2007 is a big year of change for Capital City Pride. Thanks to new grants and strong support from our long-time funders, we have been able to revamp our web-site, diversify our promotions, hire staff and expand to two days of Pride activities. 

We are pleased to announce the receipt of a first time services contract from the City of Olympia's Lodging Tax Services Contract designed to increase tourism in Olympia. This contract is funding a number of efforts geared to expand our event promotions in order to generate more overnight hotel stays and to support local businesses. Funds from this contract will be utilized to generate promotional materials, upgrade our website and to pay staff. It?s notable that this contract is the first ever awarded to a glbt organization. In addition, Capital City Pride is proud to announce having obtained another grant from the Pride Foundation, one of our longest supporters. 

Check out our updated website located at www.capitalcitypride.net. Our new website includes more photos, up to the minute information about activities and ways to be involved. Site visitors will now be able to download copies of the schedule, forms for rent event booths and parade entry forms. The site will now be updated on a weekly basis, thanks to a grant that covers part of a contract for web-services. 

This year we are stepping up our promotions to let people across the state know what a great small town Pride Day activities we have to offer. This promotions campaign includes flyer inserts to be placed in several thousand glbt newspapers and newsletters across the State. We are also working with the Pride Foundation to coordinate our promotional efforts with other Pride Foundation communities. Locally, we will continue to take out ads in South Sound publications and radio stations. 

Perhaps the most exciting new development is our ability to hire staff to handle the growing work load of our ever-growing festival. The past few years we have struggled to keep up with exponential growth of our event with a full volunteer staff. This year we are excited to have a crew of talented staff people: Gabi & Alec Clayton have taken over as our web-masters in redesigning our site and will continue to update it on a regular basis. We have hired Heather Lenox to serve as our Event Manager, working closely with our Board and volunteers to coordinate fundraising and event preparations. 

Look for the 2007 Pride to have events to appeal to broader range of the community. We are working with community partners to plan a broader array of events hosted by non-profit and glbtq friendly businesses that appeal to a broader range of the glbtq & allied communities, including theater performances, concerts, art exhibits, outdoor recreation activities and more. 

Serving as the watershed event of the year, Pride Day marks the civil rights gains in the past year, show cases youth activists new to community work, and honors long time activists for their enduring commitments. Pride Day is on the calendar of most elected officials and candidates for office as the singular event to connect with the glbtq community and to strengthen the ties with that constituency. 

On a personal level, Pride Day is often a mixture of all the milestone events of life wrapped into one, becoming in a sense our Mardi Gras, our 4th of July parade, our biggest political rally, our homecoming, our community-wide ice cream social to bring our families to. It?s the queer Lakefair without the rides. 

On a broader community scale, Pride has become a part of the annual cycle of community festivals, which in turn brings our community and our unique traditions into the shared experience of the mainstream community. Beyond throwing a great party that the broader community enjoys along with glbtq folks, our event serves to illuminate our community place in the mosaic of the diversity of the broader community. This clearly builds stronger community ties and greater awareness of our issues, thereby creating a more glbtq-friendly home town. 

Anna Schlecht is one of the Co-Chairs for Capital City Pride 2007

My name is Melanie Morrison and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. I am also the Co-Chair of the Canadian Psychological Association?s Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGII; http://www.cpa.ca/sections/sexualorientationandgenderidentityissues/. 

Along with Rebecca Quaale, we are currently conducting a study looking at sexual minorities' exposure to prejudice and discrimination and how this can affect health and well-being. As you may be aware, there is a dearth of research actually documenting the experiences of sexual minority persons and how this influences their health.

Since this initiative is new, our survey, at present, pertains to gay men and lesbian women. We will be developing additional surveys that pertain to transgender, intersex, bisexual, and queer identifying men and women. It is our sincerest intention to be inclusive; however, at this time, we have reliable and valid measures for those who identify as gay and lesbian. We will get there, but it will just take some time. We hope that we can count on your support and assistance when additional links to surveys are made available.

As a result of our present research development in the area, we would like to invite ANY individual who identifies as gay or lesbian to participate in our study. Our online questionnaire can be found at www.socialjusticeresearch.com. PLEASE FORWARD THIS LINK TO ANY PERSON (FRIEND/AQUAINTANCE/FAMILY MEMBER) YOU THINK MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING.

Please note that participants are not required to put any identifying information such as their name, address, or e-mail on the questionnaire. This way, participants can feel comfortable answering questions honestly and feel confident that, because we cannot identify any one person, all of the information they provide will be anonymous. 

Again, formal study of the experiences of gay men and lesbian women rarely takes place. Therefore, this study provides an excellent opportunity to document the types of experiences non-heterosexuals may be having; thus, non-heterosexuals' participation is essential. Such understanding is extremely important given the current social, legal, and political climate worldwide.

This study received ethical approval from the University of Saskatchewan Behavioral Sciences Research Ethics Board on January 11, 2006 (Beh 05-02). Any questions regarding your rights as a participant may be addressed to that committee through the Office of Research Services (306) 966-2084. Out-of-town participants are invited to call collect.

We would be happy to answer your questions and respond to any comments you might have about the study, and our contact information is located below. We greatly appreciate your consideration and support, and hope to hear from you soon.

Melanie A. Morrison, PhD &
Co-Chair of the Canadian Psychological Association's Section on Sexual
Orientation and Gender Identity Issues (SOGII)
Department of Psychology, 9 Campus Drive, Arts Building
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5
Phone: (306) 966-2564; Email: melanie.morrison@usask.ca