a day ago
Why State College Pride attendees, organizers said this year's was the most important yet
Centre County's most colorful day of the year came Saturday in the form of State College Pride 2025 — the annual LGBTQ+ parade and festival — with organizers and attendees in agreement that this year's edition might've been the most important yet.
With nearly 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced or enacted across the country this year, in addition to some locally vandalized Pride flags and decorations Friday, thousands descended on the rainbow-colored downtown Saturday to support, love, hope and fight.
Pride flags hung from streetlights, rainbow-colored crosswalks greeted pedestrians, and thousands of attendees cheered and clapped during festivities that started with a parade, before continuing with guest speakers, a drag performance, and more.
'Last year, the queer community was in a different place, so I think last year was more of an unbridled celebration,' said Michel Lee Garrett, a board member for Centre LGBT+, which organized the fifth annual festival. 'This year, while the celebration is still here, I think we are rededicating ourselves to the importance of community. We are rededicating ourselves to the importance of solidarity, rededicating ourselves to the importance of Pride, not only as a celebration but as a protest and as a prayer and as a promise.'
Saturday was not a protest in the strictest sense of the word. Instead of signs and placards, attendees came armed with smiles and colorful clothing. One man wore a T-shirt that read, 'I like my whiskey straight, but my friends can go either way.' Dog owners brought pets decked out in colorful bows and rainbow-colored tutus, while some attendees dyed their own hair in bright colors.
Several members of the LGBTQ+ community said they've felt isolated at different points this year, like when Penn State Health discontinued gender-affirming care for minors due to an executive order from President Donald Trump. But seeing everyone Saturday, including all the allies and supporters, provided a needed reminder they're not alone.
Scott McKenzie, a State College resident who sported a thick beard dyed multiple colors, never mentioned feeling isolated. But he did remark on just how important that feeling of community was.
'This is all about acceptance and compassion for everyone,' he said. 'Anybody that's actively coming out to support a Pride festival is my kind of person, regardless of whatever else is going on in their lives, because it's just about showing up to support a society of other people — knowing that we're all in the same community together and having an opportunity to just say, 'I'm here with you, for you.''
Added Natalie Hernandez, another local resident: 'It feels deeply important this year. It feels like a moment in time where you want to be demonstrating what's important to you. And just being here is really important.'
An overcast morning might've deterred some parade goers, but Friedman Park was filled by noon. Even when those sitting on the lawn were forced to rotate between umbrellas and sunglasses — the rain stopped and started at least three times — the crowd only grew larger. They weren't discouraged by the weather, or by a string of vandalism Friday in State College.
According to multiple accounts, the Pride flag hanging over the entrance to Faith UCC on East College Avenue was partially burned Friday and Pride decorations were torn down from Cafe 210. The State College Police Department issued an alert Friday, seeking a male suspect for 'criminal mischief and harassment.' And Chief John Gardner told the CDT on Saturday morning that the suspect has already been identified with the help of the Patton Township Police Department, and charges could be filed Monday.
A handful of protesters also gathered at the park Saturday with large signs and a life-sized wooden cross. But about a dozen LGBTQ+ supporters surrounded them, keeping their distance but lifting their own signs and Pride flags so those by the protesters couldn't be seen. When one man with a megaphone began preaching fire and brimstone, some began drowning him out with chants of 'God is love!'
The number of Christian churches and Jewish groups that took part in the Pride parade appeared to outnumber the protesting individuals.
One of the participating drag queens said they walked over to say hello, before being met with shouts that they were going to hell. But, if heaven was filled with people like that, the drag queen quipped to attendees that they'd be happy to be left off the guest list.
'I've been blown away by all the energy,' added another drag queen, who went by the name Aurora and was named Mx. State College Pride 2025. 'Not that I didn't expect there to be people — it's been busy — but people are still going. It's been really great.'
The exact attendance Saturday won't be known for at least another week or two. Anecdotally, some believed the parade wasn't as packed due to the morning's gloomy weather, but Centre LGBT+ executive director Cat Cook found Friedman Park to be more crowded than last year. She believed, in spite of the weather, the total attendance could've surpassed last year's mark of 5,000.
Either way, organizers lauded the community for a strong showing. The number of tables this year, such as 'Free Mom Hugs,' doubled to about 70 on South Allen Street. More than 100 volunteers took part, and eight food trucks were set up near State High's Memorial Field.
After the parade, where candy was thrown and bubbles blown, the festival kicked off after words from a half-dozen speakers. Grand Marshal Jacob Kelley, a non-binary drag queen whose alter ego is known as Trixy Valentine, might've best summed up the purpose of Pride.
'Take a moment right now and look around because you're seeing love,' they said. 'You're seeing resilience. You're seeing hope. You're seeing power. Pride is more than a celebration. ... Pride is a declaration that we are here.
'It's not revolutionary that we exist. We've always been here. We're just tired of being ignored. We want to be seen, authentically, for who we are. We want to be heard loud and proud, beautiful and colorful, without changing who we have to be.'
Many have felt disenfranchised and/or unseen by the current presidential administration, which has rescinded anti-discrimination protections and has erased LGBTQ+ data collections. Earlier this month, it was even announced the U.S. Navy was forced to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a ship named for a slain gay rights leader.
Lee Garrett, one of Saturday's speakers, acknowledged to the crowd that this is a difficult time for the LGBTQ+ community. And that's why Pride has never been more important.
'While it is difficult to celebrate these days, it feels like celebration is also an act of resistance. Joy is an act of resistance,' she said. 'Anti-queer forces would like nothing more than festivals like this to go away, and we're not going to let that happen. Queer joy is a radical, life-affirming act in a world that tells you that you are disgusting and should not exist. To take joy in yourself, and to take joy in your community, is transformative.'
State College Pride 2025 was organized by Centre LGBT+ with help from State College Borough, the Downtown State College Improvement District, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and dozens of other sponsors.
