Straight but not narrow invited to Gay Pride parade

Friday, May 10, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

You don't have to be gay to be happy at the Gay Pride parade tonight or at the festival on Saturday.

"We want all types of people to come -- you can be straight, but not narrow," said Liz Moore, chairwoman of Equal Rights Nevada and a coordinator for the annual Southern Nevada Association of Pride event.

The downtown parade will be at 8 p.m. today. Last year's parade drew an estimated 10,000 people, Moore said.

The festival will be noon to 9 p.m. at Sunset Park. Admission to the event, which will feature entertainers, a health fair and a children's area, is $10. Children under 12 get in free when accompanied by an adult.

"We have had more sponsors than ever, which is an indication that local businesses more and more are realizing that we are an important part of the overall community," Moore said.

Among the entertainers to perform Saturday will be singers Clint Holmes, Susan Anton and Paige O'Hara, the Men of Rainbow vocal group and singer and former Miss Black Teenage World Debelah Morgan.

The children's area will include a jumping jungle house, a jumping princess house, a magic show, and balloon animals.

And while fun is the theme of the day, the event also serves to get across the political message of gay groups. For example, Equal Rights Nevada is leading efforts to defeat Question 2, the constitutional banning of same sex marriages in Nevada, which will be on the November ballot.

"We will be registering people to vote and getting across our message why they should vote against Question 2," Moore said.

The parade tonight will follow a route along Fourth Street from Hoover Avenue to Fremont Street. Fourth Steet to downtown will be closed. The alternate access routes will be on Third Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.