Mr. Mark Smith discusses his experiences in organizing Pride events in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and how the HIV/AIDs crisis inspired him to get more involved with the LGBTQ+ community as a result of his background in social work. Topics discussed include Mr. Smith's first Pride event in San Francisco, California in 1986 before he came out; his initial involvement with the LGBTQ+ community doing HIV/AIDS social work; how his then-partner Alex got Mr. Smith involved in organizing Pride in Winston-Salem after a trip to Raleigh; discussion of other political events occurring during the HIV/AIDS crisis such as the New York City transgender community protests due to lack of inclusion and the African-American community pushing back against the "whiteness" of Pride and the exclusion of Black voices at Miami Pride; the big change over the years of corporate sponsorship at Pride and the commodification of Pride by companies seeking to make money, and working around this by approaching queer vendors directly; and the importance of highlighting diversity both within the LGBTQ+ community itself and at Pride events and getting members of different communities involved in planning and organizing.