“I am Pride: Stonewall 45″ is the theme for the annual Palm Springs Pride Celebration scheduled for November 7-9.  The theme helps set the mood and engage the community in the 28^th annual celebration and will usher in significant changes to the region’s Pride events.

The two-prong theme was selected to observe the 45^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and reflect on the impact the fight for equality is having on the LGBT community around the world.  The Stonewall Riots in New York’s Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969 set off the LGBT civil rights movement. “I am Pride” is an affirmation of an individual’s stance against discrimination and support of equal rights, sexual diversity and gender variance.

Fashion icon, performance artist and transgender public figure Amanda Lepore will be the Celebrity Grand Marshal for the 2014 Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade. The 28th annual Pride Parade is scheduled for 10:00 am, Sunday, November 9th. The parade will travel Palm Canyon Dr from the Uptown Design District to the Pride Festival entrance in the heart of downtown Palm Springs.

The festival will feature free full concert performances by English rock band The Psychedelic Furs, riot pop band WASI, Americana, singer-songwriter Jeremiah Clark, London based pop artist Frankmusik, big beat alternative rock band Lunden Reign and the electro-pop, LA-based bands The Story of the Running Wolf , Scavenger Hunt, and Icelandic musical group Steed Lord and many more.

Palm Springs Pride is Southern California’s popular and longest-running LGBT festival in the Coachella Valley. Palm Canyon Drive will be closed to traffic and transformed into a vibrant, pedestrian friendly Pride Festival, unique to Southern California. A diverse array of artists, entertainers, multiple beverage gardens and purveyors of all sorts including, jewelry, snacks and sweets. Add all that to great shopping restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues located along world-famous Palm Canyon Drive and the result is like no place else – Palm Springs Pride.

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About Greater Palm Springs Pride

Greater Palm Springs Pride (pspride.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community enhancement organization founded to promote the public education and awareness of individual rights and civil liberties of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and to promote the history, diversity and future prosperity of the Greater Palm Springs LGBT community. Palm Springs Pride has been a tireless advocate for equality and diversity since Coachella Valley’s first Pride event in 1986. This year’s Pride celebration theme is: “I am Pride: Stonewall 45” and the 2014 Palm Springs Pride Celebration is November 7-9.

Recognition

2012 – Outstanding Community Service Organization – Greater Palm Springs Pride (Awarded by Desert Business Association)

Our History

Palm Springs Pride produced its first Pride Festival in Palm Springs to celebrate the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion on New York City’s Christopher Street. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was incorporated in 1997 and today brings together the skills, talents and vision of our diverse community to produce the Coachella Valley’s Pride parade and two-day festival, which is expected to attract 100,000 participants to downtown Palm Springs.

Programs of the organization include:

• The Pride Parad
• The Free two-day Festival – an event for the entire community!
• Pride Honors Awards
• The unique Downtown Arenas Rd. Block Party; and the
• Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast.Activism and AwarenessWe support LGBT civil rights activism and mentorship of other Pride organizations around the world and promote awareness of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender individuals.  Programs include:

• Palm Springs Pride Parade: The largest equal rights celebration in Palm Springs.
• Pride Festival: An inclusive and diverse celebration of the community that exemplifies our mission, vision, and values
• Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast: Palm Springs Pride is a lead organizer and fiscal sponsor of this annual coalition building effort. The event seeks to bring together all who support equality and justice to celebrate the memory of this influential civil rights activist.
• Mentorship: Palm Springs Pride recognizes the importance of the Pride movement worldwide by making donations to these organizations and by sharing our experience and skills.

Community Service

• Grant Funding: Palm Springs Pride provides grants to organizations which directly impact the LGBT communities in the region. Various fundraising vehicles are used to raise and earmark donations to the Pride Fund. Special emphasis is placed on supporting Coachella Valley Gay-Straight Alliance organizations at the region’s high schools.
• Direct Community Support: Palm Springs Pride directly supports community organizations by purchasing tickets, making charitable contributions, and sponsoring various events. In addition to donating event tickets, the organization also subsidizes entry fees for many organizations in the parade and festival.
• Partnerships: Palm Springs Pride creates partnerships with organizations enabling them to raise funds in exchange for their involvement in Pride events.

Youth Services

Youth Engagement: Creating safe and affirming opportunities for youth to participate in activities related to Pride.

LGBT Wall of Honor – Landmark Monument Campaign

Palm Springs Pride is the lead organizer of this campaign to preserving and showcasing the history of the local LGBT movement for future generations.

• The Wall of Honor: A landmark monument will honor and remember important local LGBT community members. The monument will recognize and celebrate those Palm Springs LGBT community members and allies who have had a significant and positive impact on the Palm Springs LGBT community. The monument will be a visible and lasting reminder of our rich history of courage, spirit, achievement, and activism.

Visibility and Collaboration

Palm Springs Pride represents the interest of the Coachella Valley LGBT community as a member and supporter of the Palm Springs Desert Business Association, Consolidated Associations of Pride, Inc. (CAPI), the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Coordinators (InterPride), the International Festival and Events Association, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Human Rights Commission.