Pride events cheer Northwest Arkansas

Staff Report

Given a week to dry out after the torrential rains and threat of flooding in mid-June, the Northwest Arkansas’ LGBT community and their supporters turned out to celebrate LGBT Pride. Festivities kicked off Thursday, June 25 with an evening of “Pride at the Ballpark,” where the crowd watched the Northwest Arkansas Naturals play the Tulsa Drillers.

Spiked by the US Supreme Court's marriage equality decision, Friday’s big event was the Pride Pub Crawl, and an after party at the C4 Nightclub and Lounge. Participants donned their official t-shirts, and enjoyed a variety of drink specials at downtown clubs. Much of the crowd continued on to C4 for the Crawl After Party. C4 put on a special show featuring Taylor Madison Monroe, Karmin LaChappelle, The Lady Kakes, and the reigning Miss Gay Arkansas America Ambrosia Bordeaux, as well as LGBTQ rep sensation $erious $tanley, visiting from Tulsa.

In a celebratory mood with the return of legal same-sex marriage to Arkansas and the nation, crowds started gathering early for Saturday morning’s Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade. Participants lined up and the parade stepped off at 10am, led by Grand Marshalls Cheryl Maples and Jack Wagoner, the attorneys who represented the plaintiffs in the case that struck down Arkansas’ same-sex marriage ban.

After the parade concluded at the Walton Arts Center parking lot, the crowd moved to Wilson Park to join several hundred more of their friends for the Pride Rally and Festival. The Rally kicked off with the annual proclamation of LGBT ally Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan. The free community celebration featured live music by Voxanna, and lunch provided by Backyard Burger, PepsiCo, Sam’s Club, and the NWA Center for Equality.

Saturday’s festivities concluded with the 5th Annual White Party at the C4. Proceeds from the party fund the growth and expansion efforts of the Northwest Arkansas Pride events and the programs of the NWA Center for Equality.

The weekend wrapped with Pride Brunches in both Bentonville, at Table Mesa Bistro, and Fayetteville, at Table on the Hill on Sunday. Thousands participated in the parade, the rally and festival, and other events, up notably from the first event in 2007 that had 157 people in the parade, and about 200 spectators.

NWA Pride was founded in 2007 by Ken Boyle to promote GLBTI events in the Northwest Arkansas region. Boyle, in turn brought Joney Harper on board along with Norman Hadley. The first year, they have about a month and half to get a permit and plan the parade and rally. To meet the needs of the growing local LGBTQ and ally community, NWA Pride, Inc. recently merged with the NWA Center for Equality, the area's leading grassroots support and advocacy nonprofit supporting the lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

NWA Center for Equality said the success of NWA Pride depends on local support from corporations and other donors. Corporate sponsors of NWA Pride include PepsiCo, Eventures Party Rentals & Event Planning, C4 Nightclub and Lounge, Clark Partners Realty Group, Backyard Burgers and Sam’s Club.

Watch for more NWA Pride pictures in the August issue of The Gayly.

About NWA Center for Equality. The NWA Center for Equality is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which leads a grassroots support and advocacy movement working to achieve full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community in Northwest Arkansas. More information is available at nwaequality.org. 

The Gayly – July 9, 2015 @ 8:50am.