It's the first ever festival celebrating gay, lesbian and transgender lifestyle in Green Bay. The Pride Alive fest rose out of the ashes of the same sex marriage ban says Andrew DeBaker, co-chair of the organizing group New Pride .
It began out of a series of meetings held by Fair Wisconsin a year and a half ago. The group, which advocates LGBT equality, had just unsuccessfully moved to strike down a Wisconsin amendment banning gay marriage . The attendees decided a large scale event in Green Bay would be the next positive step in showcasing LGBT persons to the broader community. He says his home area gets a bad rap of being intolerant.
"Green Bay and really Northeast Wisconsin, we really do think its a more accepting community than what perhaps people give it credit for, and sometimes you just need events like these to show that acceptance."
Pride Alive runs from 11 am to 9 pm Saturday. DeBaker says everyone is welcome for fun, food and music.
AUDIO: Brian Moon reports (MP3 :69)
