Columbia’s LGBTQ community continues to celebrate its pride and visibility in September, but it does not mean events are not planned for the traditional Pride Month in June.
In a year marked by the passage of various anti-LGBTQ legislation, including in Missouri impacting transgender youth health care access and sports participation, as well as some trans adult health care access, Mid-Missouri Pridefest and other pride-related events will happen to ensure continued support of LGBTQ youth, said Janet Davis, Pridefest board president.
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Since the wider Columbia community is so supportive of its LGBTQ neighbors, it gives the community a chance to “redouble our efforts to show, especially the youth, that we are here to support them, stand up for them and that we are not going to quit.
The Pridefest committee and The Center Project, mid-Missouri’s LGBTQ community center, have partnered to host events on June 10. The day will start off with the second annual Rainbow Ride with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. from Peace Park at Elm Street between South Eighth and Ninth Streets in the Downtown District. The ride commences at 10 a.m. and lasts until noon when it returns to the park.
The Rainbow Ride supports The Center Project’s emergency fund supporting individuals “with immediate, short-term financial support to LGBTQ adults and/or their dependents experiencing financial insecurity and lack of support.”
“It mainly supports the emergency fund, but also a few other things as we need as they are them coming up,” Davis said.
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Peace Park also will play host the youth talent show and gayest pet contest starting at 11 a.m. that day, hosted by Pridefest. Entry is free for both events. Registration for the talent show starts at 10:30 a.m. with the show starting at 11 a.m. Pet contest registration starts at 11:30 a.m. and the contest starts at noon. Entertainment also will be provided by The Quorus, Columbia’s LGBTQ community choir and Mid-Missouri Pridefest royalty. The event wraps up at 3 p.m.
The Pridefest Youth Royalty and Adult Royalty pageants will happen in June, as well. The family-friendly youth pageant is 6 p.m. June 2 at The Blue Note, while the adult pageant is 7 p.m. June 23, also at The Blue Note. The pageants also serve as the chance for Pridefest to announce headliners for September, which last year included RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Laila McQueen and Aiden Zhane.
Davis does not expect protesting to occur at events in June and September but does recognize that still could change.
“Columbia is an immensely blue bubble in a huge sea of red. I feel extremely lucky with the current and previous mayor that they put so much effort into making the LGBTQ community feels safe here,” she said. “I think that we are in a safe space. Can that change any moment of any day of any year, absolutely it can.”
This year also marks the second annual Pridefest parade in downtown Columbia.
“It went 10,000 times better than I could have even begun to imagine it going. It was so supported and we did not get any negative response,” Davis said about last year’s inaugural parade.
Pridefest in September could not operate the way it does without volunteers. There currently are about 35 volunteers, but upward of 150 are needed.
“One hundred fifty would make me sit on cloud nine because then it would be that extra overlap, but 100 to 125 would be amazing. It takes a lot to get it going,” Davis said.
Those who would like to volunteer can get more information through midmopride.org/volunteer, and for those who would like to join specific committees, there are the Mid-MO Pridefest meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
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Other events happening in June are part of regular, ongoing activities by The Center Project and The Dandy Lion Cafe in Ashland, along with other planned events by entertainment and educational organization Nclusion+.
The Center Project’s monthly game night is 6 p.m. June 6, while its monthly drop-in coffee morning is 10 a.m. June 18.
The Dandy Lion hosts regular trivia nights, as well as Nclusion+ presented drag brunches and drag queen story hours. Trivia nights are for those 18 and older, while the drag brunches and story hours are family friendly. Seating is limited for the story hour, so pre-registration is required to ensure entry.
The pride month trivia night starts 7 p.m. June 2. The story hour is 10 a.m. June 10, and while there is not a drag brunch scheduled in June, there are events scheduled for July, September and November.
Nclusion+ has a slate of events planned locally and in support of other communities throughout June. Tickets are needed for all events. In Columbia, Nclusion+ will host The Widow Von’du and Loris 7:30 p.m. June 8 at The Blue Note. A Trivia and Brunch event is planned 10:45 a.m. June 17 at Dogmaster Distillery. Later that same day is Drag2Nite: Disney Edition starting 7:30 p.m. at Serendipity Salon and Gallery. The brunch event is all-ages and family friendly. The Sunday Social drag show starts 4 p.m. June 18 at The Social Room.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.