Taking a 'Rainbow Journey' with Pride!

by Heather Moore

Freedom is a precious thing. It's one of the things that we, as Americans, most highly cherish and yet we take it for granted. However, as members of the queer community, the freedom to be ourselves is a right we have not taken for granted. We have had to fight for our freedom.

''Another Lesbian for Love and Justice,'' the sign shouts, bobbing up and down amid a sea of similarly inscribed placards near the courthouse in downtown Missoula. It is March 1995 and over fifty people -- lesbian, gay and straight -- are all protesting the passage of HB214.

The battle against HB214 was a perfect example of how important Pride! could be for the queer community. It is due to their efforts that the bill was defeated in just five days. It is also an example of how horrific an anti-gay bill can be. The bill required that anyone convicted of breaking the Montana Sexual Deviancy Conduct Code register as a sexual criminal.

''Diane Sands called everyone there...she gave a speech explaining the bill and our reason for protesting it,'' said Minkin Holloway, holder of the ''Love and Justice'' sign and fellow Pride! member. ''We got nationwide coverage. If we hadn't had a state-wide queer organization, the media wouldn't have known who to contact and therefore would not have heard the queer voice of protest,'' she said, adding that Pride!'s triumph made for a ''very gratifying and bonding time in the community.''

Pride! has been changing the lives of Montanans since 1993. The organization's beginnings were fostered by Diane Sands and Chris Kaufmann, both of whom have actively lobbied for lesbian and gay rights in the legislature. Finally, Sands and Kaufmann realized that something more was necessary. ''We needed to form an organization that spoke directly for rights of lesbians and gays,'' Diane Sands said, 'and (an organization) that was formed by them as well. Even though I did this work as an out lesbian, there...needed to be an organization for (our) advocacy.''

The official mission of Pride! is to secure the constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection and dignity for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals in Montana. One of the most powerful and wide-reaching demonstrations of Pride!'s commitment to affect change is the overturning of Montana's Deviate Sexual Conduct Statute in 1997. Pride!, along with the Montana Women's Lobby, was integral in supporting the lawsuit against the State, both in legal and financial matters, and they won an injunction against the statute.

This month the Pride! celebration will be held in Missoula; their second time to host the event. Missoula held the first annual Pride! celebration in 1994. Last year's celebration in Bozeman had over 500 participants, the largest gathering in Pride!'s history. The June Pride! event is a favorite of Diane Sands'. ''It just warms your heart to be in the company of wonderful people from across the state, working together and celebrating being queer,'' she said.

Pride! has also worked hard to bring all aspects of Montana's queer community together. Of note are their conferences and gatherings with queer youth and Native Americans.

Pride!'s efforts to let as many queer voices as possible be heard is an encouraging one. It is also something Pride! has struggled with from its beginning. ''There were very heated but productive arguments at the founding conference about the representation of men and women,'' Diane Sands said.

Something else that Pride! struggled with was establishing a mailing list. ''Because of extreme issues around confidentiality...(some) organizations didn't believe they...could give us their old list, even though it was going to a gay organization,'' Sands said. ''It was so characteristic of the whole invisibility issue; the struggle to be out and to be who we are.''

The willingness of Pride! to be visible and vocal has been instrumental to its success. Pride! helped to let our fingers do the walking by ensuring that their 1-800 information line was listed, under Gay and Lesbian, in virtually every Montana phone book. As for talking, ''I loved phone trees,'' Minkin Holloway said, reflecting on her time as a Pride! board member. ''People were just really grateful to feel a sense of connection both politically and in the community at large,'' said Holloway.

Pride! recently created a five-year strategic plan that includes expanding its membership (both queer and allied), developing more leadership roles, and including sexual orientation in the anti-discrimination Montana Human Rights Act.

Holloway knows that if enough people get involved, Pride! could be successful: ''We've seen over and over that hundreds and thousands will gather to support human rights causes in Montana. People's voices, energy and commitment are far more valuable and accomplish far more than dollars ever can.'' Pride!'s record to date suggests they'll have little problem achieving their objectives. ''Overall, I think Pride! has made a historic contribution in changing the legal realities and political climate for queers,'' said Sands.