Hundreds attend pride rally, march

COSTA MESA--The young boy in the back seat probably thought it was

a dirty word when one of the men in front yelled “dyke” out the car

window at Lori Hutson while she was driving down the street

But that was last year. This year, Hutson hopes the Orange County

Dyke March will be the beginning to the end of such slurs and

misunderstanding.

“Taking back the word is very important, it takes the venom out of

it,” said Hutson, one of the organizers of Saturday’s Dyke March who

said she has endured her share of taunts and discrimination such as

last year’s incident in Aliso Viejo.

This idea is just one of the reasons Hutson and Catie Profeta

worked to put together the event, which began with a rally at Lions

Park Saturday afternoon. Also, they pointed out, the word is a useful

term to describe a group of which lesbians are only one part. “Dyke,”

in the new lexicon advocated by some, describes lesbian, bisexual and

transgendered women.

The rally, which got off to a slow start under drizzly skies,

featured an address by openly lesbian Costa Mesa City Councilwoman

Libby Cowan. Exhibitors booths ranged from lesbian health-care

service providers to anti-tobacco campaigns and lifestyle magazines.

A live music program offered entertainment throughout the afternoon

and evening.

“Festivals like this are always fun to play at,” said Jennifer

Corday, singer-songwriter of the alternative rock group Corday, which

has played at numerous Gay Pride festivals and similar events.

“Music’s a powerful way to speak to an issue.”

By late afternoon, nearly 200 people had converged on the park to

listen to music and take advantage of the informational displays.

Though the crowd was consisted mostly of young women, men, older

people and other supporters were also represented.

“Even just 10 people here is enough to call this worthwhile,”

Profeta said, noting that everyone -- lesbians as well as members of

the surrounding community made aware of the march -- benefits from

the increased visibility and understanding. The 5 p.m. march kept a

short, 1-mile route beginning at Lions Park and following Harbor

Boulevard south to 18th Street then back to the park. It was an

opportunity for sign-bearing marchers to show the neighboring

community the human face of “dykes.”