Talking Points: Twin Cities Pride To Honor Orlando Victims

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A week after the massacre in Orlando, the organizers of the Twin Cities Pride Festival are working hard to make sure the festival here is safe for the 1.5 million people expected to attend.

Also, they are trying to strike a balance between safety, honoring the Orlando victims and continuing the tradition of celebrating the LGBT community.

In a letter on Pride's website, organizers say they are "ramping up our efforts with local and national law enforcement to review and bolster our existing security." Meanwhile, they are also working on details of how to honor the Orlando victims.

Still, Pride doesn't wants to abandon their tradition of celebration.

Scott Feldman, the board chair of the Twin Cities Pride, was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning.

"The start of the Pride movement started when people were forced out of a bar by police officers and the attendees fought back," he said. "It happened in New York City...and it happened to be queer people of color, trans women etcetera, so even the demographic of the people who were hurt in [Orlando] rings so true. So, for us, it's really about remembering honoring where we came from."

Feldman said that some in the Minnesota LGBT community have gotten "safe" since same-sex marriage was legalized in Minnesota in 2013.

"We feel safe, this is a great community, everyone's accepting," Feldman said. "So, [Orlando] was that reminder that not everyone is in that space."

The Pride festival features events all week, culminating with two days of events and displays in Loring Park and a parade on Sunday in downtown Minneapolis.

To see a list of festival events, go to tcpride.org.