Wichita Pride Week celebrates 10 years

What a difference a decade makes.

That’s what organizers of this year’s Wichita Pride Week say as the event marks its 10th anniversary.

“Ten years ago, this whole equal marriage thing was just really beginning to take traction,” said Evan Shaheen, president of nonprofit Wichita Pride Inc. “Massachusetts was the only one that had equal marriage, and Kansas had actually just banned it. Ten years later, every state has it. America has shifted and instead of being in the minority, the majority of people are saying everybody deserves the right to be happy.”

Shaheen expects a celebratory mood as participants rally, march, party, dance, bowl, model and more during the annual event. Even this year’s theme pays tribute to the recent success of the push for rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people: “Diversity, the Rising Tide: Standing Together.”

Not that organizers expect everybody to be cheering them on. They say their annual rally at the Old Sedgwick County Courthouse wouldn’t be complete without protesters.

“There’s always got to be somebody who has to make a statement,” said Patrick Munz, who helped start the festival. “Except for one incident, there’s never been a violent reaction. One year, somebody pushed somebody.”

The week kicks off Friday with a party bus pub crawl through Wichita. The bus leaves from Rain Cafe & Lounge at 9 p.m. Seating is limited to 50 people.

The Mid-America All-Indian Center is the site of the block party on Saturday night and festival following the rally Sunday. A $5 Pride festival button gets eventgoers into both. Shaheen said Saturday’s party is geared toward adults, with music by local band Yale Street Performers and appearances by “a lot of the local drag queens.”

In addition to celebrating significant strides, Sunday’s rally will serve notice that there’s still progress to be made, Munz said.

“You can still be fired in the state, can still be turned out of your housing” for reasons of sexual orientation, Munz said. “There are still battles to fight. Some of those battles may be even more important than the fact that we can have legal marriage.”

“I’ve always said that after same-sex marriage comes the transgender issues, because they’re 30 years behind” gay and lesbian rights, Shaheen said. “It’s a way to show (politicians in) Topeka that we’re not going anywhere.”

A parade to the Indian Center follows the rally. In addition to marchers, Shaheen said, the procession usually features about 10 floats.

“We have had some pretty elaborate floats in the past. And usually clubs will have music on their floats. We’ve had people just come out with their pickups. We’ve had people build, like, tropical island stuff. You never know quite what you’ll see until the day of.”

Sunday’s festival is designed to entertain participants’ children as well, with inflatables, balloons, face painting and more. Food and drink vendors will be present at the Indian Center both days.

Just as members of the LGBT community appreciate being part of the larger community, organizers say all are welcome at Pride Week events.

“It really is a mixture of people,” Shaheen said. “It’s not just about the gay community anymore, it’s about anybody who feels like they want to support or feels disenfranchised. Pride Week has really become a symbol for anybody who feels like they need to fight for their rights.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Wichita Pride Week celebrates 10 years."