Pictured above, the Chicago lakefront, photo by Andrew Collinsįor other parts of North America, also check out the following calendars:Ģ022 California and West Coast LGBTQ Pride CalendarĢ022 Florida and the South LGBTQ Pride CalendarĢ022 New England and Northeast LGBTQ Pride CalendarĢ022 Rockies and Southwest LGBTQ Pride Calendar Louis, and Columbus to smaller and more personable gathering-think Deadwood, South Dakota or Door County, Wisconsin-that give attendees a bit more of a chance to mix and mingle, and to get to know the community. When asked about his contributions, Burrus said, “I’m proud to do whatever I can and happy to be in a position to be able to give back to a community that has shown so much support.” This year’s OKC Pride Parade will be held on Sunday, June 26 at 6pm on NW 39th Street from Classen to Youngs and will feature approximately one hundred entries.The Midwest and Plains States are home to some most exciting and well-attended Pride festivals in the country, from the huge parades in Chicago, St. In addition to his business success, Lee Burrus is a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community through charitable endeavors and contributions. Lee Burrus may be best known today for his very successful restaurant, Ingrid’s Kitchen, as well as other bar and restaurant endeavors in and around Oklahoma City. “The Oklahoma City Police would send in their trainees and line them up along the rail above the dance floor.” In spite of the troubling times and these situations, Burrus managed The Copa, Finishline, Gushers Restaurant, and Jungle Red gift shop for twelve years without any serious problems or incidents. His skill in building support with community leaders helped him avoid any serious roadblocks but he does recall some pressure after renovating the club and renaming it The Copa.
He later built The Finishline renovated Gushers Restaurant and The Copa Nightclub into what they are today. “Well, somewhere shortly after that they decided to lease to a gay operator so they called me.” In social environment that was not welcoming to the LGBT community, The Habana Inn, and Gushers Nightclub became safe havens for gay patrons. “A friend of mine was working the front desk and it wasn’t a gay hotel yet they wouldn’t lease the club out, they wanted it to be straight,” said Burrus. It housed a bar called Gushers Club but was mostly closed up. Burrus found an opportunity to lease the first floor of the Habana Inn in 1988. After years in the bar and restaurant business, Mr. Lee Burrus encountered a bit of culture shock in 1969 when he moved to Oklahoma City from San Francisco.
This year marks the 29th year for Oklahoma City’s Pride Parade, which has become the largest parade in the state each year. Recent honorees include Mary Arbuckle, the plaintiffs of the Oklahoma marriage equality lawsuit and Bob Lemon. Lee Burrus was selected due to his past and ongoing contributions to the LGBTQ community. Each year, the Board selects a Grand Marshal who has championed equality. The OKC Pride Board of Directors has voted to honor Lee Burrus as the Grand Marshal of the 2016 OKC Pride Parade.