Bakersfield College student Aaron Conner, anthropology major, was present at the Bakersfield Pride Festival 2009 celebrated at Stramler Park Oct. 17. The Bakersfield Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning group organized the event. Connor is a member of the Grace Episcopal Church in Bakersfield.

“We are progressive. Our church accepts gays and lesbians as well as straight people. I think one third of our members are gay or lesbian,” said Conner. “Integrity is the gay and lesbian ministry at our church.”

As well as Connor, members of the LGBTQ community showed up to support their community and to show their pride.

Although it has been the largest pride festival in Bakersfield so far, the feeling among the people who attended was that Bakersfield needs to show more support and that the festival lacked quality entertainment.

According to Juan Cerda, one of the organizers of the event, this is the sixth year the festival has been held in Bakersfield. “We started out at CSUB, and from there we went to the Museum of Art. This is our first year here at Stramler Park. Every year it gets bigger and bigger.”

Cerda said they were expecting around 1,500 people to show during the event that ran from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

At the event, people had the chance to see live performances from various artists. Vendors offered food and drinks as well as clothing and accessories.

However, some of the people who attended were disappointed with the entertainment and the response to the event.

Carlos Tobar came from Las Vegas to the festival. “A friend of mine told me about this festival, and I came to support, but it is sad actually. It is too little, and the performances are ugly,” said Tobar.

For Julio Vasquez, a drag queen, the problem is the planning and the lack of enthusiasm from the community.

“There is not really that many people that are willing to volunteer,” said Vasquez. “I am here to support my community. I’m not here demanding entertainment.”

The funds collected from the event will be used for the creation of a gay center where people can gather as a community.

“The center would provide services for our community, from mental health services to a place for socializing and where people advocate for our rights,” Cerda said.

According to Cerda, it would take them at least a couple of years to raise enough money to open the gay center.