Gay Pride Organization Meets for First Time

By Meghan Oliver

Sentinel Staff Writer

Two young women, holding hands, walked towards Frank DeBernardo seated outside Greenbelt's New Deal Cafe.

"Now I know you must be here for the GLBT meeting," he said laughing. The couple smiled and introduced themselves to DeBernardo.

The women, Sarah Hirschman and Lori Libes, were two of about 75 Greenbelt residents who took part in GreenBeLT Pride's inaugural event. The organization, which welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens (and anyone else) held its inaugural meeting Tuesday.

DeBernardo, who has been a resident of Greenbelt for about a year, heads the organization and said June was the perfect month to begin regular meetings of GreenBeLT pride, spelled with the acronym for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender capitalized. Throughout the country, such organizations set aside June to remember the Stonewall Riots of New York City, considered a major turning point in the gay rights movement. In June 1969, city police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, sparking a series of violent riots that brought the discrimination gays faced at the time, and still do, to the mainstream.

DeBernardo said when he moved to Greenbelt, he noticed quite a few rainbow flags in neighborhoods and gay rights stickers on cars, but could not find any local events for gays and lesbians to gather. He decided to take it upon himself to provide a social, cultural and political outlet for the GLBT community, and GreenBeLT Pride was founded.

While he said the organization doesn't have a specific agenda, it's overall goal is to provide a sense of support and community to others.

"We're ... designed to have social events for people to get to know each other; cultural events to help the wider community learn about GLBT events and to be organized to take political action if need be," he said. DeBernardo, who works at New Ways Ministry in Mt. Rainier, a Catholic organization that advocates for homosexuals, said organizations such as GreenBeLT Pride are important in helping such minorities not feel "isolated."

"Gays and lesbians don't have a symbol on them to mark them, so visibility of the group is important," he explained. "Other minorities, their identity is more visible."

While people assembled at the casual meeting, it was clear to see that the city of Greenbelt represents a diverse community of GLBT citizens, with both men and women, some appearing trendy and fresh out of college, while others sported salt-and-pepper hair and more conservative dress.

Hirschman and Libes, who have been dating for more than two years, said they first learned about GreenBeLT Pride from a flyer DeBernardo placed under their windshield wiper.

Libes, who plans to marry Hirschman next year, said they enjoy life in Greenbelt, where "everybody is open and liberal-minded."

One issue they struggle with as a lesbian couple is domestic partnership rights. Libes' employer will not extend coverage rights to her partner since a marriage between the two would not be legal. Additionally, the state will not recognize the rights of gay couples. On May 20, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. vetoed a bill that would have given approximately a dozen rights to gay partners registered in the state of Maryland.

The governor's name came up more than a few times at the meeting.

Andy Carruthers, who chose to reside in Greenbelt five years ago based on its "high tolerance for eccentricity and variety" expressed concern over Ehrlich's recent action.

"I'm painfully aware that our governor has made some impalatable choices. I wouldn't mind seeing him pay a price for that," Carruthers said. "The guy can't claim to be a moderate and then make a decision like that."

Ultimately however, Carruthers said he did not join GreenBeLT Pride specifically because of the governor or politics in general.

"I'm looking at it as a cultural organization that could have political consequences."

Another meeting attendee, Alex Fox, said an organization like GreenBeLT Pride has long been overdue.

"It's something I was planning years ago starting here in Greenbelt," he said. "I have always been too busy."

Fox said he particularly enjoys the fact that the group recognizes transgender people, and not just gay people. Transgenders are people who dress as the opposite sex or undergo surgery to reform their body to be that of the opposite sex.

Mike Sanders, a transgender, said he came out to Tuesday's meeting for the social aspect, but "if something else comes along that's political or global [within the group] that's fine. It's a beautiful night, and what better time and place to meet up with people who are just like you?"

Kris White, a Greenbelt resident for about 15 years, said she's seen changes in her community. She recalled when her and her partner at the time had won a door prize at a local event when moving into the area. The surprise on some people's faces was quite visible that a lesbian couple had moved in.

"You could tell they didn't know what to do," White said. "This has definitely been an evolution," she said of where Greenbelt is today. "This is not the way it has always been."

Like all Greenbelt residents, she explained, members of the gay community are concerned with the conditions of their city and state.

"I think many of us are concerned about issues other Greenbelt residents are concerned with — the political climate and diversity of the area. [Greenbelt] has a good reputation of being very tolerant," she said.

To learn more about the newly formed GreenBeLT Pride, contact Frank DeBernardo at FDeBernardo@aol.com or subscribe to the group's email list at groups.yahoo .com/group/greenbelt_pride/.

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