By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

DURHAM -- Beginning today, the North Carolina Pride Festival will celebrate 25 years, and organizers want visitors to reflect on the progress that the gay community has made, and the greater acceptance that society gives to the gay community.

"It's a very positive event," one that celebrates how gays and non-gays have rallied together to promote equal rights, said Keith Hayes, the N.C. Pride Festival spokesman since 2001.

"Its celebratory," he added. And while there are still exceptions to the rule, "on the whole the [gay] community is well accepted, especially in the Triangle. Its an enormous shift."

N.C. Pride is the largest event in the state that focuses on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. The first Pride event was held in 1981, but took a hiatus for a few years, then re-emerged in 1984. The event, and the nonprofit organization that runs it, promotes unity and visibility among gays and lesbians and seeks to promote a positive image of the community.

This weekend's festival includes events in Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Events begin today at 6 p.m. with a Pride Crawl on Ninth Street in Durham. Other events today include the Thrive Pride Official Pre Party, to be held at 11 p.m. at Club 9 on Ninth Street.

The main festival events and parade take place Saturday on the main quad on Duke University's East Campus. The festival opens at 10 a.m. with vendors and displays, followed by speeches at noon. Among the scheduled speakers are Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez and state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, Person. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. Events continue Saturday night and through Sunday.

Pam Spaulding, who runs the blog Pam's House Blend, will give the keynote address at 2:30 Saturday. Spaulding has provided commentary to the Salon and Huffington Post sites, and CNN. Chapel Hill City Council member Mark Kleinschmidt will be parade marshal.

Hayes said he has seen the event change "from a mode of protest to a mode of celebrating what the gay community has accomplished for itself" and how it has reached out to the wider community. The 25th Pride event sees to celebrate those accomplishments, while continuing to build bridges with the non-gay community, he said.