But she’ll show up to her events, in drag, and give every performance her all anyway. Though Paris is impossibly confident onstage, diving off platforms and landing in splits without so much as breaking a nail, she said that offstage, she’s a bit more reluctant to embrace the same freedom that has marked previous Pride celebrations. But it’s emboldened him, too, to bring Pride to smaller cities, beyond June, to make LGBTQ rights a year-round priority. Rosman said the “dark time” that’s clouded much of the last year has been deeply felt, and it’s likely there will be “darker times ahead” in terms of attempts to pass more anti-LGBTQ legislation. This Pride season began with a new sense of urgency. How attendees are embracing joy, with some reluctance Pride events offer a “moment of hope and community,” as well as exposure and education, Rosman said. That’s one reason why Pride, whether it’s in a large city like Nashville or a smaller town like Murfreesboro, where the Pride Chamber is sponsoring a Pride event this year, is such an important event. He said since he moved from Nashville to a rural area, he’s realized that he and his spouse are two of the only LGBTQ people in his new town - discrimination, he said, is also an “education issue.” The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department are not a part of that team - per Nashville Pride, the presence of uniformed officers can make attendees who’ve experienced police brutality feel unsafe.īrian Rosman, president of the Tennessee Pride Chamber, an advocacy group for LGBTQ-owned businesses in the state, noted that the anti-LGBTQ bills that have passed will have a greater impact on Tennesseans beyond cities like Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis. There are no weapons allowed at official Nashville Pride events, which take place within a fenced area and require bag checks. The Nashville Pride website says private security contractors will be onsite to keep festival visitors safe. And there will likely be anti-LGBTQ protestors at Pride events as a result, she said. Paris predicted that, in response to the political attacks on LGBTQ rights, there will be a “big political presence” at Pride in Nashville this year, with speakers and performers likely directly condemning the surge in anti-LGBTQ bills that have been introduced in Tennessee and other states. The US Justice Department filed a complaint in April challenging the legislation, saying the law would deny trans young people “necessary medical care … based solely on who they are.” Even with the drag bill ruled unconstitutional earlier this month, the relief that decision provided is temporary, Brown said - there are other bills to worry about.īrown pointed to legislation aimed at transgender youth, including a Tennessee law that enters effect on July 1, which bans some gender-affirming care for minors with gender dysphoria. This year has seen conservative lawmakers across the US place a harsh spotlight on LGBTQ rights. Pride-goers expect strong political messages “I still want to go and have fun and celebrate, but I also want to be thoughtful with what I’m doing for Pride.” But the legislative attempts to limit LGBTQ rights, and people who’ve felt emboldened by those bills to protest LGBTQ rights, have given Paris a prolonged taste of intolerance, she said. “We want to celebrate (the unconstitutional ruling), but it doesn’t allow you to forget that there’s still so much that we have to do to really be proud, not only in Nashville but Tennessee.”īoth she and Brown referred to Nashville as a “blue bubble” in a red state, where drag queens can generally feel secure leading a bus full of bachelorettes on a citywide tour or performing in public places during Pride.
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