FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2007
Contact: Craig Burdett at (845) 437-5398
NEW PALTZ PRIDE 2007 NAMES TED HAYES
GRAND MARSHAL OF JUNE 3RD MARCH
FORMER BAPTIST MINISTER AND MEMBER OF CENTER BOARD
WILL LEAD THE ANNUAL MARCH
KINGSTON, NEW YORK -- Former Baptist minister and proudly gay septuagenarian Theodore "Ted" Hayes has been named Grand Marshal for this year's New Paltz LGBTQ Pride March and Festival, also known as New Paltz Pride 2007, to be held Sunday, June 3.
The Rev. Dr. Hayes, 76, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center. He resides in Kingston with his life partner, Jack Waite, 93. This year, they celebrate 24 years
together.
The New Paltz LGBTQ Pride March and Festival is sponsored by the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center.
"Ted Hayes has been a part of New Paltz Pride and the Community Center since the start," said Ginny Apuzzo, president of the Center Board of Directors, "His wisdom, eloquence, humor, and passion have been an inspiration to everyone who works with him or who has heard him speak at an LGBTQ community event. For this, and for so many other reasons, we are proud to name Ted Hayes the Grand Marshal of New Paltz Pride."
"Nearly 30 years ago, I came out into a society that still openly hated gays and lesbians," said Hayes. "But in subsequent years, society has changed dramatically. The March and Center are merely two examples of that change. My own journey is a third example. While we still have far to go to attain equal rights, I now live a life marked by joy, love and fulfillment."
Theodore (Ted) W. Hayes was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 7, 1931. He served in the Army during the Korean War (1951-53). Hayes was a Baptist minister, having graduated as Master of Religious Education, ( M.R.E), from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1966. Hayes has also been employed as a chemist and counselor educator. He enjoys needlework and crossword puzzles. Waite will ride alongside Hayes in the Grand Marshal car.
New Paltz Pride's Grand Marshal last year was Ginny Apuzzo, LGBTQ community activist and the highest-ranking lesbian in The White House during the Clinton administration.
* LGBTQ refers to the sexual orientation of those people the Center serves: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.
ATTENTION MEDIA: For an advance interview with Ted Hayes, please call Craig Burdett at (845) 437-5398
For more information about the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center and New Paltz Pride 2007, visit www.lgbtqcenter.org
* LGBTQ refers to the sexual orientation of those people the Center serves: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.