Interview R.T. Rybak talks Twin Cities Pride

Although the Michele Bachmanns of the outer ’burbs are trying their darndest to keep marriage strictly between one man and one woman, Minneapolis is still lucky enough to have a mayor who is passionate about GLBT rights. The A.V. Club talked to mayor R.T. Rybak to see just how he’s planning the weekend around Pride. For more on the Pride festivities, be sure to check out the interview with Wanda Wisdom we posted earlier this week.

The A.V. Club: What are you most looking forward to at Pride this year?

R.T. Rybak: For a politician like me, who loves parades, the Pride parade is like nirvana. I have a ton of fun, especially because it’s a place where every person in Minneapolis can take pride in who they are. Here, it’s especially important because it takes place when we now know we are going to go out and win a battle for equal rights on the ballot in a year.

AVC: What do you like to see at the parade?

RR: I always love the hour before the parade starts, when I go through the lineup and try to meet all the incredibly diverse combinations of people and organizations in the parade, the Episcopal lesbians for peace and nudity ... there’s a wild combination of groups, many of which I never imagined before I did it. One year, I started second so I got to walk right behind Dykes On Bikes, which is a fun group that let me ride a motorcycle with them. I usually run the parade and go through a few times and try to shake every hand humanly possible.

AVC: What’s your favorite food there?

RR: I don’t have time for any food at the parade.

AVC: What have the Twin Cities done to become more progressive in the last 10 years?

RR: Minneapolis has always been an incredibly open city for people in the GLBT community. In the past decade, businesses have been dramatically more visible at this parade. That’s a wonderful thing for our community.

AVC: What’s changed on the political side?

RR: When I was a newspaper reporter in the early ’80s, there was a great conflict between the GLBT community and the police. Today, the upper ranks for our police department and fire department are filled with GLBT members, and the police and fire fighters are really important and welcome parts of the parade.

AVC: What is the most exciting thing happening for GLBT acceptance right now?

RR: The majority of Americans firmly believe that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, deserves the right to marry, and we see that in polls and in the community. We’re going to prove that when the anti-gay ballot initiative is beaten.

AVC: What does it mean for a city to be accepting? What does it mean for one not to be?

RR: There isn’t a single block in Minneapolis that hasn’t been made better by members of the GLBT community. Minneapolis does all the things it should do with events like this and other public celebrations. Acceptance happens block by block when we don’t have a GLBT district. The whole city is GLBT-friendly.