3 days ago
‘We're here, we're queer' — Smaller communities in Indiana have Pride too
Volunteers for Harrison County Pride work a tent at a recent festival. (Courtesy photo)
Pride celebrations in urban communities attract thousands — but LGBTQ+ Hoosiers in rural parts of the state are also celebrating. That's despite limited funding and, in some cases, threats.
This year's events come as the climate nationally has changed.
'We received a lot of hate, especially messages, emails, over the top stuff – you know – 'we should die, they need to hang us up by our heels in the downtown square and let people beat us,' that kind of stuff,' said Tammi Shafer Bailey, Decatur County Pride treasurer and festival chair. 'I'm an old protester from back in the '60s and '70s. I wasn't afraid of any of that. But, people who aren't used to that kind of stuff would be.'
Decatur County, located halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, has approximately 26,000 residents.
'We saw a need for queer joy,' she said. 'We found out quickly when we took over the group that people were afraid to come out and we wanted to show them they didn't have to be.'
Decatur County Pride was formed in 2023 by two allies. Those allies chose to step back, allowing members of the local LGBTQ+ community to take control of the group. Decatur County Pride hosted their first Pride Festival in June 2024. It hasn't been without challenges.
Bailey's goal was to hold the festival no matter what, 'we wanted to come out and show them that you can say what you want to say. Tell me you're going to show up at the Pride parade, come on, we welcome everybody. I want to show you that we're no different than you. We're your neighbors, we're your coworkers, you just don't know it.'
Hate and threats aren't uncommon.
'There's two things – one, always keep your head on a swivel when you're in public,' Bailey said.
And two, 'the thing they need to remember is that most of these people are just bullies and you'll never get anywhere cowering to a bully. You have to stand up and say no, you're not going to do this to me. That's what we try to teach our youth group, that's what we try to teach people who are afraid.'
This year, they're facing an additional challenge – funding.
'We pretty much cut back on everything. We would like to do more for the community, but pulled back.'
They received a grant that'll sustain the youth group through the year from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Beyond the festival, Decatur County Pride members also do work in the community, filling a little free pantry, organizing a youth group and an adult support group.
For Bailey, though, one of the most rewarding aspects of Pride fest is seeing the youth group members working the festival, 'meeting new people, being who they can be, who they really are out in the open, is so rewarding, because so many of them can't be. They have to hide in their school – hide everything about them and at Pride Fest we just open up and say you are who you are.'
She also loves how everyone smiles at the event — 'they may not know who they're walking past, but everybody just smiles at each other – it's like, you're different but that's okay! That's the biggest accomplishment – having a space where everybody accepts one another, because it's very rare in this world.'
LGBTQ+ Hoosiers also gather in Harrison County – Indiana's first state capital and home to roughly 40,000.
'Gay pride here in Corydon – it's anyone that feels like they've been on the fringes or not accepted into the status quo,' said Elizabeth Redding, co-founder of Harrison County Pride and Corydon Pridefest.
She founded Harrison County Pride with Corydon native Adam Schneider. Redding is originally from New York City but moved to Harrison County a few years ago as a caregiver for her mother.
'I was introduced to this area and thought, if this is going to be the community I live in, then I want to have the things I'll miss the most – and one of them would be the Pride festivals in the big cities I've lived in,' she said.
Not long after Redding moved to Corydon, she met Schneider, a gay man. Redding shared that she asked if Corydon does anything for Pride, 'and he was stunned, he's like, 'we've never even thought of it.' So I said, 'well, we're going to do this.''
That's how Harrison County Pride started in 2022. They hosted a small, informal Pride event that year, organizing the first official Corydon Pridefest in 2023. Turnout in 2023 exceeded expectations, drawing nearly 500 people. Last year's festival had approximately 1,000 attendees. This year, they expect 2,000 attendees.
'It's just amazing,' said Redding. 'Everything gets bigger!'
There has been pushback – mostly from churches, Redding noted. However, they've also received support from other faith-based institutions, particularly Corydon Presbyterian and Corydon Methodist churches, which both sponsor Pridefest. They've also found the town council to be supportive, granting permission to host Pridefest in the face of objections from citizens, even when a drag show was added to the festival.
'Our first festival didn't have,' a drag show, Redding explained, 'so the drag queen show was contested by some of the religious members of the community.'
But Redding said the town council held steady.
'They just told those people, 'look they applied to use the park. They paid their money. They've got this date set and they're going to do it.' It was really nice. This town council has conservative members but they were upholding that this is a public place. It was nice to have that backing,' Redding said.'
A look at government support for Pride month — or lack thereof
Pridefest, for Redding, is 'a heart warmer – it's very worthwhile,' seeing those who have felt like outcasts have one day where they can rejoice and feel accepted for who they are.
Batesville hosted its first Pride Festival in 2022 with between 200 and 300 in attendance. Last year they drew 500. The city on the border of Franklin and Ripley counties has a population of roughly 7,200.
'It was a group of like-minded individuals' coming together and forming Batesville Area Inclusion and Diversity, that ultimately led to Batesville's Pride festival, according to BAID's chair, Ameilia Kubicek.
Batesville, 'definitely has a bigger population than you would expect of people who are looking for diversity and inclusion and Pride,' added BAID's Pride Chair, Bee Copeland.
'We're here, we're queer, we're not going anywhere,' she continued. 'This is still small-town Batesville. There are obviously going to be people who are like, 'we don't really need that here, it's kind of in your face.''
But she said the organization fosters community.
Pride, 'has created a community for people that maybe didn't feel like they were part of the area,' Kubicek explained. 'We've been able to find like-minded people,' they said, forming friendships and support systems. Visibility is crucial in the community, fostering greater acceptance and inclusion.
The organization has advice for smaller communities like theirs who want to organize a Pride festival – be prepared for work, seek resources everywhere and don't be afraid to partner with larger communities or organizations such as the ACLU.
'It can feel daunting,' said Copeland, 'when you're a small-town group to go out and try to find those things, but it's possible.'
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