In almost every major city each year in June, there is a Gay Pride parade and festival held to celebrate Pride Month. I was lucky enough to attend the festival in my home city both last year as well as this year, and I wanted to share three of my favorite parts about my experience.
First off, I absolutely love going to Gay Pride for the atmosphere and positivity. The atmosphere was so positive and carefree both this year and last year as soon as I entered. I felt like I could exist un-judged. The positivity is so calming and makes it a great place to be.
The second favorite aspect of Pride is the booths. There are many different organizations there with booths. These organizations ranged from the Human Rights Campaign to Planned Parenthood and even some churches had booths there. It was really wonderful to see churches there supporting the LGBTQ+ community because there are many churches who frequently condemn us and hate us. However, these churches were all-inclusive and it was refreshing to feel accepted by a church.
There was also one man there that I will never forget. He was walking around with a poster that read, “As a Christian, I am sorry for the narrow-minded, judgmental, deceptive and manipulative actions of those who have denied rights and equality to so many in the name of God.” My friends and I stopped to thank him for his message and he told us that we were loved and to stay hydrated and take care of ourselves because it was hot outside.
To finalize my favorite parts of Circle City Pride, the music is always amazing. There were a couple different stages set up around the festival that are used every year for musical performances and a couple drag shows. I love seeing people perform and do what they love and the music added to the positive and carefree atmosphere.
Though I have only been twice, each time I have gone Pride has been a positive experience. I really appreciate all of the effort that goes into creating such a wonderful event and I look forward to attending for many years in the future.
