In its 150 years of operation, the Philadelphia Zoo has seen countless firsts. Next weekend, it will experience yet another as it hosts its first-ever Gay Community Day.
The event, which will run from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 18, will provide a safe and welcoming environment for LGBT and ally individuals to experience the multitude of offerings at the nation’s oldest zoo.
Deb Francesco, a board member at the William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center who also serves on a committee at the zoo, said she had suggested the idea to zoo officials before, but that it gained momentum a couple years ago after current zoo president and CEO Vik Dewan took over.
“In 2007, Vik met individually with each of the members of the committee,” Francesco said. “I’d brought up the idea of the event to the previous president and he said it was a good idea, but it was just kind of put underneath the rug and nothing happened. So I told Vik, ‘I’d really love to see us do a Gay Day at the zoo,’ and he immediately said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
’Dolph Ward Goldenburg, William Way executive director, said Dewan met with center officials last year to further discuss plans for expanded LGBT inclusion at the zoo.
“Vik came to us and said, ‘I want to find a way to get the LGBT community more involved in the zoo,’” relayed Goldenburg. “We talked about different things to do and decided to coordinate this community-wide celebration. The zoo’s been phenomenally responsive, flexible and attentive.”
Guests, who are encouraged to wear blue shirts, will be welcomed by signage designating “Gay Community Day” at the zoo’s front gate and can meet and greet other attendees in the Peacock Pavilion. Goldenburg said zoo staff and volunteers will be on hand to help direct visitors throughout the facility and make everyone “feel welcomed and comfortable.”
Tickets, which can be purchased through the center’s Web site (www.waygay.org) or a number of participating local LGBT organizations, are just $10; adult tickets are normally $18 and children’s tickets are $15.
Goldenburg noted that the discount is just one of the many factors that have already motivated more than 100 individuals to purchase tickets to the event.
“They’re only charging us $10, so if a family of four or five wants to go to the zoo, this suddenly is a much more affordable day,” he said. “But this also gives folks the opportunity to show their pride in a nontraditional, safe environment. It’s also a huge year for the zoo; they’re celebrating their 150th birthday and they’ve done a lot of cosmetic and structural renovations, so it looks different and really great. And springtime is a great time to go to the zoo: The plants are all in bloom and the animals are all coming out of hibernation, just as we all are.”
Goldenburg said organizers are looking to sell 200-250 tickets for the event, but that he wouldn’t be surprised if they exceed that goal.
Ticket sales thus far have “represented an incredible cross-section of the community,” with singles, couples and families of all ages and backgrounds getting onboard, he added.
Francesco noted that while Gay Community Day is open to all LGBT and ally individuals, it might have an especially valuable impact on children of LGBT couples.
“I think this event is most important for children with gay and lesbian parents so that they can see themselves represented,” she said. “There will be kids with two daddies or two mommies everywhere, and they don’t see that on a daily basis. Until there’s more visibility for gay families, we need events like this to take place.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].