RI PrideFest kicks off

June 18, 2016 7:09 pm

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island is celebrating 40 years of PrideFest, days after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Brandon Raymond of Woonsocket lost three of his friends in the attack. "It hit me from home, it did," he told ABC6 News.

Raymond had lived in Orlando for seven years and used to work at the club where tragedy struck. He takes it as a “blessing” not to have been there when it happened and decided to volunteer with the PrideFest security team. “I felt like I needed to support Pride this year," Raymond said.

Security precautions are heightened this year, with police and private security details, in uniform and plain-clothes.

Around 40,000 people are expected to descend upon Providence for the weekend’s festivities, showing their support for the LGBTQ community.

Diana Dumond of Tiverton said she was initially afraid to go to PrideFest following the Orlando massacre, but decided to come anyways. "I’m not going to let the fear stop me from believing in what I love," she said.

"What happened in Orlando only is bringing the whole world together, not just gay people, which is so incredible," explained Jodie Woodruff of Cranston.

The 40th anniversary of PrideFest became both a celebration and a time for support. "It certainly has been a solemn week for all of us,” said organizer Alex Gorriaran. “It’s time to heal. We’re coming together, standing together, as a community."