History and Goals

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.

Last year, Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan and others led efforts to re-organize 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.

Since the renewal of this effort, Oakland Pride has been busy networking with allies and partners. Our goal is to create a vibrant and viable organization worthy of the LGBT community in the East Bay.

Oakland Pride is planning a pride celebration with the LGBT community on September 5, 2010. As we continue to raise funds for the festival, the longer-term goal is to support our larger goal for the creation of an LGBT Community Center in Oakland for everyone.

We are presently applying for sponsorship support from foundations and corporations. Our fiscal sponsor, the East Bay AIDS Advocacy Foundation (EBAAF), continues to support our efforts as we push forward to complete the application process to become a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.

The funding will serve to not only help in the organizing of an event, but also eventually provide funding for the support of services at a future Community Center.  Oakland Pride wants to be of assistance in providing a sustainable solution to implement or support needed services for challenges in our community—especially in low-income, multi-cultural elder and young LGBT communities.

The Oakland Pride organization houses its headquarters in Jack London Square in space donated by the Port of Oakland. Oakland Pride is collaborating with a host of organizations that help our community and include Our Family Coalition, Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, Pacific Center, East Bay AIDS Advocacy Foundation and many other organizations that represent the breadth and depth of LGBT people in our community.

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