Typically, our listeners drive the discussion on Carolina Curious with questions of their own. But this week, we have a query from WFDD reporter April Laissle:
"Why does Greensboro hold its Pride festivities in September, when it seems like everybody else holds them in June?"
She spoke with WFDD's David Ford.
April: I saw that the Pride parade was coming up in Greensboro, and I thought the article that I was looking at was just old, and then I clicked on it, and nope, it was true. I was just wondering why it was held so late.
David: Well, we're gonna get to the bottom of it for you. What do you think it might be?
April: I'm assuming that instead of it coinciding with Stonewall, it's coinciding with a different event, like they're recognizing a different event in Greensboro — but I don't know.
So June is the month for Winston-Salem’s all-day Pride event in the summer, but several others in the Carolinas are scheduled for the fall.
In October, there will be celebrations in Union County and Wake Forest, North Carolina, as well as in Florence and Charleston, South Carolina. And during September, Pride festivals are taking place in Asheville, the Outer Banks, Durham, Statesville and in Greensboro.
But, why so late? Greensboro Pride Executive Director Jessie Taylor says the answer is a lot simpler than you might think.
"First, it's really hot in June in North Carolina," says Taylor. "But, most importantly, is that, you know, Greensboro Pride is really focused on being as inclusive as possible, which means in making it available to a whole bunch of people. And with it being in September and understanding that Greensboro is a college town, we're surrounded by a whole bunch of colleges. And there tends not to be a lot of people around in June, we pushed to September. One to help with the heat, and two to make sure that we're there for students who want to participate or go and want to come and be seen and be valued."
Taylor says this year, they’re expecting nearly 80 diverse performers from as far away as Los Angeles to grace their main stage and community stage.
The event takes place on Saturday, September 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro. This year, they’re anticipating some 90,000 Greensboro Pride revelers to attend.
