Sprawling across the lawn at Liberty Memorial this weekend, Kansas City Gay Pride is billed as the community's biggest celebration of the year. For some organizations, though, being part of the free festival is tough on their pocketbooks.
Show Me Pride LLC, a for-profit corporation that runs the event, charges exhibitors that hawk their merchandise and community groups that promote their causes to the thousands of visitors over the three-day event. And it ain't cheap. Non-profits have to pay at least $500 for a table space; small businesses $700 and large corporations $1,000.
But there's one exception.
On the KC Pride Web site, at the bottom of the entertainment section, organizers boast: "All Pet Adoption and Related Pet Stores/Food/Grooming Services etc receive FREE space for the 2009 Festival."
That hasn't set well with some in the gay community. Why provide free space for pets, but not non-profits? That question was raised in a letter submitted to Camp, Kansas City's monthly gay and lesbian magazine. It isn't in the Pride issue on the racks now, but I recently got a copy (name withheld by request).
"As eager as I am for my dog to have a pleasant experience at Pride," the letter says, "it troubles me that for profit pet companies are receiving free space while non-profits that do valuable work for our communities are being charged $500 for a 10x10 space or $900 for a 20x10 space. This imbalance is especially troubling in an economy in which many non-profit organizations are struggling to keep their doors open. At Pride, it is especially important that we celebrate the victories claimed through activist work and also engage in the important social justice work represented by many of the non-profit organizations present at Pride. I fear that this will become more difficult as the organizations working for the basic human rights of our community are pushed out of Pride for the pursuit of big name national performers."
Rick Bumgardner, president of Show Me Pride LLC, says he's readying an official response to the criticism. The only animal organizations that get a free pass, he explains, are shelters and pet rescue groups; those doing community service in the animal world. Now that pets are allowed on Pride's premises, it seemed appropriate, Bumgardner says.
But Pride does make a buck on those booths -- just not on the front end. The pet organizations kick back to the organizing committee a percentage of the adoption and other fees they collect during the event, Bumgardner says.
But that seems a little backwards. So, if your non-profit helps gay people, you'll have to shell out several hundred dollars to exhibit at Gay Pride. If you're an animal rescue group that gets space at mall pet stores on any given Saturday afternoon, c'mon in for free. But when was the last time your local shelter lobbied Congress on hate crimes, pressed the local police department to rethink their decision to strip domestic partner benefits or organized a queer sports league?
Bumgardner doesn't think it's a big deal. He says the charge for non-profits has stayed the same for the past three years and hasn't seemed to deter community groups. Despite the triple-digit fee, he says, exhibitors are up this year, from less than 20 last year, to nearly 30 this year. And, if you thought Pride is a big community celebration, well, you're wrong.
"Pride is a business," Bumgardner says. "It costs $267,000 to do the festival and we have to rent real estate."
"We come out to celebrate the fact that 40 years ago people stood up to a government-sponsored organization that said you can't congregate here," he adds. "That was 40 years ago and we're still fighting the same damn fight. We're the one organization in the community that gets everyone together in one place to make their statements known."
Too bad the business aspect of Pride makes it easiest for groups with stray puppies, not LGBT non-profts, to make their statements known.
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For the record, Rick:
No, the writer of the letter is most definitely not my "lover," though, yes, we have met once. And I'm sure you get a lot of phone calls, so I won't be offended that your recollection of our specific conversation is flawed, but I certainly did not say anything even remotely to the effect that my partner is a member of a non-profit upset about pet involvement. (In fact, if anything, my partner, who works in the private sector, would be in favor of any policy that increases the involvement of animal-related groups, as perhaps the most avid dog lover I've ever met.)
But I appreciate your comments.
Wicholas-
Wouldn't that be nice.....to bring the issue directly to Pride - instead, the write chose to write a completely negative article speaking for an entire not-for-profit community.
As stated, one not-for-profit, LGCCKC, voiced their concern - as they do every year. If anyone wished to be a part of Pride and empowered themselves to pick up the phone and call the number to inquire, the committee is most willing to work with all organizations. Just ask the LGCCKC.
Also, if entry fees are paid by March 31, the price for a not-for-profit is $400 - saving $100.
However, I challenge the not-for-profit organizations to tell me how they could reach the 50,000 people that attend our festival over the three days for less monies. Direct mail? Phone tree?
An all volunteer organization, Pride continues to work incredibly hard to bring a festival which attracts visitors to the area, people to the festival grounds, and businesses to put themselves in front of our community.
It is precisely this kind of journalism and backbiting attack by an individual who called out of the blue one day, with a design to discredit an organization that puts our community in jeopardy. I do not know - can only hypothesize that the writer (I also know the name of the individual as I'm being allowed to respond in the June issue of Camp magazine to the letter - only appropriate and good journalistic values) had to be involved since she started the conversation with the statement, "my girlfriend belongs to a not-for-profit organization....."
If not-for-profits have issues - I encourage them - come directly to me....my name is Rick Bumgardner. I'm the President of Show Me Pride LLC, my phone number is on the website at www.gaypridekansascity.com. My email is on the website at www.gaypridekansascity.com. All you have to do is pick up the phone and empower yourselves to have that dialogue - in a constructive fashion - face to face. We have meetings the first Tuesday of every month and they're open to the community.
I would like to state that I know both Carolyn and the person who wrote the letter and they are not lovers, in fact I believe they have only met once. Creating rumors will do nothing to further this conversation. If anything, this should be viewed as an area of growth for all people considered. I know several non-profits and local community organizations, specifically those dealing in areas of trans issues, race issues, and youth organizing that cannot afford a booth at Pride. Maybe this critique can be viewed as a way to bridge this gap between groups with less funding and Pride in Kansas City. No one is saying they don't want pets at Pride. Since there is so much confusion regarding policy of Pride, this might be a sign that there should be a more clear forum and communication with different community groups. I do not believe that calling in to question the intentions of the Community Center in a public forum or to spread rumors about Carolyn and the writer of this letter being lovers is a constructive way to handle this. Let's use this as an opportunity to create dialogue and strengthen our community and relations between our groups. We need it.
Apparently what Ms. Szczepanski doesn't want her readers to know is that the individual whose letter didn't appear in CAMP (name withheld by request) I believe, is her lover. As she explained to me on the phone when she interviewed me, "her partner is part of a not-for-profit group that is very upset about the free pet involvement."
Before I address the pet issue, let me state clearly: Pride IS a business, one that continues to incur ever increasing expenses (while not raising booth rental fees for 3 years), the only time that all organizations come together under one umbrella so that their voices can be heard. The not-for-profit organizations get stage time (5 minutes) in fact to speak directly to the thousands of audience members that come to Pride. I recently received a phone call from Christine at the Human Rights Campaign asking if it, did indeed, cost $500 for 15 minutes of stage time at Pride. When I informed her that not-for-profits get to speak free and ask who had told her that erroneous information, she indicated that it was Nettie Alford of the Community Center, a not-for-profit organization that could be speaking and should know the details of their participation in Pride. I wonder why she doesn't. I wonder why she would say such a thing. I wonder.
I wonder if Ms. Szczepanski has stopped to consider that she's never seen a participant from one of the Pet Corner exhibitors on stage.
That community celebration she speaks of doesn't come free and what Ms. Szczepanski also fails to realize is that Pride gives nothing to the pet organizations - no tents, no tables, no chairs, while every not for profit is housed under a tent, with a table and two chairs.
The pet corner participants are there providing a service to YOUR community members who choose to bring their pets, for water, treats, spay & neutering, adoption of rescued pets. And yes, some of them do sell some retail items; however, I believe - if she'd canvas those individuals it covers the cost of what they provide to your pets you bring to the festival. When Pride allowed pets, it was our obligation to make sure we cared for the safety of your animals in the scorching sun.
As she stated, I did say that Not-For-Profit organizations are up this year - by 30%, with several national organizations choosing to get involved with the Kansas City Festival, voted 1 of the top 10 in the nation. Most, apparently, do not feel the same threat that Ms. Szczepanski indicates in her Plog with the unusually obtained letter to a magazine other than the one she writes for.
Interesting to me, your President for Pride, that there was only one Not-for-Profit who voiced a concern about pricing this year, but chose to participate anyway. And no one, until now has had any issue with our stance on the pet participants.
If Ms. Szczepanski would like to fully understand the reasoning, I suggest she get involved with the Pride committee and not attack it from the outside. She might better understand how much a blade of grass costs, a police officer to secure the grounds, the first aid team, the AIDS Quilt panels that are brought in for education and viewing, the scholarships given to five individuals to further their education, and the reasonings behind all of the decisions that the Pride organization makes. She might have chosen to do the interview with me in person - rather than over the phone and asked me to respond to the letter directly so that she could print my response as well as the letter. Instead, she chooses to dramatize and speak for an entire organizational community - one that apparently disagrees (due to the considerable increase in volume) with the concerns of her "name withheld by request" letter writer.
Maybe she'd like us to prohibit pets - then, there would be no need for pet corner and her "issue" about not-for-profits would be eliminated.
That all being said - I'm so happy that we receive the press as we go into this weekend. I hope all of you come out to Pride and view for yourself what she and the letter writer's concerns are. And then remember, the reason we're there is because we stood up - 40 years ago - and told a government sponsored manhunt that no one could tell us where we could congregate and who we could congregate with. 40 years later, we're still fighting for equality - something that doesn't come freely and I appreciate her fighting for the cause of not-for-profits, just as I will fight to continue to bring to Kansas City a festival worthy of all.
To Jamie and others in the LGBT community,
The Community Center (http://www.lgcckc.org/) is willing to host materials/information from the smaller groups in town that cannot afford a booth or don't want to spend their resources that way. Those with questions should feel free to contact us at gaynkc at gmail.
$500 for many non-profit groups is a lot of money Some groups, such as the transgender community have little to no income. In the past, the trans community booth was funded by a couple of individuals. This will be the second year that the transgender community has been forced out of Pride due to lack of funds. In the meanwhile, there is the possibility of people dealing with gender identity issues attending Pride who feels alone in the world and looking for support and won't find it.
The transgender community has a very high suicide rate, estimated to be around 1 in 3 transgender people will attempt or commit suicide. Show Me Pride seems to be more concerned about profits than actually helping the LGBT community.
Yes, June is Pride Month to celebrate and remember the Stonewall Riots of 1969. What many gays and lesbians often seem to forget, many of the people who started protesting against police harassment were transgender people, such as Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera.
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