Arlington Pride grows by leaps and bounds
DeeJay Johannessen has turned HELP Center into major AIDS and LGBTQ service organization DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer taffet@dallasvoice.com Several hundred people were expected to attend the first Arlington Pride, which was held on the campus of the HELP Center for LGBTQ Health and Wellness.
When more than 1,000 showed up, organizer — and HELP CEO — DeeJay Johannessen said they knew they’d have to find a bigger venue for the event the next year.
The second year, Arlington Pride moved to the Levitt Pavilion, and attendance multiplied to more than 5,000. Building on that success, planners added more entertainment and booths for 2024, and attendance climbed to more than 10,000, with people registered from 156 cities in 23 states and three countries for this year’s third annual event.
The Health Education Learning Project, shortened to HELP Center, was started in 1994 by two nuns and the mom of someone living with AIDS.
