Mid-MO PrideFest celebrated its 15th year Saturday, 50 years after the Stonewall Inn riots which initiated the Pride movement and fight for LGBTQ+ rights in 1969. Pride Day is June 28th, the day of the Stonewall riots in 1969, but Mid-MO Pride takes place in August to accommodate college students who may be uncomfortable or unable to go to a Pride event in their hometown. With 85 vendors and just as many sponsors, this year broke the previous record for attendance at Mid-MO Pride. The weather was beautiful and encouraged a large turnout, including many Hickman students. 

Sidney Hanson (they/them) and Grace Gomez-Palacio (he/she/they), both juniors, are a queer couple who attended Pride together. I found them cuddled up on a gay pride flag, enjoying some live music on Rose Music Hall’s outdoor stage. I sat down to speak with them about the event, and when I asked about the importance of Pride, Grace said Columbia “is already a very progressive community and Pride is a great way to show visibility, to show solidarity, and to come out- Figuratively and literally.” We spoke of the many successes the queer community has had in the 50 years since Stonewall, Sidney bringing up acceptance in public spaces and the legality of same-sex marriage. “We’ve come a long way since then,” they said. 

However, the queer community still faces lots of problems and pushback even in today’s day and age. “You’re always on your guard,” Grace said. “Any queer couple, anybody. You’re always on edge and I don’t know when or if that’s gonna change. Especially for teenagers, you know? Some of the stuff you hear on the bus you’re like, ‘Oh, okay… I get it, you’d rather I was dead.’” Both Grace and Sidney agreed the future is uncertain for LGBTQ+ people, Sidney specifying their fears regarding the discrimination queer people face during the search for employment. As we spoke, Rose Park began to fill and the pop punk band played on, we could easily see the masses of Pride-goers making their way along Park Avenue looking at booths and getting free swag. 

There has been discourse within the LGBTQ+ community about whether or not Pride should be a festival. Some feel it should be a protest, the way it was intended when Pride Day was created in 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots. Sidney’s perspective is different, saying “I feel like a festival setting is a much more inviting way to have Pride. I also feel like it doesn’t have to be not also a protest in a way to further our fight for rights because you see some of the booths here that are still about ‘here are things we can change’… so, it doesn’t have to be just one or the other, you know?” They were right; organizations such as Boone County Democrats, the Center Project, Planned Parenthood, and Moms Demand Action were there with literature, asking for pledges and signatures to create positive changes for the queer community.

As I made my way out of the park, a poofy rainbow skirt caught my eye. Its owner was also wearing a pale pink Mid-MO PrideFest shirt and chunky rainbow jewelry. This bold look was juxtaposed with a walkie-talkie and earpiece, immediately alerting me this person was important. I had crossed paths with Wayne Boykin-Rudolph (he/him), also known as Amanda Lay in the drag community. Wayne is the Entertainment Chair of Mid-MO Pride, and coordinated the bands and drag show which occurred later in the night. He has been a drag entertainer for 12 years and believes Columbia is a great place for the LGBTQ+ community. He spoke of it as a beacon of acceptance for surrounding rural areas that may not feel welcome in their local communities. One of the reasons Pride is so important in his opinion is because “it’s impertinent to make sure that people in this area know that they’re loved, they’re welcome, and they have a place. And without a Pride, you’re not gonna know what venues, what businesses support us… so it just shows that Columbia’s very forward. They know the right side of our history and they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is.”