There was a time when Vancouver had a gay bar — out of necessity, Brett Allred recalled Saturday afternoon while standing with his friend Mike Fair near the center of Esther Short Park.
“There’s no more gay bar because we can be anywhere,” said Allred, the 48-year-old owner of Beige Blond Salon downtown.
Hundreds of members of Vancouver’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community celebrated the 18th annual Saturday in the Park event with musical and cultural performances, games and a food booth and a beer garden. Vancouver’s LGBT fraternal organization, Imperial Sovereign Court of Raintree Empire, sponsored the event.
Saturday’s theme was “Gateway to Equality,” referencing Washington’s passage of marriage equality.
“We have families. We have kids. We’re just like everybody else,” said Maria Council, who served on the Saturday in the Park committee this year. “So this is our day in the park.”
