Gay Day: It's A Neighborhood Thang

It might be easy to write off East Hills Council of Neighbors’ new event, playfully named Gay Day, as just another trendy element of this growing community.

And you would be correct, if it weren’t for the fact that this neighborhood, rich in activity, is an area that owes much of its successes to the many diverse groups who settled it while others were fleeing to the ‘burbs and banks were redlining entire neighborhoods deemed unacceptable.

In a fitting tribute to their history and the influence of the LGBT, who helped not settle so much as stabilize this area by advocating the need for neighbors to work together for the common good, comes Gay Day.

“East Hills turned 31 this year as an organization and, like many core city neighborhoods, has had a long struggle during that time to banish crime, gangs and blight,” says EHCN Interim Program Coordinator, Mark Rumsey. “This neighborhood has provided the human capital to make that happen and much of that energy has come from marginalized communities in our culture, i.e. gays, minorities, creatives.”

When Rumsey, along with his co-worker (and Gay Day musician) Claire Fisher, looked at the history of this place, it became crystal clear that East Hills needed to create an event that celebrated all the people who live here and have made a difference. It is no secret that East Hills not only has a substantial LGBT population, but their role is not often celebrated outside the city boundaries.  

Throughout the event, food from area restaurants and food trucks will be served alongside an impressive lineup of musicians that includes Pet the Warrior, White Elephant, Pistol Brides and the ever-popular modern rock-vaudevillian act, the PotatoeBabies with the Rev. Charles -- all in Cherry Park, in the heart of the neighborhood that has won so many over the years.

“We are hosting Gay Day here in East Hills as a statement of identity, our community as a place of inclusion,” says Rumsey. “We want to create some fun in the park and maybe even set up a Bedazzling station.”


Admission: Free