Wichita Pride: Events celebrate local LGBT community

Wichita Pride president Evan Shaheen, 28, remembers a time when it wasn’t easy to be gay. Ten years ago, he recalls public opinion polls that showed large majorities disapproving of same-sex marriage. When people tell their stories, though, and are honest about who they are, those numbers turn around, he contends. That’s why Wichita Pride matters to him.

“Pride is a way for us to stand together and show we aren’t alone. If we don’t have that, then we have no way to fight,” he said. “Pride is a great way for people who may not be out, or who are from small towns, to really get connected. Sometimes we feel alone, but Pride shows us we aren’t.”

On Friday, Wichita Pride Inc. launches a series of events that celebrate the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. This year’s theme is “color me pride,” a reference to the rainbow colors that have become a symbol for the LGBT community.

Renee Popovich, communications coordinator for Wichita Pride, said that the theme celebrates diversity and also an event that’s diverse in experiences.

“Our pride is a faith-, family- and fun-friendly event that all people in the community can attend with a sense of safety,” Popovich said. “It offers a lot more different types of entertainment for the community to come out and enjoy with their kids and grandkids. Pride brings awareness about equality, and it celebrates that we are all humans.”

Festivities kick off with a bowling night Friday at Thunderbird Lanes and continue into the weekend with a family picnic at O.J. Watson Park on Saturday and a roller skating party at Skate South on Sunday. A “big hair drag show” dubbed Wigstock will take place on Monday at Riverside Hair Salon.

Cargill is a major sponsor of Wichita Pride and will be providing some of the food for the family picnic.

Next weekend, there’s a party bus bar crawl on Sept. 26 that will take participants to several local establishments, including Rain Cafe and Lounge, J’s Lounge, and Our Fantasy Complex. On Sept. 27, a block party will be held at the Mid-America All-Indian Center that will feature a variety of local musicians and be headlined by the folk group Women Without Purses. Pride celebrations will culminate on Sept. 28 with a political rally lead by the statewide LGBT advocacy group Equality Kansas at the Old Sedgwick County Courthouse followed by a parade that will march down Central Avenue toward the All-Indian Center, where an afternoon festival will be held.

“This year we are switching things up,” Shaheen said about the entertainment during the block party and festival. “We have decided to bring in entertainment from all walks of life. We have drag performers, singers, bands, DJs, anything we could find. It’s time Pride starts showcasing all the talent this city has to offer.”

Most activities require the purchase of a $5 button, and the buttons can be purchased on site at each event.

Last year organizers estimated around 2,000 people attended the Sunday festival and Popovich believes more will attend this year. She noted that while pride events around the country have seen dwindling attendance as legal equality has expanded in many areas, Wichita’s attendance numbers have been steadily growing. Popovich said that while same-sex marriage is rapidly expanding nationwide, it remains legal to fire someone from their job in Kansas for being gay. Events such as Wichita Pride give people an opportunity to come together and dialogue about issues that affect LGBT people, she said.

Shaheen said that a lot of straight people come to Wichita Pride because as more people come out, their parents and friends want to support them.

“A lot of our vendors are not run by the LGBTQ community,” he said. “Many of them are business or places that are gay-friendly and genuinely want to see us succeed. We have far more support than most know. We aren’t all the way there, but we are off to a great start.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2014 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Wichita Pride: Events celebrate local LGBT community."