NC Pride is This Weekend

This weekend, Durham is going to be full of people feeling Pride - gay pride, that is. Durham is a place where people can be who they are in an open and accepting community since - that open and accepting nature is one of the community's hallmarks.

This is the 29th year the NC Pride Parade is being held in Durham, and it is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender event in a five-state area, attracting over 12,000 participants. Since Durham is a place where all who want to be are welcomed, the parade is a great community event and demonstration of support. NC Pride events last all weekend long in Durham and in neighboring communities. The full schedule is online.

So open and welcoming is Durham that there are few outward signs of the LGBT community. According to the website, OutInDurham.com, "...make no mistake, Durham is a great place to visit if you are gay, just not necessarily because you are gay." According to Sam Poley at the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau, the LGBT community is such an integral part of the scene in Durham that it is totally accepted. "Some say it's invisible as though that's a bad thing. In Durham, there are just so many other things we care about as a community rather than the orientation of our fellow citizens. We're all here to make Durham an awesome place to live. That makes it an awesome place to visit, too, no matter who you love," Poley said.

Durham is also home to the 10-day long NC Gay and Lesbian Film Festival each August held at the historic Carolina Theatre in Downtown Durham.

Learn more about Durham online.