PRESS RELEASE - Official Statements from the OKC Pride, Inc. Board of Directors

[OKC PRIDE]

Nathan Thompson
Public Relations Committee Member
OKC Pride, Inc.
P.O. Box 60296
Oklahoma City, OK 73146-0296
Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:okcprid...@gmail.com"
okcprid...@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Below, you will find two statements. The first is from the entire
Board of Directors from OKC Pride, Inc. The second statement is from
the newly elected Board members.

Official Statement from the Entire Board of Directors


(Oklahoma City -- April 13, 2009 --) The Board of Directors from OKC
Pride, Inc. would like to thank the community for their genuine
interest in this organization’s well-being. We have seen record
membership levels and a new interest community-wide in having the most
successful Pride celebration in our history. It is appropriate to
respond and take the opportunity to clear up some misconceptions
regarding recent events.

First, OKC Pride, Inc.’s Board of Directors are united and working
well with each other. The activities for this year’s celebration
reflect that harmony. It is natural for any organization to have
disagreements and debate. That is how progress and compromises are
made. Amazing progress has been made in recent months. We are one big,
extended family and all Board members are working together to bring
the best Pride to the entire community.

In regards to concerns brought forth by Keith Kimmel, the Board
appreciates and recognizes Mr. Kimmel’s dedication and enthusiasm he
brought to the table and the time he invested in the bylaws committee.
Mr. Kimmel recently resigned as chairman of the bylaws committee at
the request of his own committee members. Mr. Kimmel also has made a
claim of illegal meetings of the Board of Directors. That claim is
false. It is important to distinguish the differences between Board
Meetings, Special Board Meetings, and General Membership Meetings.

Our bylaws require regular Board Meetings, but only one General
Membership Meeting each year. The meetings we have on the first and
third Mondays of the month are Board Meetings. We invite the general
membership to our regularly scheduled Board Meetings to fulfill our
obligation to our members of giving them the right of voice as
stipulated in our bylaws. The Board also has the right to call a
Special Board Meeting. According to our bylaws, if a Special Board
Meeting is called, the information about that meeting is communicated
to the Board of Directors at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. The
bylaws do not require us to notify the general membership of a Special
Board Meeting.

There was a Special Board Meeting held on Monday, April 6 prior to the
start of the regularly scheduled Board Meeting. All members of the
Board were notified 48 hours in advance, and no items outside of the
agenda forwarded to the Board members were discussed. Following the
adjournment of the Special Board Meeting, the regularly scheduled
Board Meeting was called to order. At that time, the Executive
Committee of the Board announced to the membership the discussion and
decisions made during the Special Meeting. The Executive Committee
notified the general membership that a discussion regarding our
website was held, and two decisions by Board vote were made. The
decisions were to put the website duties under the direction of the
Public Relations Committee and naming a new co-chair for the Public
Relations Committee.

It is the goal of this Board and this organization to be an important
factor in bridging divides in the GLBT community and to help it be
united against the enemies outside our community. Infighting amongst
ourselves weakens us and empowers those who hate us. It is our hope
that the membership of OKC Pride, Inc. can continue to work together
and accomplish great things. We should progress together through
pride, and make the celebration of our diversity the best ever for
2009.

We would also like to invite the community to our Pride celebrations
for 2009. Our celebrations include a 39th Street Block Party on June
26, the Festival in Memorial Park on June 27 and June 28, and the
Parade starting at Memorial Park and ending at the 39th Street Strip
on June 28. More events are in the works and will be announced. This
is promising to be the most exciting Pride in our history. More
information can be found on our website at http://www.okcpride.org.

Signed,

Latricia Olmstead, Co-Chair
Paul Thompson, Co-Chair
Dean Crawford, Secretary
Patricia Miller, Treasurer
TJ McKinsey, Board Member
Guy Peters, Board Member
Miles Tompkins, Board Member
Kirk Martin, Board Member
John Gibbons, Board Member
Dustin Green, Board Member
David Smith, Board Member
Jessica Cook, Board Member
Ryan Smith, Board Member
Scott Jaggers, Board Member






















About OKC Pride Inc.: OKC Pride, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization. The mission of OKC Pride, Inc. is to stage a highly
visible forum for the organizations which serve the community both
nationally, regionally, and locally; decrease external homophobia by
generating maximum media coverage to the reality of our community; and
diminish internal homophobia by presenting organizational and
individual role models. Additionally, the Board of Directors believe
that as a civil rights movement, gays and lesbians need an annual
forum where individually and collectively we can consider where we
have been, where we are now and what direction we need to set.


Nathan Thompson
Public Relations Committee Member
OKC Pride, Inc.
P.O. Box 60296
Oklahoma City, OK 73146-0296
Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:okcprid...@gmail.com"
okcprid...@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from the Newly Elected Board Members

(Oklahoma City -- April 13, 2009 --) The newly elected Board members
of OKC Pride, Inc. would like to take this opportunity to respond to
claims made by some in the community that we are a divided Board.

Nothing could be further from the truth. While there were definitely
some tense times during Board meetings at the beginning of our terms
and some mistakes were made by all parties involved, we have overcome
those obstacles. This type of occurrence is natural when an
organization is growing and wanting to succeed. The Board is now
working and has been working in full unity to bring Oklahoma City the
best Pride celebration possible. We have come a long way in a very
short amount of time, and undoubtedly, we will have more bridges to
cross together.

The newly elected Board members are committed to working with everyone
on the Board to continue the great, and sometimes underappreciated
efforts of all who put pride celebrations to fruition. It is truly
amazing that such a small group of volunteers have been able to plan
and execute our annual Pride events. We would like to sincerely thank
Paul, Latricia, Dean, Patricia, TJ, Guy and Miles as well as all the
other volunteers for the countless hours and dedication provided to
help Pride be successful. We stand in full support of those Board
members.

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to members of the press
and online publications to attend our Board Meetings held on the first
and third Mondays of the month. It is our opinion that members of the
press only witnessed the contention at the beginning of our growth.
Rather than relying on the opinions of certain members of the
community, we feel it would be beneficial to the press to witness our
Board Meetings firsthand.

Again, all Board Members wish to be an important factor in bridging
divides within the GLBT community. We look forward to bringing you OKC
Pride 2009 “You Be The Change.” Our celebrations include a 39th Street
Block Party on June 26, the Festival at Memorial Park on June 27 and
28, and the Parade kicks off from Memorial Park and ends at the 39th
Street Strip. More information can be found on our website at
http://www.okcpride.org.

Signed,


Kirk Martin, Board Member
John Gibbons, Board Member
Dustin Green, Board Member
David Smith, Board Member
Jessica Cook, Board Member
Ryan Smith, Board Member
Scott Jaggers, Board Member