June is Pride Month, and holding a Pride festival is just another busy weekend in the calendar for an increasing number of communities across the United States.
Hutchinson, Kansas held its first ever Pride celebration June 8th — 10th.
No big deal, right?
Subtle tension
Being gay in Kansas has taught me to expect the worst from a small but influential group of perpetually angry provocateurs who find any and every excuse to bully marginalized groups. I expected angry letters to the editor. I expected Westboro Baptist Church. That subtle tension constantly lurks, due mostly to high-profile disgusting comments and anti-LGBT policies from Kansas Republicans.
Living at ground zero
This Pride celebration is meaningful for not just Hutchinson and Kansas — it is loaded with national significance and symbolism.
Tom Witt, the indefatigable leader of Kansas’ preeminent LGBT grassroots organization Equality Kansas, explains:
[Former State Representative from Hutchinson] Jan Pauls wrote or backed most of the anti-LGBT legislation, including the marriage ban, from the 90s until she was voted out of office in 2016. She, along with Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe) invented so-called “religious freedom” bills in 2011, which have since spread across the nation. When Pauls was in office, she made Hutchinson, quite literally, the “ground zero” of anti-LGBT hate in this nation.
In 2012, Equality Kansas prioritized removing Jan Pauls from office, launching two primary campaigns against her, and eventually driving her out of the Democratic Party. She served her final term in the legislature as a Republican. That political fight highlighted her hateful record in office and launched an awakening among Hutch’s LGBT population. This year’s first-ever Salt City Pride is a direct outcome of those political fights that began earlier in this decade.
Hutchinson spawned the worst forms of legalized bigotry and bullying in the name of "freedom."
Many courageous and dedicated individuals planned one hell of a community party to usher in a more inclusive future.
UNBELIEVABLE COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Festivities kicked off on Friday night with a dance.
U.S. Army Maj. Stephen Snyder-Hill and his husband Joshua served as grand marshalls for the March For Unity, a 1.2-mile march from the Kansas State Fairgrounds to The Atrium Hotel. Vendor and sponsor booths sold out, filling two conference rooms and the hotel’s hallways. Activities included book signings from national and local writers, an art show, and a children’s activities room with inflatable bouncy houses and arts and crafts. Local and national bands played throughout the day. The evening ended with an awards banquet and a drag show.
Sunday morning started with a nondenominational church service, and continued with several showings of “Out Here in Kansas,” a documentary film by Kansas journalist Adam Knapp about a small town Kansas football hero’s coming out experience. Local attorneys discussed the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop V Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision, and answered questions about the recently-passed Kansas so-called Adoption Protection Act, whose seeds were sown in Hutchinson.
The Hutchinson News was not only a vendor and sponsor, but devoted most of its Sunday edition to Hutchinson Pride.
The City of Hutchinson fought against the march and the festival, throwing up roadblocks at every opportunity. No city or county elected official attended the events, although state Representatives Jason Probst (D-Hutchinson) and Steven Becker (R-Buhler) sponsored booths and answered constituent questions. Both had voted against the adoption discrimination bill.
The Hutchinson Police Department sponsored a booth, building on a strong relationship its community resource officer program has recently developed with Hutchinson's LGBT citizens.
HUTCHINSON’S FIRST PRIDE WILL NOT BE ITS LAST
Calling Hutchinson’s first Pride festival a “success” is a gross understatement.
Julia Johnson, a long-time Hutchinson LGBT activist and Pride co-founder, summed it up nicely:
The weekend was an overwhelming success, far surpassing our board’s hopes and expectations. Watching so many people from all walks of life and different areas of Kansas come together and support this event renewed people’s faith in not only our community, but lit the candle of hope for tomorrow. Personally, I was approached many times by LGBTQ teens, Dreamers, Performers, etc., thanking me for providing a PRIDE that truly encompassed Unity and allowed them to be who they are. Watching those kids spontaneously take the stage during the performance "What About Us" by Miss Amanduh Masters holding their flags, dancing, and celebrating themselves and each other...That was truly the defining moment for me.
This Pride event is a symbol of resilience, resistance, and defiance against a legal system which denies equal rights in employment, housing, and health care to gays and transgender Kansans.
This celebration emphasized unity over divisiveness, inclusiveness over exclusion, and showcased the best of what too many dismiss as “Flyover Country.”
Thank you, Jon and Julia, for planning and executing one hell of a party. Thank you for bringing Hutchinson together and staying strong despite attempts by people on the wrong side of history to stop you.
Happy Pride Month!