organizing T
his year, I was given the absolute privilege to organize pride in my small, conservative town. I say given, but I just emailed the town telling them that I would be doing something for pride. The town just accepted it. While writing this article, I was running events and coordinating with people for about three weeks, so here is what I have learned: Firstly, many logistics go into forming a pride committee. When I started this initiative, I was just expanding upon what I already do as the leader of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in my school and hoping it would go on without any bumps. Little did I know that when you start trying to organize a pride, you need to focus on three key things:
1 Until you get direct approval from your town, move quietly and stay away from the press. If you are in the papers or on the news too early on, the town could feel threatened and either deny your existence or have you walking on eggshells.
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2
P
Registering your name and your committee with your province/state is essential to ensure your continued existence. This step is just cutting through the red tape so that you can have the freedoms that an established organization has.
3
Careful with sponsors and merchandise when you are first starting. Until you are officially registered, no pride merchandise that is sold with your platform as a marketing tool can be marketed with your name. This is another red tape thing, but in the early stages, it's best to stay on the good side of the government. written by Parker McElroy edited by Harvi Karatha, Taruni Manam & Shoffana Sundaramoorthy layout by Sahithi Lingampalli art (Heart) by Nivi Chozhan
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