History will be made next week in Gadsden, with the city’s first annual LGBTQ+ Pride event. Rain Center Pride is slated for 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. June 26 at the Rain Center at 914 Forrest Avenue, in Gadsden.
“The event is completely free to enter for the first hour, then it is a small donation, just whatever you can afford to give,” said Savannah Miles, organizer of the event, “It is family friendly, especially for the first hour and a half.”
The event is being hosted by RACE Against Injustice NOW and will have free food and a “drip” contest with prizes for the winners. Miles also said that there will be many performers later in the night, including DJ Dinero and a couple of drag artists.
“We celebrate YOU whether you’re gay, trans, pan, bi, or one of our allies!” the group wrote in a Facebook post promoting the event.
Miles also said that several organizations will be in attendance, such as the Mosaic Church, an LGBTQ+ affirming church in Gadsden, and Free Mom Hugs of Alabama, which is a statewide group that offers “mom hugs” to those in the LGBTQ+ community that may not have that support from their parents.
The Health Service Center will also be in attendance, providing resources on HIV/AIDS education and other health issues.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate love and acceptance,” Miles explained, “Just for people to know that there is a place in town that will love them and accept them for who they are.”
To be hosting the first pride celebration in Gadsden is something that is important to Miles, “I struggled with my own LGBTQ+ identity for a long time, so I wanted to be able to create that space for people who struggle with theirs as well.”
“This is what RACE Against Injustice NOW is all about: building a safe space in the community where there really wasn’t a space before,” she said, “We recognize the need for having an affirming and loving space for people and so that was one of our goals for creating the event.”
The RAIN Center was created as a way to build a “youth-led community space” in the city of Gadsden. Their goal is to support BIPOC, LGBTQ+, poor and homeless communities on a daily basis to provide them the support they need. They are also partnered with the Highlander Center in Tennessee to help make what they do possible.
“We’re really thankful and appreciative for all of the support we have gotten, and are looking forward to having a really good time next Saturday,” Miles said.
LGBTQ+ Pride began in New York City with the first pride march on June 28, 1970. This day is significant because this was the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, where members of the community rose up against police, discriminatory practices and laws that made it illegal for them to exist freely. It grew into “Gay Pride Day” — celebrated on the last Sunday in June. Since then, it has grown into a month-long celebration.
“By all estimates, there were three to five thousand marchers at the inaugural Pride in New York City, and today marchers in New York City number in the millions,” according to the Library of Congress, “Since 1970, LGBTQ+ people have continued to gather together in June to march with Pride and demonstrate for equal rights.”
To learn more about LGBTQ+ Pride, visit the Library of Congress’s website. To learn more about RACE Against Injustice NOW, visit their website. For any questions about the event, contact Miles at (256) 390-0703.
