Latest news with #Pridefest
Chicago Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Bluff trustees continue discussions about flag policies on village-owned properties
Lake Bluff village trustees are continuing to discuss issues related to its flag policy, but the matter remains unsettled. Village trustees met June 23 as the Committee of the Whole, where they discussed current regulations on displays on village property as well as possible changes to village special event permit rules. The meeting occurred two weeks after a pair on contentious meetings where the subject of flying a LGBTQ+ pride flag on village-owned property was hotly debated Ahead of the June 23 meeting, trustees reviewed a memo from Village Administrator Drew Irvin and Village Attorney Peter Friedman containing suggestion the board could start a 'limited' policy authorizing government flags, displays and holiday decorations and public service announcements on the village flagpoles. 'By adopting its own speech policy, the village puts itself in the best situation should challenges arise,' the memo noted, alluding to free speech issues. Irvin and Friedman said the other option would be maintaining current policy of only permitting holiday decorations and government flags, without a formal policy. Trustees also reviewed possible changes to the special events policy program including a establishing a maximum time duration for events and limiting the special events to residents and or local sponsoring organizations. The overall debate lasted for more than an hour, but the trustees did not find consensus on either proposal. That set the stage for additional discussion in the future. 'I don't think that it makes sense that to do something swiftly and then say we can change it later,' Trustee Taryn Fisher said. Irvin noted additional changes can be made upon getting additional feedback at future village board meetings. 'We can work with Peter (Friedman) to bring this back once a quarter until we get it right or better,' he said. The latest conversation served the latest chapter in discussions over whether a LGBTQ + flag can be flown on a village-owned flagpole, which has been a topic under formal village study since 2023. In May, trustees voted 4-2 against permitting the flying of certain non-governmental commemorative flags including the LGBTQ+ flag on village-owned flagpoles. The majority of trustees feared the village's role in permitting some flags, but not others. Many residents protested the decision at the June 9 meeting, leading to some acrimony between trustees. The June 23 meeting featured toned-down rhetoric and only two members of the public spoke. 'We had an emotionally charged, painful, disruptive meeting that was also what government is about,' Fisher reflected. 'We heard from our community and we made a choice. We all need to sit and think about it be thoughtful about our next steps.' Meanwhile, several residents sponsored a 'Pridefest' celebration on June 22 at the Village Green. Ribbons and bunting from the events on the trees and lamp posts for several days afterward.
Axios
16-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
National brands pull back from New Orleans Pride amid Trump-era pressure
Major corporations are scaling back support for New Orleans Pride events amid pressure from the Trump administration, organizers tells Axios. Why it matters: The retreat signals a broader shift away from corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The big picture: National sponsorships are down this year for Pridefest and Black Pride NOLA, organizers tell Axios New Orleans. "We have absolutely seen that trend continue locally," says Pridefest organizer Jack Browning. Potential sponsors have declined, saying they are cutting back on DEI spending or they are staying out of the political fray, he says. Others say their pot of money is just smaller this year. Nikki Alexander-Tumblin, the founder of Black Pride NOLA, says her organization has "had to figure it out" this year with fewer sponsors, but still put together a full slate of events. By the numbers: 39% of corporations nationwide are scaling back on external Pride Month involvement this year, according to Gravity Research data. This is a sharp increase from last year, when only 9% said they were changing their external Pride engagement. Roughly 6 in 10 companies cite the Trump administration as the top reason for this change, while conservative activists and conservative policymakers come in second and third, per Gravity Research. Zoom out: Corporate sponsors have pulled out of Pride events in New York City, D.C., Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Columbus, Virginia and elsewhere, too. The move also comes amid increased skepticism of "rainbow capitalism," a term describing companies using Pride imagery and language to appeal to LGBTQ+ shoppers each June. Go deeper. Yes, but: Pridefest in New Orleans is making up the difference with community support, Browning says. New Orleans & Co., the city's tourism arm, kicked in $5,000 to pay for the event's headliner, and more than 20 community members donated to be ambassadors. Other sponsors include local businesses like the Phoenix, Entergy, Robért Fresh Market, Crescent Care and IV Waste. Shell, which has a large presence in New Orleans, is sponsoring this year's Pride parade. And Viiv Healthcare, Gilead, Yahoo, Cox, Operation Restoration and New Orleans & Co. are sponsoring New Orleans Black Pride Weekend, Alexander-Tumblin says. Stunning stat: About 5% of adults in New Orleans identify as LGBTQ+, one of the highest percentages in the country. The bottom line:"I think we as LGBTQ people have found that when our backs are against the wall and we need to find ways to do this on our own, we will find a way," Browning says. Disclosure: Cox Enterprises is the owner of Axios Media, which has editorial independence.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We are prepared': SPD ready for possible unrest in Springfield 'No Kings' protest
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — On June 14, there is scheduled to be 'No Kings' protests across every state in the nation. The rallies are to show opposition to President Trump's recent actions and policies. One in Springfield will begin at the Historic Courthouse on 940 N. Boonville Ave at 9:30 a.m. The 'No Kings' protests will eventually join with the Ozarks Pridefest, happening that same day, at 11:30 a.m. While most protests in Springfield have been peaceful in the past, the Springfield Police Department (SPD) ready to respond to any escalation. 'We are aware of the demonstrations in and around the downtown area,' says Cris Swaters, SPD Public Affairs Officer. 'We are prepared, and we are actively monitoring the situation.' SPD will have 'five to six' officers at both the protest and Pridefest to ensure the safety and security of attendees. According to Swaters, the police presence is necessary to keep violence from occurring. 'We are highly trained, and officers are highly capable of handling any incident that may arise with keeping both demonstrators safe and the extended community meetings,' she said. Swaters advises attendees that if they run into any conflict, feel unsafe or see any suspicious behavior to call the police and report the incident. Both 'No Kings' and Ozarks Pridefest have released statements telling people to not engage with any counter protesters or turn to violent behavior. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘We're here, we're queer' — Smaller communities in Indiana have Pride too
Volunteers for Harrison County Pride work a tent at a recent festival. (Courtesy photo) Pride celebrations in urban communities attract thousands — but LGBTQ+ Hoosiers in rural parts of the state are also celebrating. That's despite limited funding and, in some cases, threats. This year's events come as the climate nationally has changed. 'We received a lot of hate, especially messages, emails, over the top stuff – you know – 'we should die, they need to hang us up by our heels in the downtown square and let people beat us,' that kind of stuff,' said Tammi Shafer Bailey, Decatur County Pride treasurer and festival chair. 'I'm an old protester from back in the '60s and '70s. I wasn't afraid of any of that. But, people who aren't used to that kind of stuff would be.' Decatur County, located halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, has approximately 26,000 residents. 'We saw a need for queer joy,' she said. 'We found out quickly when we took over the group that people were afraid to come out and we wanted to show them they didn't have to be.' Decatur County Pride was formed in 2023 by two allies. Those allies chose to step back, allowing members of the local LGBTQ+ community to take control of the group. Decatur County Pride hosted their first Pride Festival in June 2024. It hasn't been without challenges. Bailey's goal was to hold the festival no matter what, 'we wanted to come out and show them that you can say what you want to say. Tell me you're going to show up at the Pride parade, come on, we welcome everybody. I want to show you that we're no different than you. We're your neighbors, we're your coworkers, you just don't know it.' Hate and threats aren't uncommon. 'There's two things – one, always keep your head on a swivel when you're in public,' Bailey said. And two, 'the thing they need to remember is that most of these people are just bullies and you'll never get anywhere cowering to a bully. You have to stand up and say no, you're not going to do this to me. That's what we try to teach our youth group, that's what we try to teach people who are afraid.' This year, they're facing an additional challenge – funding. 'We pretty much cut back on everything. We would like to do more for the community, but pulled back.' They received a grant that'll sustain the youth group through the year from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Beyond the festival, Decatur County Pride members also do work in the community, filling a little free pantry, organizing a youth group and an adult support group. For Bailey, though, one of the most rewarding aspects of Pride fest is seeing the youth group members working the festival, 'meeting new people, being who they can be, who they really are out in the open, is so rewarding, because so many of them can't be. They have to hide in their school – hide everything about them and at Pride Fest we just open up and say you are who you are.' She also loves how everyone smiles at the event — 'they may not know who they're walking past, but everybody just smiles at each other – it's like, you're different but that's okay! That's the biggest accomplishment – having a space where everybody accepts one another, because it's very rare in this world.' LGBTQ+ Hoosiers also gather in Harrison County – Indiana's first state capital and home to roughly 40,000. 'Gay pride here in Corydon – it's anyone that feels like they've been on the fringes or not accepted into the status quo,' said Elizabeth Redding, co-founder of Harrison County Pride and Corydon Pridefest. She founded Harrison County Pride with Corydon native Adam Schneider. Redding is originally from New York City but moved to Harrison County a few years ago as a caregiver for her mother. 'I was introduced to this area and thought, if this is going to be the community I live in, then I want to have the things I'll miss the most – and one of them would be the Pride festivals in the big cities I've lived in,' she said. Not long after Redding moved to Corydon, she met Schneider, a gay man. Redding shared that she asked if Corydon does anything for Pride, 'and he was stunned, he's like, 'we've never even thought of it.' So I said, 'well, we're going to do this.'' That's how Harrison County Pride started in 2022. They hosted a small, informal Pride event that year, organizing the first official Corydon Pridefest in 2023. Turnout in 2023 exceeded expectations, drawing nearly 500 people. Last year's festival had approximately 1,000 attendees. This year, they expect 2,000 attendees. 'It's just amazing,' said Redding. 'Everything gets bigger!' There has been pushback – mostly from churches, Redding noted. However, they've also received support from other faith-based institutions, particularly Corydon Presbyterian and Corydon Methodist churches, which both sponsor Pridefest. They've also found the town council to be supportive, granting permission to host Pridefest in the face of objections from citizens, even when a drag show was added to the festival. 'Our first festival didn't have,' a drag show, Redding explained, 'so the drag queen show was contested by some of the religious members of the community.' But Redding said the town council held steady. 'They just told those people, 'look they applied to use the park. They paid their money. They've got this date set and they're going to do it.' It was really nice. This town council has conservative members but they were upholding that this is a public place. It was nice to have that backing,' Redding said.' A look at government support for Pride month — or lack thereof Pridefest, for Redding, is 'a heart warmer – it's very worthwhile,' seeing those who have felt like outcasts have one day where they can rejoice and feel accepted for who they are. Batesville hosted its first Pride Festival in 2022 with between 200 and 300 in attendance. Last year they drew 500. The city on the border of Franklin and Ripley counties has a population of roughly 7,200. 'It was a group of like-minded individuals' coming together and forming Batesville Area Inclusion and Diversity, that ultimately led to Batesville's Pride festival, according to BAID's chair, Ameilia Kubicek. Batesville, 'definitely has a bigger population than you would expect of people who are looking for diversity and inclusion and Pride,' added BAID's Pride Chair, Bee Copeland. 'We're here, we're queer, we're not going anywhere,' she continued. 'This is still small-town Batesville. There are obviously going to be people who are like, 'we don't really need that here, it's kind of in your face.'' But she said the organization fosters community. Pride, 'has created a community for people that maybe didn't feel like they were part of the area,' Kubicek explained. 'We've been able to find like-minded people,' they said, forming friendships and support systems. Visibility is crucial in the community, fostering greater acceptance and inclusion. The organization has advice for smaller communities like theirs who want to organize a Pride festival – be prepared for work, seek resources everywhere and don't be afraid to partner with larger communities or organizations such as the ACLU. 'It can feel daunting,' said Copeland, 'when you're a small-town group to go out and try to find those things, but it's possible.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pride Month event organizers see increased engagement amidst anti-LGBTQ+ activity
Organizers are preparing to celebrate Pride Month in Des Moines through Capital City Pride's Pridefest. (Photo by Tom Foley/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Pride Month event organizers in Iowa are seeing an increase in participation amidst national and state activity targeting the queer community. 'People in the community that are passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and are passionate about the LGBTQ+ community are showing up because they know this is an important time,' said Wes Mullins, executive director of Capital City Pride. Every June, celebrations of Pride Month focus on self-affirmation, dignity, equality, increased visibility and connections within Iowa's LGBTQ+ community, and Capital City Pride's Pridefest is the largest LGBTQ+ annual gathering in Iowa. The focus is on the so-called 'Five Pillars of Pride,' which are education, family, health and wellness, community and celebration. Each year, Pridefest hosts the Pride Stride 5k — an event that in previous years never had more than 500 participants. This year, there are more than 750. Additionally, all of the available vendor spaces at Pridefest have been booked for the first time in the event's history. 'One of the hardest things in the LGBTQ+ community is combatting a sense of isolation and loneliness,' Mullins said. 'With the political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community that have been happening, it's even more important to make sure people are able to connect.' Earlier this year, Iowa became the first state to remove civil rights protections from a protected class by removing 'gender identity' as a protected characteristic under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit and public accommodations. After the law goes into effect on July 1, transgender Iowans will no longer have those protections under the state's Civil Rights Act. Mullins calls the revisions to the Iowa Civil Rights Act an 'embarrassment.' PHC Iowa, a healthcare provider, has already closed all gender-affirming care clinics to avoid losing federal funding. A 2024 study found that state-level, anti-transgender laws can cause up to a 72% increase in suicide attempts among transgender and non-binary youth. 'I think people have whiplash in Iowa City, seeing the things happening at the state or federal level and they say, 'that's not my community, that's not what's happening here,' but the reality is that is happening to a lot of other folks,' said Andy Owens, executive director of Iowa City Pride. House File 856, a bill signed into Iowa law on May 27, prohibits public entities from engaging in certain activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The new law also prohibits any state organization from attempting to promote a policy or activity that references unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, transgender ideology, group marginalization, anti-racism and many other related concepts. Owens says the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion on a state and federal level has had an impact on many young people in need of support. 'When offices that are dedicated to support and advocacy disappear, then resources become more scarce,' he said. 'That hurts.' Another bill, House File 51, targeted drag shows, defined as shows in which a performer 'exhibits a gender identity that is different than the performer's gender assigned at birth.' Initially, the bill provided that anyone who brought a minor to one of the performances could be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The bill was later revised to include an 'obscene performance' definition and to make it a misdemeanor offense to take a minor aged 13 or younger to one of the performances. Owens says in its original form the bill was 'not an easy pill to swallow' and sparked fears that the organization would not be allowed to have outdoor drag performers during the festival. However, due to revisions in the bill's final language, Iowa City Pride will proceed as planned. Iowa City Pride is one of the oldest Pride organizations in the country, founded just a year after the Stonewall riots in 1969. Owens said this is a 'challenging' time for Iowans on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, especially trans individuals. However, he added, these times also provide 'an opportunity for us to recalibrate' and maximize support. He said Pride organizations are 'working even harder' to stage more events, support the community and work with other Pride organizations and advocacy groups throughout the state. Mullins said Capital City Pride has also tried to partner with other organizations, such as lobbyists and legislative organizations — at least to the extent they can, given CCP's status as a non-profit organization. As part of its work, CCP is connecting isolated individuals to mental health services and community organizations 'in the midst of these attacks.' Owens said he feels anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and protest have been 'drowned out by the voices of people who are supportive.' He says this year's Pride festival is 'shaping up to be the biggest one' Iowa City has ever had. Additionally, ICP has started an unofficial partnership with Coralville to expand their Pride organization and expand their community's work beyond Iowa City. When asked how the community can support their work, both Mullins and Owens said the same thing: show up and donate. As nonprofit organizations, much of CCP's and ICP's revenue consists of donations — but both organizations stress the importance of being present for Pride events. Mullins also suggests that people check in on friends and family who are members of the community to ensure everyone feels connected. The Capital City Pridefest has events all month. The festival this weekend provides a family and youth zone for children, a teen zone, a pet pageant for 'four-legged friends,' and a 'Pride Ride' bike ride for members of the Iowa cycling community. The Iowa City Pride festival will take place on June 21 from noon to 10 p.m.
