Hampton Roads Pride Out in the Park - Stonewall40 Celebrates LGBT History in Virginia

Hampton Roads, VA, April 25, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Scheduled for June 28th, 2009, the Hampton Roads Pride “Out in the Park - Stonewall40” annual event celebrates the modern gay movement in America and GLBT community in Virginia. 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the famous Stonewall riots and the 21st anniversary of “Out in the Park”. To honor these important dates, Hampton Roads Pride has made LGBT history a major focus of this year’s event.

Each Year “Out in the Park” is attended by more than 6,000 people that come to enjoy food, beverages, live music, and LGBT friendly sponsors. This year Hampton Roads Pride is proud to present the Hampton Roads Pride LGBT History Project. The purpose of this project is to create a durable, visual and audio display of the history of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in Hampton Roads.

The LGBT History Project’s goal is to design a chronological timeline of major events that occurred in the Hampton Roads area and affected the LGBT community from the 1950s to the present. Local members of the GLBT community will be a primary source for local stories and anecdotal data. Interviews will be audio or videotaped for presentation and archived for any future research. The timeline will illustrate how events on a national scale affected LGBT persons in Hampton Roads. Old Dominion University will also provide some archival resources. Additional GLBT volunteers will be needed to complete the “Out in the Park – Stonewall40” display to be viewed on June 28.

Hampton Roads Pride is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization and has been a unifying force in the Hampton Roads and GLBT community in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton and Newport News for 21 years. Their mission is to Instill Pride, Celebrate Unity, and Embrace Diversity in the GLBT community of Southeast Virginia.

Hampton Roads Pride organizes a number of charitable events throughout the year including the Annual Scholarship Drive, Turkey Trot Food Drive, Toy Drive and Backpack Drive to raise funds for the Tidewater Aids Community Taskforce (TACT) and Chesapeake Child Protective Services. Other events such as the Annual Pier Party and Pride Cruise help bring the community together. For more information about sponsorship, vendors and a schedule of upcoming events please visit www.hamptonroadspride.net.

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