Thursday, February 14, 2008
On a typical Wednesday night, Toni Grady, Dodge City junior, can probably be found dancing with her friends and having a drink at The Granada’s new event, Pride Night. Grady says she is a regular on Pride Night because she likes the atmosphere and feels like she can be herself, and another perk is the cheap cover and drinks.
Last month, The Granada became host to the weekly gay pride nights that used to be held at Liquid Bar and Nightclub. The event ended after Liquid closed last year for renovations. PhDJ Chris, who used to deejay at Liquid, contacted Ryan Campbell, executive director of the KU student organization Queers and Allies, to see if the club would be interested in hosting pride nights at The Granada. Campbell, Olathe junior, says it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“You are going to be in a crowd of people that you know are going to be really accepting,” Campbell says. “It’s a great time. Everyone lets loose and drinks too much. It’s bad decision-making because everyone has class the next day, but it’s so fun.”
David Mixner, gay rights activist and author of Stranger Among Friends, says pride nights strengthen communities as a whole, and community members should be supportive regardless of their sexual orientation.
“They should never be afraid of meeting new people, new ideas and new ways,” Mixner says. “Embracing diversity in our lives enables us to be richer and kinder people. Knowing different communities enables us to cut through fear and build bridges.”
Korrie Johnson, Queers and Allies activities coordinator and Topeka freshman, says that Pride Night is a good place to see old friends, meet new ones and be in a comfortable and accepting setting. Johnson says you don’t have to be gay to have a great time at Pride Night.
“It’s not like a tall-people club where only tall people can go,” Johnson says. “But we don’t want people who are going to be disrespectful and make idiots of themselves.”
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It’s fun, there’s dancing and there’s a diverse group of people you might not see at other bars.
-Ashley Stites, Overland Park junior
Pride Night happens every week, but on the second Wednesday of the month, Queers and Allies sponsors a themed Pride Night and the organization receives $2 of each cover charge. The first themed night was “Stoplight Night,” in which people dressed in green if they were single, in red if they were taken and in yellow if their situation was “complicated.” Queers and Allies made $460 from the event.
A drag show by Diva DeVine and the Girls kicked off the first Pride Night. PhDJ Chris plays a variety of dance music, and Campbell says the music isn’t that different from other clubs, though it wouldn’t be gay night if Cher weren’t on the playlist.
Ashley Stites, Overland Park junior, went to Pride Night once and says she will probably go again. She says she went to gay nights at Liquid, but she likes The Granada better because there is more space and more people attend.
“It’s fun, there’s dancing and there’s a diverse group of people you might not see at other bars,” Stites says.
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and a founder of Heritage of Pride, a nonprofit corporation that organizes gay pride events in New York City, says discrimination against the gay community is still a problem across the nation. It is still legal in 32 states, including Kansas, to discriminate based on sexual orientation, but Foreman says events like The Granada’s Pride Night are a step in the right direction.
“The atmosphere on many college campuses is light-years ahead of where we are of having legal equal rights,” Foreman says. “There is a perception out there that we are further along than we actually are, so my message to folks in college is we need your help, voice, energy and talent to help move forward.”
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