Peace Corps at Pride - Summer 2007

Again this summer, Peace Corps was an active participant at Gay Pride events around the country, providing information and recruiting potential applicants. LGB RPCVs helped by contacting local LGBT RPCVs to help support local PC recruiters and other staff. This year we’ve heard about events in several places around the country. So, here’s what we know about.

Although Peace Corps was not able to staff a booth in Atlanta this year because of recruiter shortages, the office did send brochures and other materials to be displayed at the CDC booth. In the past Peace Corps has shared CDC’s booth at the annual Pride fest.

The New England Regional Peace Corps Office had 100 people or so stop by the booth at Boston Pride. PC found three gay RPCVs through the LGB RPCV network to work the table with the two recruiters. The most common questions were whether there was an upper age limit (there is no upper age limit) and about Peace Corps policy regarding gay couples. It was a great event – for the first time ever a sitting Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick, walked in the Boston Pride Parade.

For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Peace Corps office sponsored a forum at the Long Beach LGBT Community Center. Participants were nominees, those very interested and some just curious about Peace Corps. There were four LGB RPCVs on the panel who represented Peace Corps programs in different parts of the world at different times. There were lots of questions about the experience of being gay in the Peace Corps and the developing world and the kind of support offered by other volunteers and PC staff.

A small group from the new LGB RPCV in New York City marched in the NYC Pride parade. The group has been meeting regularly for several months and is actively looking for NYC area LGBT RPCVs to join their listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nylgbrpcv/

Peace Corps had a table for both days of San Francisco’s Pride Festival and was joined by a number of local LGB RPCVs. The table’s placement this year, right in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was particularly well located. Lots of people including many LGB RPCVs stopped by. The most frequent question asked was if there was an upper age limit for Peace Corps service. Are we seeing a demographic phenomenon here?.

The Washington DC regional office (across the Potomac in Virginia) had a table at DC Pride early in June. Lots of people stopped by and several local LGB RPCVs sat at the table with PC staff. Check the local DC LGBT RPCV group by joining their listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lgbrpcvw/

Peace Corps Headquarters in DC sponsored a Pride month noontime talk and question forum featuring Frank Kameny, an iconic figure in early gay pride activism in DC and within the federal government. About 100 people attended, including many senior staff. Kameny was introduced to the group by Jody Olsen, Deputy Peace Corps Director. Lots of questions about being openly gay in the 50s and 60s and discrimination.