Letter from the Pride Board President

Dear Fellow Community,

I am extremely honored to welcome you to St. Louis’s 31st annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride Festival.  For over three decades, countless volunteers have joined together to produce this annual weekend-long festival to celebrate the diversity and unity within our community.  This year we expect a record-breaking turnout to enjoy the food and beverages, entertainment and laughter in beautiful and historic Tower Grove Park.

For PrideFest 2010 we have chosen the theme “Living Green – Better Together” to highlight a three-year plan to green PrideFest with the help and guidance of St. Louis Earth Day and Replenish The Earth.  Our ultimate goal is to produce the greenest festival of our size in the entire Midwest region.

I would like to welcome back our presenting sponsor, Miller Lite, for being so supportive of the mission of Pride St. Louis and our community.  This year you may recognize some familiar sponsors, such as MasterCard and Verizon Wireless.  However, you will also notice new sponsors such as MetLife and Walgreens.  We are also pleased to recognize our official host hotel and sponsor, Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel & Suites for their support.  It is up to all of us to stand behind these companies that support our community and its goals.

I am happy to announce that we are working with the LGBT Center of Metropolitan St. Louis to produce “Out at the Ballpark” with the St. Louis Cardinals.  This endeavor not only brings our community together, but it also reaches out to our straight allies, increasing our visibility within the population as a whole.

On a personal note, I would like to send a sincere thank you to all of the volunteers that give their time to produce PrideFest, especially those serving on the Board of Directors.  They have made my first term as president of this 31-year-old organization a vey joyful experience, and I look forward to serving them and the LGBT community as a whole for years to come.  They are the hardest working group of individuals I know, and they have earned my deepest respect and gratitude.

I would also like to thank Darin Slyman, Lee Bond, Drew Baumgartner, Tess Tulley and Colin Murphy at the Vital VOICE for their hard work and service to Pride St. Louis.  Your support has meant so much to us, and I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with this publication.

To celebrate our diversity and unity, we have chosen to appoint a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Grand Marshal to lead the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 27th.  These four individuals are inspiring leaders, and I thank them for their efforts within our community.

I invite each of you to celebrate with your brothers and sisters within the LGBT community and our allies.  Please enjoy the informational and merchant booths, food and beverages, and stellar entertainment line up.  Without you, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community we serve, “pride” is simply a rainbow flag and an idea.  It is you that breathes the life into the Pride movement, and you share that energy with over 85,000 Festival and Parade attendees each year.  Thank you for celebrating with us.

In Service & With Pride,

Tyler R. Hill
President
Pride St. Louis, Inc.