Living Out Loud with Darian

It's almost hard to believe that next week will mark the 11th anniversary of Atlanta Black Gay Pride. In 2004 In The Life Atlanta, sponsors of the annual event , hosted the largest Black Pride celebration in the world when over 10,000 LGBT people flocked to Atlanta from all over the country on Labor Day weekend, a distinction they still hold to this day.

Like most Pride events there will be more than a few parties and clubs to attend during the six days of scheduled events from August 29-September 03. But what attracts me to Pride(besides the gorgeous men) is ITLA's effort to educate, empower, and unite our brothers and sisters through workshops, town hall meetings, film festivals, and worship services. There really is a little bit for everyone. I experienced Pride for the very first time last year and I was blown away by how many people I met whose experiences mirrored my own. Have you ever attended Pride and for once you didn't feel like a minority three times over, black, male, and gay? Although the feeling may only be temporary, it's still amazing and I highly recommend the experience!

Highlights of this year's pride events include a special concert by the queen of soul Aretha Franklin, a conversation with Jonathan Plummer, an LGBT film festival, and dozens of exciting workshops on issues relevant to the black LGBT community.You can get a complete list of scheduled events here .

One event that has been brought to my attention is a special cabaret night that is not to be missed sponsored by PHYRE!. They will be hosting a special screening of Christopher Street, a new black gay series from creator Dwight O'Neal from New York along with musicians, spoken word artists, and female impersonators. In my opinion this is a wonderful alternative to the clubs. This event is happening on September 2nd from 5pm-10pm. Click here for additional details.

This is only the beginning, look out for full coverage of Pride along with a few surprise interviews next week.

Labels: Pride