BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A new pride event is coming to Bethlehem.
The inaugural Greenway Pride will be celebrated 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 20, on the Greenway between Taylor and Adams Streets.
- A new pride event called Greenway Pride will be held 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 20, on the Greenway between Taylor and Adams Streets in Bethlehem
- The event will include speakers, an open mic, live music, a performance by local drag queen Kali Couture, a charity bake sale and more
- Event organizer Maggie Riegel said she hopes Greenway Pride will become an annual event
The event will feature speeches by Bethlehem Mayor William Reynolds, Executive Director of the PA Trans Equity Project Corinne Goodwin and Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Youth and Family Programs Manager Kim Ketterer.
There also will be an open mic, live music, a performance by local drag queen Kali Couture, a charity bake sale and more.
'An inclusive space in South Bethlehem'
The organizers of the event are Bethlehem resident Maggie Riegel, Allentown resident Rachel Farrow and Alison Leigh, owner of Bethlehem-based salon Eskandalo.
Riegel said the event is “community-grown” and not connected to a specific organization, but organizations such as the PA Trans Equity Project and the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center will have tables there.
Riegel said she and her co-organizers wanted to put on the event to show that Bethlehem is a welcoming community.
[The event] "is taking all of this negativity and turning it into something radically beautiful."Event organizer Maggie Riegel
“We want to create a space in Southside Bethlehem, an inclusive space where we could show and demonstrate that our community is one of acceptance and love,” Riegel said.
Riegel said the event is especially important with the rise of anti-LGBTQ sentiment and legislation in recent years.
The event "is taking all of this negativity and turning it into something radically beautiful,” Riegel said.
Riegel said she hopes Greenway Pride will become an annual event.
For more information, visit the event’s Instagram page.
Anti-LGBTQ sentiment in Bethlehem
Promotional materials for the event say that it is meant to “make sure that it is known that the Southside is a queer-friendly town.”
The event comes on the heels of recent controversy online over anti-LGBTQ comments made by a co-owner of an incoming restaurant in Southside Bethlehem.
"That is more than welcome, not just for them but for any type of get-together or festival. Why not? Everyone can party."Genc Gashi, co-owner of The Orchid Steakhouse in Bethlehem
The Orchid Steakhouse is a modern Italian steakhouse that will open at 322 E 3rd St. in June. Social media users have taken issue with co-owner Samantha Gangewere's recent tweets targeting transgender people.
Organizers for Greenway Pride say they do not want to be affiliated with the controversy.
The other co-owner of the steakhouse, Genc Gashi, said he and Gangewere are happy the event is happening.
"That is more than welcome, not just for them but for any type of get-together or festival," Gashi said. "Why not? Everyone can party."
