[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 31, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1965-E1966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE SANTA BARBARA GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 31, 2001

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to honor the impending Santa Barbara 
Gay Pride Festival that will be held in Santa Barbara, California on 
Saturday, October 20, 2001.
  This festival celebrates the advancements the members of the Lesbian, 
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community have made. It has 
evolved over the years from a small picnic in a park to a major 
festival in Santa Barbara that more than 5,000 people are expected to 
attend. Gay Pride festivals are held in hundreds of cities nationwide, 
and this year the Gay Pride Festival will be celebrating the 31st 
anniversary of the world's first gay pride celebration.
  This is the first year that the festival will be held in downtown 
Santa Barbara, rather than

[[Page E1966]]

outside the city center. By moving to a larger venue, the Santa Barbara 
Gay Pride Festival hopes to educate the community at large, as well as 
to promote inclusion among many different religious, ethnic, social and 
business groups. Another goal of the festival is to promote awareness 
among the larger community, as it is hoped that with awareness comes 
respect.
  Gay Awareness Day has been established to reflect on the progress 
made by the LGBT community, as well as an opportunity to celebrate acts 
of courage and determination in the pursuit of civil rights. The mere 
size of the festival demonstrates how much advancement the gay 
community has made over the last three decades and I can only hope that 
celebrations like this will continue for years to come.

                          ____________________