Atlanta Pride Introduces Its First Bi + Pan March As Apart Of Pride Weekend
On Saturday Oct. 12 at Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Pride organization hosted their first Bi + Pan March as a part of the Atlanta Pride weekend. During the march, performances by big names in pop music like Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Daya, and Kesha were being held in the park simultaneously. This and the controversy surrounding the Bi + Pan march might explain why the march had fewer supporters than expected.
The Trans march, Bi + Pan march, and the Dyke march all took place in the afternoon on Saturday, with the Trans march being the most popular. The first Atlanta Pride Trans March was held in 2009 and trans marches are a popular feature of pride celebrations worldwide, so it’s no surprise that it was the more popular march on Saturday. However, the Dyke and Bi + Pan marches are relatively new initiatives. Both somewhat controversial for different reasons: many individuals within and even outside of the LGBTQ+ community neglect the word “dyke” as to some it’s still regarded as an offensive term, and the idea of having separate marches doesn’t sit well with everyone.
Pride goer Kyra Ingber who has attended several pride parades in DC found the concept of the separate marches to be different, but a good attempt to “uplift” the bisexual community. Rou, a photography student at the Savannah College Art and Design, said that she thought the separate marches were great in recognizing the subgroups of the LGBTQ+ community but she believes the intention behind Pride is to “unite people” and that having separate marches can “create some sort of division.” As for the rest of the festival she thought it to be “lively” and that patrons seemed happy to be there.
Thousands attended the general pride day, but not as many joined in for the Bi + Pan march. Upon asking patrons if they attended and how it was, most people didn’t even know about it. Understandably, this was the organizations first run of the march, so maybe better luck next year, Also, having popular performers taking the stage during the marches did not encourage pride goers to march.
Within the LGBTQ+ community there is lots of division amongst the various groups of gender and sexuality identities, especially the bisexual community. The first occurrence of this march was intended to empower the bisexual and pansexual community in Atlanta as they often feel overseen in the grand scheme of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Atlanta Pride organization has grown immensely since its 1971 startup, with an impressive 300,000+ attendees at this year’s Pride weekend. Taking place in October to correspond with National Coming Out Day (October 11), the organization hosted several events under the umbrella of pride weekend, some of those being the Atlanta Pride Warm Up party, Miss & Mr. Atlanta Pride Pageant, and the Pride launch party at the Georgia Aquarium.
From food to cosmetics, Piedmont Park was filled with vendor booths with a range of items being sold. Pride goers set up tents and tables with food and drinks with every intention to enjoy the full day of pride, though the weather was overcast most of the day.
Though a somewhat unsuccessful first try, the Bi + Pan march should be returning to next year’s pride in hopes to bring out more supporters. The first Trans march didn’t have nearly as many supporters as they do now, so not all hope is lost for the Bi + Pan march.
