Last Updated on June 29, 2024, 5:44 PM | Published: June 27, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City’s PrideFest is experiencing fallout as organizations and businesses sever ties with the event following the Oklahoma Pride Alliance’s (OKPA) recent public stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
OKPA leaders confirm that this year’s PrideFest will continue as planned, although the financial future of the organization is now less certain.
The controversy arose when OKPA posted an illustration on social media featuring individuals wearing shirts produced by Soft Hand, a local company with text reading, “Oklahoma Pride Alliance supports a Free Palestine.”
The graphic and caption have since been deleted, and the caption of that post is no longer available. Despite Soft Hand’s history of advocating for various causes including LGBTQ+ issues, reproductive rights, and transgender rights, it is not an official sponsor of OKPA.
Several sponsors are no longer listed on the PrideFest website after having been listed on the website in May. These include:
- Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS).
- Love’s Travel Stops.
- Bank of Oklahoma.
- Continental Resources.
- Arnall Foundation.
- Devon Energy
- VI Marketing and Branding.
- Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co.
- Omni Hotels & Resorts.
Love’s Travel Stops corporation had an official statement they promptly shared with Free Press upon our request. This is their statement in full as sent to us:
Love’s made the decision last week to withdraw our participation from this year’s parade when we discovered a call to action on the Oklahoma Pride Alliance website for attendees to march with the Soft Hand organization in support of their Free Palestine stance. This decision was not made lightly as we have sponsored the Oklahoma Pride Alliance’s PrideFest for the past five years. We reached out directly to Oklahoma Pride Alliance to better understand their reasoning for soliciting political-type support in the event. While Love’s 100% believes that everyone has the right to express their political views, the conflict regarding the direction of the 2024 Oklahoma PrideFest Parade raised concerns around the potential risk to our employees’ safety and the alignment with our culture of respecting and taking care of others.
Oklahoma City Public Schools sits this one out
OKCPS withdrew from this year’s PrideFest parade, citing the organization’s stance on Free Palestine. The district has participated since the Board of Education passed a resolution of support in 2017. The result was the first-ever appearance of a school bus, leaders, and staff being in the 2017 Pride Parade, with participation in every one since.
Now, after five years of participation in the parade, a June 24 statement emailed to district staff laid out a new approach to the district’s previously high-visibility participation.
“We believe that the Oklahoma Pride Alliance’s recent stance with Free Palestine takes away from our original intent of participating in the parade and other Pride activities,” reads one part of the statement. “After careful consideration, OKCPS has decided to withdraw our participation from this year’s parade.”
The email emphasized the district’s continued support for LGBTQ+ students, families, and staff through other initiatives and partnerships.
On a phone call, Free Press asked Paula Lewis, OKCPS Board Chair, if this move represented a change in the Board.
“It’s not a change in the Board. It was a change in the parade,” Lewis told Free Press in a phone call. “We attend all our parades, right? We attend Fiesta de las Americas and MLK [parades], and it’s because we want to support that, you know, we affirm everybody. The strength of our district is diversity.”
“When it became more of an us-against-them, we can’t do that,” continued Lewis. “It’s not in line with Oklahoma City Public Schools, and we educate all kids, okay?”
“It just takes it into a political place that the school doesn’t need to be,” Lewis said.
OKPA responds to criticism and loss of some sponsors
“While we are an inclusive group and support the rights of all marginalized communities, our focus and the event’s focus remains on our core mission — to foster a sense of community and belonging for Oklahoma’s 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals,” OKPA President Kylan Durant said. “We are proud of the continued growth we are experiencing and the support we are receiving from community leaders and look forward to the opportunity PrideFest 2024 presents to connect, celebrate and be seen in a safe and explicitly affirming environment.”
The post was deleted, a decision explained by Durant: “Our board made a decision to remove an Oklahoma Pride Alliance social media post made earlier this month that addressed the humanitarian crisis taking place in Palestine. We received some questions about the post and the board agreed the best decision for the event was to remove it.”
OKPA officials did not mention the global conflict during the June 1 Opening Ceremonies, despite speaking out on social media. The ceremonies primarily focused on the passing of non-binary and Indigenous student Nex Benedict.
Guest speaker and trans advocate Susan Stryker noted this omission.
“One thing I haven’t yet heard mentioned that I would really like to mention is that we are gathered here to celebrate when the genocide is happening somewhere else,” Stryker said at the Opening Ceremonies. “And I would hope that you will join me as I stand in solidarity with the many Jewish people in my friendship circle in my family, as well as my Palestinian and Muslim friends to call for an immediate ceasefire.”
The backlash and withdrawal of sponsors, however, have not impacted the planned schedule for PrideFest 2024. The event proceeds as planned, continuing its mission to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community in Oklahoma City.
Current sponsors include Paycom, the Diversity Center of Oklahoma, the OKC Zoo, Tower Theatre, 84 Hospitality Group, Kroger, Chesapeake Energy, Factory Obscura, Heartland, Downtown OKC, and more.
PrideFest takes place at Scissortail Park from June 28-30, featuring the theme “Queer Justice: Colors of Change.” Highlights include performances by Naomi Smalls, Big Freedia, and DJ Shaun Ross. The event also offers vendor booths, family activities, community resources, and local artist performances.