The Chair's Opening Speech at Second Pride Festival

Lee McKay's, the Chair of Second Pride, speech at the opening of the Second Pride Festival yesterday.

The Second Pride board, Lee McKay, Bock McMillan & Tootsie Nootan
(missing in the picture is i0n, who is currently on sick-leave.)
Photo by JJ Goodman

"I promise I won’t interrupt the party for long! I want to thank everyone for coming out today for the opening of Second Pride 2019, and the debut of our newly redesigned Second Pride region. We hope you’re ready to have some fun and celebrate Pride!

We’re doing something different this year in that we now consider our region to be a permanent build that will remain in place for the foreseeable future. We are also a Second Life Gateway region and will soon have new people entering Second Life right through our own Gateway in the northeast corner of the region. I hope you’ll go check out the progress on that. It will be opening in the near future. 

If you’re curious about how this build came to be, I was watching a video of Diana Ross performing in Central Park in 1983, and the shots of the park and the buildings in the background just looked and felt inspiring. I showed a really simple mockup of the idea to Bock and to his husband, Tomais, and within days, the building started, spurred on by a very generous donation of all these buildings in the Old NYC collection from Schultz Bros. We thank them for their generosity! This is a build that we want you to explore and enjoy. There are all sort of places to wander, stroll, sit, watch, meditate, reminisce, play, and just be. It’s a walking space, a place to take photos, bring friends, hang out, play games, and more. We will no longer be one or two events per year. We expect to have parties on a regular basis, starting soon.

This year, we are celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, considered to be the catalyzing moment in the push for Gay Rights. With the current political climate and with our rights being slowly but methodically eroded from us once again, there is no better time for us to reflect on the events of that night and the nights that followed, and to consider the battles fought then, and the battles that are to come, because they are coming. We need to draw from the strength of the heroes of that night…Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Storme DeLarverie (Stormy Delahveay), Danny Garvin, and so many others. We honor them for the stand they took that night, and we pledge to continue their fight.

Our Outreach Director, i0n, who would have been in charge of putting the event together has been out on medical leave, and so, the rest of us ended up stepping into roles we didn’t expect to be doing this year. Thankfully i0n is doing well and is right here with us today! In the interim, Bock McMillan, our Treasurer, took on the task of coordinating our vendors and sponsors…filling 60 stores and numerous tents in the park. We expect to be totally filled within the next few days.

I took on the task of scheduling the entertainment, and as of right now, I believe we will be having 65 events over the next 10 days, with a who’s who of entertainers, from DJs to live vocalists, to a dance troupe, diva impersonators, and a live game show. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to enjoy what they’ll be bringing to us!

I want to extend thanks to Tomais Ashdene for his tremendous work in landscaping the entire park, taking beautiful photographs, making banners and other graphics, and together with his daughter, Kerowyn, completely taking on the task of creating our Gateway, so that new LGBTQ+ users of Second Life will have a safe and welcoming place to start their journey.

We weren’t sure at first that the Stonewall Inn itself would be a part of our build, and just within the last few days, Adham DeCuir built this amazing replica for us, that is more than we could have expected. If you look on the side of the building, you will find information about the history of that night, and also a 4-minute video you can click and watch in your browser. Adham, along with Grant Valeska also created the stage in the park, our rideable parade float, the daily party posters, and much more, helping with numerous tasks to get ready for today. Their work is greatly appreciated.

For Tootsie Nootan, our Infrastructure Director, the heavy lifting of her team’s job begins today. Ten days of limited rest while keeping everything here safe and functional for the event is a daunting task, but she and her team of Kit and Levi rise to the occasion year after year, and we love her for it!

Even Linden Lab, and especially Patch Linden stepped in to help us in the wee hours of yesterday morning when we had a serious issue with the sim. He had us back up and going within an hour!

I know that I’ve neglected to mention someone who has played an important role in this process, and I’ll probably kick myself later for it. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference, and just a compliment received here or there can make your day go all that much better, so thank you to everyone who has participated in any way. You are all appreciated!

Now, let’s get on to the business at hand, and that is CELEBRATING! DJ Regi Yifu is chomping at the bit to take to the stage, and we have a full slate of entertainment for you. The full schedule is available on our website at second-pride.com, and there are posters on the stage with a full list of the day’s activities.

We, the board of Second Pride, wish each and every one of you a Happy Pride, and we look forward to seeing you here AT Second Pride in the days, weeks, months, and years to come! Now head down into the park and let’s get this party started!"