Mission Statement: The mission of Asheville Gay Pridefest is to provide a forum for building community and to honor the many facets of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered family.

About Gay Pride: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered community is very diverse. There are so many different groups and races that make up our subculture. The Rainbow Flag is the outgrowth of that diversity. It perfectly symbolizes who we are and our diverse natures.

While we fight for our rights to the same dignity and respect that heterosexual members of our society have, we often don't afford basic respects to our own diverse groups. Asheville Pridefest was born of a dream to create a sense of community, understanding and tolerance for everyone, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered and heterosexual. It is our greatest dream that this event will introduce the diverse members of our culture to each other so that we can sew an understanding of all parts of our community.

The Rainbow Flag is a huge symbol of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Pride. It was designed in 1978 by an artist named Gilbert Baker. There was need of a symbol that could be used year after year in the San Francisco Pride Parade. The colors each stand for some aspect of our community. Red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, blue for art and purple for spirit. If we look at the flag, one color is sewn to the next. Each stripe connects to the one below it and forms a whole. It can also symbolize a wall, one composed of the diverse parts of our culture coming together and supporting one another. Taking this representation to heart, we can be the strong wall against the political forces using us as scapegoats and break the tide they have been throwing against us.

Robert F. Kennedy said, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” That is what we are hoping will be the outcome of our Pride event; growing a great wall of support and greater understanding of the diverse parts that make up our whole so we can reflect this dignity and respect for each other to the people that don't understand.

About Us: We are a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization and are striving to make a positive difference in our community. This year we are raising funds for the Asheville chapter of PFLAG. They are very active in helping the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered youth in our area. We realize that this is just one small step in what we hope to do for our vision of the future but it is a large one in heart and spirit. Please help us spread those ripples that will grow to become a wave that will do exactly what Robert F. Kennedy envisioned.

About Our Website: Our website has information about our Asheville Pridefest Performers and Speakers who will be entertaining our LGBT Community for over six hours; a Map and Directions Page which includes a link to get directions to Asheville Pridefest from your location; information for anyone who would like to be a Vendor at our festival; ideas on what you can do to Volunteer to help us with our yearly event; LGBT Links and Webrings; and a list of our Sponsors with a link to their websites. If you'd like to sponsor our event, be sure to check out our Sponsor Application Page.