For Gary Gill, Salem's PRIDE Parade Is a Dream Come True

Gary Gill has spent the last four years building contacts and credibility in Salem, volunteering with various non-profit groups from the Main Streets program and the Farmers Market to starting his own award-winning Over the Rainbow Dinner Club for seniors.

The goal of all that work was to persuade Salem leaders to recognize the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

"Everybody was always talking about diversity, diversity, diversity in Salem. So I went to the Mayor (Kimberley Driscoll) and said if you mean it, I want to have gays recognized," Gill said.

Driscoll agreed.

Last December, with Driscoll and Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek on hand, the Salem community celebrated World AIDS Day. Sixty- five people were on hand. Gill handed out red ribbons to passengers on the first four trains to Boston that morning. State Rep. John Keenan secured a state proclamation recognizing World AIDS Day and the city council passed a similar proclamation. A tree was lighted in honor of those who have died or are suffering from the disease.  

"That event set me on fire," he said. "I was not going to give up. Where there is a will, there is a way."

Gill and Hope Watt-Bucci, president of North Shore Pride, approached the mayor about staging the first ever Gay Pride Parade in Salem.

The mayor told them, "Why not? Let's do it."

On Saturday, more than 80 non-profits, local businesses, religious groups and community organizations

"I'm so pleased to see the level of support for this initial North Shore Pride event," Watt-Bucci said in the parade's press release. "We envisioned this as a celebration for the entire North Shore community — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and straight allies, individuals and families — and that's exactly what it's shaping up to be. June 30 is going to be a terrific day. I hope everyone will join us."

Local news anchor and longtime LGBT activist Randy Price is the Grand Marshal of the parade, which kicks off at noon in front of the on Margin Street. Other special guests include Boston sportswriter Steve Buckley and members of the North Shore Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, which will receive the first annual North Shore Pride Community Award.

The festivities will continue after the parade. Organizations and vendors will be on for a festival. Performing on stage will be R&B singer Rolla, acoustic pop act Seth Wonkka and his band, folk singer Deb Hardy, theatrical cabaret group What Time is It Mr. Fox, and the world's only all-female Queen tribute band Gunpowder Gelatine.

Vaudeville performer Johnny Blazes will host the event and perform with his band Johnny Blazes and the Pretty Boys. In addition to the music, there will be drag performances, hoop dancers and remarks from special guests, including a representative from the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition explaining the state's recently-enacted gender identity non-discrimination law and special recognition of the career-long LGBT advocacy of U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.

Saturday night, the party will continue with a free event with DJ Jodi at the .

"It is really looking good," Gill said. "I have to give credit to Hope for pulling all this together."

is a major sponsor. Other sponsors include North Shore Music Theatre, Lucas Noble Financial, Met Life and Spirit Magazine.

Gill, who moved to Salem in 1985, is amazed that the community has supported this event so strongly in its first year. He noted that Salem has come a long way from the intolerant community it was, particularly in its early days of the 17th Century when it hung accused witches.

As proud as he is of the work that North Shore Pride has done in organizing the parade, he may be even prouder of the mayor's decision to allow Gill and his team of volunteers to fly seven gay pride flags for a month in front of the U.S. Post Office and on top of . The First Unitarian Church is also flying the flag. The gay pride flags are flying with the American flag, which he said demonstrates "We are just like everybody else. We want the same things that everyone else wants."

A drag queen, known as Lady Gigi, he was named by Driscoll as "The Queen of Salem for 2012."

The mayor asked him if any other neighboring town or city was doing more to recognize the contributions the LBGT community. Gill told her proudly, "No North Shore community can match Salem."

For more information, visit www.northshorepride.org or www.facebook.com/northshorepride.    

A special thank you to Kevin Letourneau of Creative Salem for contributing several courtesy photos to this piece.