Pendleton Pride organizers alongside magnificient drag queen performers. Photo courtesy of @PendletonPrideIN on Instagram.
Pendleton Pride took place this weekend and Queer Chocolatier was invited to be a vendor.
It was an honor to be there because, out of all the Pride events I've been a part of, Pendleton Pride was not only the smallest and most family-friendly celebration, it was also the one that was the most protested.
The town of Pendleton has less than 5,000 residents, mind you.
Small towns across Indiana are beginning to organize their own Pride festivities outside our capital city of Indianapolis. These Pride events are grassroots, community-based celebrations that are filled with eagerness and bravery and love.
They are reflections of their hometowns and of their love of their LGBTQ+ relatives, friends, and neighbors.
A lot of these small town Pride events are organized by parents, loved ones, and allies of LGBTQ+ individuals because of some moment of controversy that required a strong response. For Pendleton in particular, it was a couple of years ago that a Pride flag displayed in a high school classroom was ordered to be removed that kickstarted the organizing of their own hometown Pride. Handfuls of parents came together wanting to support their children who are queer or trans and their momentum continues to build, leading up to this weekend, their second annual Pride festival.
It warmed my heart beyond words to see all the young queer kids with their beautiful style and self-expression running around the park on a gorgeous fall afternoon! Parents came by every booth with smiles and an interest in all the resources available for themselves and for their kiddos. Pet Pride was on glorious display as well!
LGBTQ+ folks from older generations walked around bemused but happy to see such a Pride event in such a place as small-town Indiana. More than once, someone who was probably a decade or more my senior told me they came from a town near there and were surprised and thrilled to be at a Pride celebration in Pendleton "of all places!"
I noticed there weren't too many queer folks my age there, though, and it left me wondering how many people left their small hometowns because they didn't feel welcome or safe there any longer.
It left me feeling with a sense of both grief and hope. Grief for those who fled to larger cities looking to fit in safely or stand out bravely on a larger stage. Hope for the queer and trans youth who were being celebrated and uplifted by their parents and community.
But small towns are where change is going to happen and where it needs to happen.
It became more clear to me when seeing protesters come try to disrupt this vibrant and loving event. They tried to shame the kids and their parents by using the love of their god as a weapon.
But the kids are alright!
They held banners to shield others from the view of protesters. They cheered and clapped and shouted positive slogans to drown out the literal white noise. They sang and danced fabulously with the drag queens.
They lived their love and, in doing so, made me and countless others incredibly proud.
I can get skeptical of Pride events in large population centers because they become overly corporate (but there is nuance to consider, mostly regarding the amount of money needed to put on such large events). I get skeptical about the presence of uniformed police (I, frankly, do not have much nuance here myself because I know our history). I get skeptical over the white, cisgender, ableist, neurotypical, fat phobic elements of Pride parades as well.
But small town Pride is the new forefront of our journey of progress and justice. At least, this is my view and I feel it deeply.
And so long as there are small towns in Indiana and the Midwest and the South who want to gather and have Pride, I'll be very happy to be there celebrating alongside y'all!