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ACA at the Pride Festival, June 5, 2010

Austin Pride 2010 was perhaps the most ambitious Austin gay and lesbian community event to date. Events included concerts, fun runs, garage sales, block parties, pet walks, the Pride Festival, and the Pride Parade. ACA participated in the Pride Festival, which included booths from over 100 community organizations, live bands, plays, food, and a number of ancillary events. The event took place on the lawn adjacent to the Long Center on Riverside Drive. The weather cooperated and it was cool for most of the morning.

ACA's booth was well staffed with dedicated volunteers. We handed out the ACA tri-fold, a flier about why ACA cares about gay rights, non-tracts from FFRF, and stickers of various kinds including our own "Keep Austin Secular" sticker. We had about 60 people visit our booth, most of whom were avowed atheists. Hopefully we'll see some of them at our events.

The Pride Festival is a great opportunity to gain visibility in a setting where most of the participants are progressive and more likely to be receptive to our message. Our very presence sends a message that we exist and that we are happy to come out in support of others. While the ACA has been active and visible in Austin for fourteen years, there are still a lot of people who are surprised that we exist. Community events like this give us a chance to interact with those people and tell them a little about what we do as a group.

This years' volunteer crew included David Tyler, Shelley Roberts, John Iacoletti, Cody Casterline, Russell Glasser, Lynnea Dally, Ben Weaver, and David Foster. Don Baker organized the ACA's participation.