Diversity Rules Magazine

3 Diversity Rules Magazine August 2019 Joey Amato is the publisher of Pride Journeys, the premier source for LGBT travel. Joey publishes des na on reviews in addi on to lifestyle content that is both insigh ul and engaging to LGBT readers. Joey has spent the majority of his career dedicated to the LGBT community, having contrib- uted to numerous publica ons around North America. In ad- di on, he owns Agency33 Public Rela ons, a full-service firm spe- cializing in LGBT outreach. Being a proud gay journalist, I've travelled to dozens of pride events around the world. From São Paulo to Nashville, I've seen just about everything. But, the one thing I had never seen was a night- me parade. That all changed in Providence. Yes… Providence, Rhode Island! I was thoroughly impressed by the scope and a endance of this pride fes vity called Illuminated Night Parade, part of Rhode Island Pride Fest. The over 2-hour parade dazzled spectators with dozens of floats from the tradi onal to over-the-top master- pieces, most notably the recrea on of the Stone- wall Inn, which closed out the parade. Just as the sun set over downtown Providence, the parade began, with floats decked out in lights, gli er and lots of color. Hundreds of peo- ple marched in the parade, which con n- ues to grow each year. From age 5 to 75, the people of Rhode Island came out in full force to show their support for the LGBTQ community. Some of the most memorable par ci- pants in the parade included Youth Pride and Proud Moms & Dads who held signs offering free hugs. A er the parade, it seemed like the en re crowd headed to Ego, a nightclub which organizes a massive block party every year, ironically called Massive. This year the celebra on was brought to new heights with DJ Nina Flowers and Alex Acosta at the turntables. Thousands of people lined the street and par ed to amazing music and a spectacular laser light show. I never would have known this type of event would take place in Providence. Block par es are apparently a thing here, as the night prior, many of the other gay bars in the city including Stable, Dark Lady, Alley Cat and The Ea- gle all threw block par es of their own during the weekend-long celebra on. The Dark Lady/Alley Cat party was headlined by musical group Exposé, which brought me back to my teen years. I may have shed a bit of a tear when they sang "I'll Never Get Over You," which they dedicated to Chris Harris, one of the pillars of the Providence LGBTQ commu- nity who recently passed away and was an honorary Grand Marshall of the parade. My host hotel for the weekend was the beau ful Omni Hotel and everywhere I turned there were rainbow flags, gli er and scores of LGBTQ people in Pride Journeys - Con't on page 7 Pride Journeys Providence, RI By Joey Amato

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