Latest news with #RainbowCoalition
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marysville, Westerville LGBTQ+ groups rally Pride funds as businesses pull support
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Marysville and Westerville LGBTQ+ groups said some businesses have shied away from sponsoring this year's Pride festivals, while others have stepped up to fill the financial gap. The Union County Rainbow Coalition, host of Marysville's Pride Fest, said it has encountered funding challenges as the coalition has spoken out against anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. That advocacy has yielded a drop in support from some local companies, according to organizers Christian Downey-Thompson and Betty Elswick. List: 2025 Pride Month events, festivals in central Ohio 'They've shied away because they're more performative,' Downey-Thompson said. 'They are all about throwing a party, but don't want to do any of the advocacy work that our group does to support the marginalized communities in Marysville. You can't just slap a rainbow on it and call it allyship; you actually have to do the hard work.' Issues have been ongoing since 2023, when a group named the Union County Faith Family Coalition began targeting drag performances and businesses hosting Pride events, like Walking Distance Brewing. The brewery permanently closed in February and hosted Pride events that were meant to further inclusion for Marysville's LGBTQ+ community. Members of the Faith Family Coalition began taking to social media during the summer of 2023 to denounce the brewery's drag queen shows, hurling unfounded accusations of pedophilia and grooming. Consequently, some local sponsors withdrew their support when the Rainbow Coalition spoke out in defense of Walking Distance and other LGBTQ-affirming businesses. 'We were told that they didn't want us speaking up against that, they wanted us to be quiet, and they wanted us to continue to have fun,' Elswick said. 'Well, we tried to tell them that this is not how this works. It was a really hard conversation for them and some of them were unwilling to have the conversation.' Out in Ohio: Stonewall Columbus gets ready for Pride 2025 Still, the Rainbow Coalition forged ahead with Marysville Pride Fest, taking place June 14 from 3 to 9 p.m. in Partners Park with vendors, nonprofits, animal sanctuaries, live bands and a comedian. The celebration is in part made possible by several Marysville families who stepped up to replace those local businesses with even larger donations. The coalition was also the recipient of prize money from Folx Health, an online healthcare provider for LGBTQ+ people. 'We've got more genuine giving, people are giving because of us standing up, which has been really nice,' Elswick said. 'It's kind of changed the tone of everything. It's been a positive thing on that front, is that people are giving because they want to do the work. They want us to continue our work and it's a little bit more genuine.' The Westerville Queer Collective, the group behind Westerville's Pride Festival, has also been the beneficiary of more intentional donating, according to organizer Lee Bradford. Bradford said this June's festival has about the same number of sponsors as last year, even though the collective has needed 'to do a little bit of extra campaigning' in the wake of President Donald Trump's reelection and anti-LGBTQ+ proposals at the Ohio Statehouse. 'As much as I kind of look out into the wider world of hatred and bigotry, I feel like there's a comforting amount of support here,' Bradford said. 'We've been doing a little bit more about reaching out to local businesses and trying to find support those ways.' The collective grew out of an effort in 2021 to fly a Pride flag outside City Hall, and is hosting Westerville's fifth annual festival from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 7 at the parking lot in front of Birdie Books, a LGBTQ-owned bookstore and longtime supporter of the collective. Bradford said the group has 'become a much larger part of the fabric of Westerville' throughout the past years and has garnered community support. Earlier this year, Westerville became the 13th Ohio city to ban healthcare professionals in the city from engaging in anti-LGBTQ+ practices known as 'conversion therapy' with minors. The practices falsely claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, and have been discredited by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and more. Bradford said this year's Westerville Pride features more vendors, food trucks and an increased focused on resources from organizations. NV Gay, a nonbinary photographer known for 'This is Trans,' a gallery showcasing diverse identities within the trans community, will also be at the festival to sign their recent book, 'The Queer Allies Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Being an Empowering LGBTQIA+ Ally.' Ohio lawmakers call for 2026 ballot measure to overturn same-sex marriage ban 'I think the support here is actually way bigger this year than it was last year, everybody's been coming out and saying they're excited for it,' Bradford said. 'It's hard, but pulling it off and watching something that you worked so hard for come into fruition, and you see a big celebration in the middle of town, it's so, so worth it.' Marysville and Westerville are two of several central Ohio suburbs whose LGBTQ+ organizations have struggled organizing events while fending off anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Delaware Ohio Pride, the organizers behind the city of Delaware's Pride festival, told NBC4 in March that some local entrepreneurs who previously backed the organization have cut off support and no longer offer their businesses as event space since Trump's reelection. The Fairfield County Rainbow Alliance faced targeting last September when a group called the Fairfield County Conservatives spoke out in protest of a LGBTQ+ event hosted in downtown Lancaster. The debate culminated in a city council meeting where the conservative group argued the event featured an 'obscene' drag show, but the city's top prosecutor said the performance was legally permissible and protected by the First Amendment. LGBTQ+ business owners in Lancaster said they saw a boost in sales when their shops were named to a list shared on social media by members of the conservative group. The entrepreneurs said the reverse happened when the group posted the list as part of an alleged boycott against businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Allison Russell prays for radical empathy and compassion in her and Annie Lennox's 'Superlover'
It's early April, and Grammy-winning Americana artist Allison Russell has flown to Toronto to guest judge on Canada's Drag Race in the country where she grew up. She's just released an updated version of 'Superlover,' a song from her Birds of Chicago days that she sang nightly with her Rainbow Coalition ensemble while on tour with Hozier last year. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. 'Tears of rage, tears of grief / Palestine, Israel to Tennessee / We need a superlove / Need a superlover,' Russell declares in the new version of the song she sings with artist, activist, and former Eurythmics front woman Annie Lennox. In the song's video, Russell gently plays the banjo while she and Lennox wrap their voices around the other's in a plea for understanding in these terrifying times. 'I think a superlover is anybody who leans into empathy and forbearance and compassion and understanding and forgiveness and nonviolence,' Russell says. 'The song has sort of unfortunately continued to evolve as we continue to have horrific [conflict].' 'I'm not just talking wars and invasions … but the violence that we're seeing right here at home. … There's an outright war happening on our trans siblings, health care being denied, people dying, actually, from that,' she says. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has targeted immigrants of all statuses. That is immediate and personal for Russell as she considers reentering the U.S. from Toronto. 'Our own nation's democracy is next to falling at this point. We have extrajudicial deportations. I'm at high risk for that. There's people like me with a green card and brown or Black skin who are being deported every day,' Russell says. 'Who knows if I'll be let back into the country when I come back, because having your documents is no longer a guarantee of that.' Dana Trippe 'Superlover' was released on Birds of Chicago's 2018 album, Love in Wartime. Russell has since released two solo albums, Outside Child (2021) and The Returner (2023). (The queer performer's ode to an early girlfriend who was also her escape from violence, 'Persephone,' from Outside Child, has become a touchstone for sapphic fans.) In response to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signing bills banning gender-affirming care for youth and restricting drag in her home state in 2023, Russell organized the life-affirming Love Rising concert to benefit LGBTQ+ causes. A year later, she won the Grammy for Best American Roots Performance for 'Eve Was Black.' Related: Along the way, she became a part of the 'Joni Jammers,' including Brandi Carlile, Lucius, SistaStrings, Celisse, and Lennox, who've supported Joni Mitchell's return to the stage in recent years. Russell brings her singular voice and clarinet solos to Mitchell hits. She and Lennox met at a three-day celebration of music and Mitchell at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State in 2023. They were an instant match as musicians and activists. Lennox has advocated for women and children with HIV or AIDS for decades, and both women have been outspoken about the horrors in Palestine. 'I think that both she and I are sensitive empaths who've lived a fair bit of trauma each in our own way. I think we're aligned in the sense that we don't have an arbitrary line drawn between what is personal and what is political,' Russell says. Russell wasn't even a year old when Lennox had her first hit with Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams' in 1983. 'I've been listening to Annie Lennox my whole life. My mom loved her music. I can't think of one person who doesn't know 'Sweet Dreams' and dancing to it,' she says. They've since become chosen family. 'My daughter calls her Granny Annie,' Russell shares. Russell calls these times 'a global phenomenon of the rise of authoritarianism and fascism and far-right domination, hierarchical extraction, exploitation, violence, greed, hoarding,' adding, 'Obviously, it's terrifying when America does it because we have the dominant military in the world and a terrifying arsenal of weapons, and we've been doing a lot of damage already.' 'We'll do more, apparently, until there is a critical mass of enough of us being superlovers to say 'Enough,'' she says. Still, Russell sees solace and light in community building onstage and off. 'I believe we are capable of better. I know Annie also believes that, and to me, every day is an opportunity for harm reduction,' Russell says of hope. 'I'm not under any delusion that all violence will end and everybody will love each other, but there's ways that we can chip away at the severity of harm.' Watch the official "Superlovers" video here:
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Sanders campaign advisor knocks former boss for catering to White liberals with AOC anti-oligarchy tour
Former Bernie Sanders campaign advisor Tezlyn Figaro called out the Democratic Party for failing to adapt its messaging beyond White liberals. Since the Democratic Party's historic loss to President Donald Trump in November, the party has been struggling to find a new message or leader to rally around. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have spoken at rallies across the country, but Figaro argued that they need to change their messaging strategy, particularly when it comes to Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. "Bernie Sanders' demographic, and I'm just going to be honest, the progressive demographic, the Rainbow Coalition, is White liberals, pretty much, White progressives," Figaro told host Charlamagne tha God on the Breakfast Club podcast. "There's still a lack of talking to those that have completely given up, completely disenfranchised." Bernie Sanders, Aoc Take Aim At Trump And Musk, As Well As Democrats Sanders had recently appeared at the Coachella music festival, a festival whose tickets, as Figaro observed, cost hundreds of dollars. "He is talking to a very progressive, White-ran movement, to me," the former advisor to Sanders said. "Even if you're Hispanic, it's still White-adjacent." Read On The Fox News App "He struggles when dealing with race. I'm saying this as his formal racial justice director," Figaro added. She also argued that the mega-wealthy are simply not top-of-mind for many people. "Everybody ain't mad at rich people, Charlamagne," she said. "Like, people are really trying to get the bag." Charlemagne argued that Sanders, all things considered, is a better vessel for this message than many Democrats. "I think the 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour is a good message," Charlamagne said, arguing, "it's not a hypocritical message from Bernie Sanders and AOC, but for a majority of the Democratic Party it's a hypocritical message because they're all taking money from the billionaires and the corporate lobbyists." Figaro argued that such messaging falls on deaf ears for different constituencies. "Well, the hood don't know who the [oligarchy] is," she replied, mispronouncing the word. "I don't even know what the hell you were talking about. I mean, they don't. You know, when people are talking about 'neo-liberal' – all of that, they don't know what you're talking about," Figaro argued. "So there's different messages people need to have to engage." She also argued that the Democratic Party is simply "too big." "It's too big. It needs to be broken down. Everybody is not going to relate to Bernie Sanders. Everybody is not going to relate to AOC. Everybody is not going to relate to Jasmine Crockett. Everybody is not going to relate to me." Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders and did not receive an immediate article source: Ex-Sanders campaign advisor knocks former boss for catering to White liberals with AOC anti-oligarchy tour
Fox News
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Ex-Sanders campaign advisor knocks former boss for catering to White liberals with AOC anti-oligarchy tour
Former Bernie Sanders campaign advisor Tezlyn Figaro called out the Democratic Party for failing to adapt its messaging beyond White liberals. Since the Democratic Party's historic loss to President Donald Trump in November, the party has been struggling to find a new message or leader to rally around. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have spoken at rallies across the country, but Figaro argued that they need to change their messaging strategy, particularly when it comes to Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. "Bernie Sanders' demographic, and I'm just going to be honest, the progressive demographic, the Rainbow Coalition, is White liberals, pretty much, White progressives," Figaro told host Charlamagne tha God on the Breakfast Club podcast. "There's still a lack of talking to those that have completely given up, completely disenfranchised." Sanders had recently appeared at the Coachella music festival, a festival whose tickets, as Figaro observed, cost hundreds of dollars. "He is talking to a very progressive, White-ran movement, to me," the former advisor to Sanders said. "Even if you're Hispanic, it's still White-adjacent." "He struggles when dealing with race. I'm saying this as his formal racial justice director," Figaro added. She also argued that the mega-wealthy are simply not top-of-mind for many people. "Everybody ain't mad at rich people, Charlamagne," she said. "Like, people are really trying to get the bag." Charlemagne argued that Sanders, all things considered, is a better vessel for this message than many Democrats. "I think the 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour is a good message," Charlamagne said, arguing, "it's not a hypocritical message from Bernie Sanders and AOC, but for a majority of the Democratic Party it's a hypocritical message because they're all taking money from the billionaires and the corporate lobbyists." Figaro argued that such messaging falls on deaf ears for different constituencies. "Well, the hood don't know who the [oligarchy] is," she replied, mispronouncing the word. "I don't even know what the hell you were talking about. I mean, they don't. You know, when people are talking about 'neo-liberal' – all of that, they don't know what you're talking about," Figaro argued. "So there's different messages people need to have to engage." She also argued that the Democratic Party is simply "too big." "It's too big. It needs to be broken down. Everybody is not going to relate to Bernie Sanders. Everybody is not going to relate to AOC. Everybody is not going to relate to Jasmine Crockett. Everybody is not going to relate to me." Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders and did not receive an immediate reply.
