Oakland Pride is a great event for the family. While the politics may be dialed down a little from its sister city San Francisco across the bay, the atmosphere of the 50-year-old Summer of Love can still be felt in this diverse East Bay Area celebration. Fueling much of the joy this year was Oakland's new LGBT Center opened just days before this event.
East Bay Pride was celebrated in Oakland from 1997 to 2004. Led by the efforts of former Oakland City Councilmember Danny Wan and the Oakland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Roundtable. Oakland Out in Oakland commenced with a celebration of LGBT life in 2005 and 2006. Pride had not taken place in Oakland since that time.
In 2008, Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan and others led efforts to reorganize an LGBT Roundtable in the city of Oakland. Since then, members of the Roundtable and the LGBT community representing all walks of life decided that it was time to resuscitate Oakland Pride for the long term and advocate for LGBT rights and interests, including the development of the first LGBTQ community center in Oakland for everyone.
Many thanks to talented photographer Jamie Thrower for capturing the heart and soul of the event.
