:
We're all pulling for a good year
Amarillo's Gay Pride 2000 will kick off on Tuesday, June 20, with the first film of the
Second Annual Gay Pride Film Festival and continue through Saturday, June 25, with the
traditional Gay Pride Picnic, once again at Thompson Park.
"Just look for the rainbow whatever," explained one organizer when asked about the exact
location of the picnic.
The annual picnic has been a treasured event to Amarillo's gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered (glbt) community for some years. This year's event continues a trend of growth
expansion with a number of new venders scheduled to bring both merchandise and informational
displays. One benefit is the addition of the Panhandle Triangle Associaton (PTA), a new
organization formed in recent months to help bridge and bond between organizations serving the
glbt community. Regular meetings of the PTA has greatly benefited organization and information
distribution for Gay Pride 2000.
The picnic will begin "noonish" on Saturday, June 24, and continue until approximately 5:30 that
afternoon.
For the second year, the Gay Pride Film Festival will be held at Stage Right at 45th and
Washington. The documentaries of glbt subjects will begin at 8 p.m. each evening. Films will
include"
Tuesday, June 20 -- After Stonewall.
Wednesday, June 21 -- The Brandon Teena Story.
Thursday, June 22 -- One Nation Under God.
Community Calendar
Anyone wanting to include listings in the calendar can call 383-0165.
Thursday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. -- Panhandle Triangle Association community meeting, Stage Right
June 20, 21, 22 -- Pride Week Film Festival starting at 8 p.m. each evening at Stage Right.
Tuesday, June 20 -- AfterStonewall
Wednesday, June 21 -- The Brandon Teena Story
Thursday, June 22 -- One Nation Under God
Saturday, June 24 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. -- Gay Pride Picnic at Thompson Park
Ongoing:
PFLAG -- Second Thursday of every month, 7 p.m., call 358-4810 for information
OUTstanding Board Meeting -- First Thursday of every month. Call 383-0165 for information.
PTA -- Community meeting every 4th Thursday.
Soul Journers -- Church meeting with all welcome every 3rd Sunday.
When Pigs Fly
(Editorial by Kay C. Peck)
Two men kissed on stage in Amarillo, Texas.
I'll save you the trouble. I've already checked the weather report on AOL, and, no, hell has
not frozen over.
Thanks to the courage of a straight lady who really cares about good theater and a good
story, "Torch Song Trilogy" by Harvey Fierstein was actually performed in Amarillo. Karen
Robertson, director of Stage Right Theatre, dreamed of bringing Fierstein's powerful story about
a drag queen to Amarillo, and on Friday, May 26, her dream came true. Opening night (also Gay
Night at Stage Right for May) played to a packed house with lots of rainbows and pink triangles
displayed both out of pride and to get the $2 discount on tickets.
It's hard to say what moved me most. I'm proud of Billy Bishard, the real-life drag queen
who was cast in the staring role of Arnold. He served his community well as he told Arnold's
story ... a story line that closely paralleled his own.
I was extremely proud of Kendal, a young man with the courage to be himself and to play
Arnold's adopted son. I was proud of the audience as a general population theater was, at least
for an evening, filled with a gay/lesbian majority audience.
In an odd sort of way, I think I'm may be proudest of all of the straight guy who sat across
the aisle and down some from me. He wasn't comfortable. It showed. For him, that kiss
between two men must have been darned close to hell freezing over.
He stayed.
My guess is that he cared about someone in the cast.
Isn't it amazing where one can find the most precious life lessons?
Pride 2000 Sponsors
Support from the following donors made possible the 2000 Gay Pride Picnic and the Gay Pride
Film Festival:
Planned Parenthood
Southpark Pharmacy
Open Mind Club
Bubba's
Casual Gourmet
Martindale Eyecare Center
PracticalServices.com
Whiskers
Club 212
Neon Sun Tanning Salon
French and Company Realtors
Mail Boxes, Etc.
Stage Right
Sassy's
Guest Editorial
Millennium March Musings
(By Stephanie Mitchell, guest writer from Alexandria, Virginia)
Never in my life have I ever felt so accepted and empowered as when I attended the
Millennium March on Washington, April 30, 2000. There were hundred of thousands of gay
men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons, and supporters all around me. All of them were
there to say we deserve the right to love whom ever we want.
But the excitement truly started the night before, when my partner and I attended Equality
Rocks, a concert put on by the Human Rights Campaign and PlanetOut.com. The subway ride
alone was packed full of same sex couples and people dressed in HRC and rainbow gear. The
concert was phenomenal. Performing and speaking were folks like Melissa Etheridge, Ellen, the
Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Garth Brooks, and the families of hate crime victims, including
Matthew Shepherd's parents.
On the day of the march nothing but a sea of people could be seen on the Mall, the large
area between the U.S. Capitol and the Washingt
on Monument. As the marchers passed by, I was struck by the different people showing their
support. There were young children, high school and college groups, elderly, physically disabled,
various races and religious, queens dressed in high heels, and parents all carrying signs and flags of
pride and support for equal rights. As a side note, the Texans were standing proud, carrying a
huge state flag that took 25 people to carry!
The speakers and festivities were so uplifting. It felt good to be a part of a movement so
huge! I cannot wait until the next march on Washington. But in my deepest heart of hearts, I hope
there will never have to be another, because we will all be seen as equal in the eyes of the
government and the people of the United States. But if we still are fighting this issue then, I look
forward to seeing you there, standing proud!
(Editorial Note: Stephanie Mitchell first learned of OUTstanding Amarillo through the
organizationa
l web page, and this is her second guest editorial for OUTspoken. She is a strong voice for our younger community members and, hence, a good choice in reporting about the Millennium March on Washington. The reader may wish to note that Amarillo was representated at the march including our own long-time community spokesperson, John Hintz.)
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