The Bowling Green Pride Festival drew hundreds to Circus Square Park on Oct. 25, showcasing the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience and visibility as vendors, drag shows and music filled the scene in its ninth year.
The Fairness Campaign, an advocacy organization fighting for LGBTQ+ recognition and rights within the state of Kentucky, hosted the event.
From Dolly Parton to the Black Eyed Peas, the sound of music could be heard throughout the streets of Downtown Bowling Green. All while LGBTQ+ flags waved across the Square to support for the community.
Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, said Pride is a judgment-free place where people can be who they are and celebrate with friends and family.
“The strength, the brilliance, the boldness and the joy of our community for everyone to see was on full display,” Hartman said.
Various vendors attended the event, ranging from food trucks, clothing, dice and artwork for Dungeons & Dragons, art and crafts, makeup and booths giving out free hugs, high fives and even jazz hands.
Teresa White, one of the vendors running a booth giving free Pride memorabilia, said that Pride is a place where people can come to be lifted up and loved for who they are.
White shared a story of how her friend, Jody, was helping run the booth one year and gave a young woman a pride bracelet along with words of support and affirmation for her newfound sexuality. One year later, the same woman returned and told Jody that the support she was given that day helped her through a dark time in her life.
“And she just fell into Jody’s arms and just cried,” White said.
Various drag queens performed alongside the vendors. As they took the stage, a wave of Pride flags rose from the crowd and swayed to the music while the drag queens performed.
La Diamond Sexton, one of the drag queens and WKU alumni, said he was inspired to start drag by his uncle, a well-known drag queen from Alabama.
He said that as one of the few queer, mixed, biracial kids within the black community, Pride became important to him.
“You get to show who you really are as a person and as a human being,” La Diamond said.
As the day carried on and the sun set, the celebration didn’t end. Once the festival in Circus Square Park wrapped up, much of the adult crowd migrated to Donna’s and the Prestige Lounge for more drag shows.
Donna’s hosts a group of performers every second Saturday night of the month, known as the PrimaDonnas.
Patti Minter, WKU history professor and member of the planning committee for Bowling Green Pride, said she attends the Festival and after-party drag shows every year to show support for the community as an ally.
“The community was fantastic, and the performers brought their hearts and souls to the stage,” Minter said. “Seeing all those happy faces out there, it was magical.”
