Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 2:46 AM | Published: June 2, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Pride Month in Oklahoma City kicked off at the Oklahoma City Pride Alliance (OKCPA) Opening Ceremony on June 1, eager to ring in the beginning of a month of festivities.
While the daunting thunder boomed from cloudy skies, crowds gathered around as guest speakers and officials spoke on subjects essential to the LGBTQIA+ community and made announcements about this year’s festivities until eventually ending the event early due to rain.
At 7:00 pm on the Water Stage at the Myriad Gardens, which was adorned with Pride flags and rainbow-colored balloon displays, Kenda Wilson Clements, Sarah Adams, and Kelley Blair, all Two-Spirit citizens of the Choctaw nation, led the crowd in a “Land Back acknowledgment.”
The three guests discussed the value of mental health care, especially for young, Queer, Indigenous folks as well as issues important to Indigenous Oklahomans like Senate Bill 429, which will protect Native citizens’ right to wear their regalia to graduation. While speaking on these topics and other recent news, Blair pointed out the butterflies making laps around the stage.
“Butterflies represent transition and change,” they said. “We have lots of change in our community right now, but that’s a good thing.”
Some of the topics of the evening included recent legislation creating barriers for Queer youth (especially Trans youth) including House Bill 2177 and Senate Bill 613, both proposing restrictions to gender-affirming care for minors and adults.
After the Land Back acknowledgment, Durant introduced the Youth Committee Chairs, Annie Roberts and Collin McPherson. The co-chairs took the stage, discussing the Queer Prom, which took place May 24th, the upcoming Pride on the Plaza June 9th, and additional youth programming during the weekend of PrideFest.
Roberts spoke on the power of being out and proud coming from a smaller town in Oklahoma, acknowledging the importance of events like PrideFest for visibility for young Queer folks.
“My personal mission as one of the youth chairs is to provide spaces to be ourselves,” Roberts said. “Its hard to come up and be not afraid of who we are. I was there, and I know what that feels like.”
McPherson discussed the importance of mental health, especially regarding suicide prevention, and shared a poem entitled “Erasing History.”
Before moving on to more announcements, OKCPA president Kylan Durant spoke on this year’s theme – “Queer Joy: The Resistance.”
“Queer joy in itself is resistance,” Durant said. “Pride started as a riot. When we think about that history of Pride, it wasn’t just a party. It was people standing up and saying ‘I deserve to be visible and to have the rights that other people have. So celebrate the Queer joy, but celebrate it knowing that it is a resistance and it’s rebellious.”
Durant introduced the board members to the crowd and discussed the importance of including Black, Indigenous, and Trans people in all discussions, but especially in this year’s PrideFest. He also discussed the recent conversations of drag bans, brought on by House Bill 2186, which contained language targeting drag performances in public spaces. This, in combination with House Bill 2177 and Senate Bill 613, has significantly elevated the urgency of conversations about LGBTQIA+ rights in Oklahoma.
Representative Mauree Turner joined the Opening Ceremony both as a guest speaker for the event and as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Turner is the representative for Oklahoma’s 88th House District and is Queer and Non-binary.
It’s especially poignant that Representative Turner had a chance to speak at the Opening Ceremony because this past March was a tough time for the House Democrat. Following a February 28th vote on House Bill 2177, House Speaker Charles McCall accused Turner of impeding a law enforcement investigation, and Turner was censured by leaders.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I would say today and the best thing is to be painstakingly honest,” Turner said. “I woke up crying this morning, but I think for the best reason. I’m happy I made it to June 1st. I’m happy to be in the presence of all of you.”
They teared up in their speech, moved by the weight of the moment, discussing ways that the Queer community has taken back their power and been “disciplined in hope.”
“I think this was a hard [lesiglative] session for all of us,” Turner said, “It affects our lives in very tangible ways.”
After Turner’s speech, representatives from ACLU, Freedom Oklahoma, and The Diversity Center of Oklahoma officially ushered in the start of Pride Month.
“Pride belongs to the people and not the governments that fall short,” Durant said, as those on stage cut a Rainbow ribbon, which eventually would be cut into pieces and shared with those in attendance.
Legends and Rebels
On June 1, OKCPA officials announced the grand marshalls of this year’s PrideFest. Those selected will lead the parade at 11:00 am June 25th at Scissortail Park. This year’s grand marshalls are Kelley Blair and Nicole McAfee, chosen as one “legend” and one “rebel,” a reference to OKCPA’S 2019 theme of “Legends and Rebels.”
Nicole McAfee, Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma, was chosen as the “rebel.” McAfee talked about the importance of looking past a baseline of survival as Queer folks.
“I want Trans kids to grow up to be Trans adults, and I want them to be able to stay here in Oklahoma, but we also we deserve so much happiness,” McAfee said.
Kelley Blair, Founder of The Diversity Center of Oklahoma, was chosen as the “legend.” They gave a new perspective to the audience, talking about the evolution of language in the Queer community and the introduction of newly-named identities.
“I remember finding out what Two Spirit meant, and I knew then that I felt like I fit in,” they said. “The fact that we have words now for what were unnamed identifies is a beautiful thing. This isn’t a trend. We have been here all the time. We exist. And we aren’t going anywhere.”
The moment everyone’s been waiting for…
The Opening Ceremony served as a time to reflect and acknowledge, but it also served as a time to gear up for Pride Month Festivities, all leading up to PrideFest June 23-25 at Scissortail Park.
On June 1, after a collective drumroll, OKCPA officials prepared to officially announce the Pridefest headliners and featured artists, news that’s been kept exclusive until that evening. Right before the announcement, the rain finally broke loose on the stage, cutting the evening short.
The show went on, though, and attendees were invited to join in a “Toast to Queer Joy” at The Study in Film Row, coming together to ring in the month with champagne provided by The Study. In a change of plans, Durant announced the headliners and featured artists at the Study at that time and made the announcement officially on social media June 2.
This year’s headlining act has been revealed as iconic Pop/Rock duo Aly & AJ with the featured artists LGBTQIA+ musical artist Myylo, UK-based LGBTQIA+ singer Patrick Saint James, and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Adore Delano.
June 23 – Aly and AJ
Aly & AJ is a Pop/Rock duo of sisters Aly Michalka and AJ Michalka, who made waves in the 2000s, landing spots on Disney Channel Original Movies. Their hit single “Potential Breakup Song” reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007.
In 2021, they came back with a punch with brand new music and re-recordings of some of their 2000s hits, including “Potential Breakup Song.” The duo has come back in full force and just released their fifth studio album, With Love From, in March 2023.
In recent years, Aly & AJ have been especially outspoken in social issues, partnering with organizations like The Trevor Project, Planned Parenthood, GLAAD, and more.
June 23 – Patrick Saint James
Manchester-based LGBTQ+ pop singer-songwriter is joining the PrideFest lineup on June 23rd. He has shared the stage with major artists like Kate Nash.
June 23 – Adore Delano
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Six star and American Idol Season Six and Seven star Adore Delano is taking on the PrideFest stage June 23rd.
June 24 – Myylo
Myylo is an emerging Nashville-based Pop singer-songwriter. He was featured in LGBTQIA+ magazine The Gay Times, talking about the need for LGBTQIA+ visibility in music.
Let the festivities begin
This Pride Month, there’s no shortage of ways to participate, with activities going on all month long like a sober dance party at Factory Obscura on June 17th and ongoing soccer and volleyball games.
The headliner and the featured artists will be taking the stages across June 23-25, among other featured local performers. OKCPA officials will be making more announcements soon about the times and locations of the headliners, featured artists, and local performers.
One of those local performers is singer and instrumentalist Levi Jack Taylor. He said he couldn’t be more excited to be performing alongside such icons.
He’s attended Pride events for the past several years, but he said this year feels especially full of programming, especially for people of different backgrounds and for people who don’t drink alcohol, as Pride celebrations have a history of centering around bars.
“Every year, I feel like I learn about different layers of what Pride means,” Taylor said. “You can tell that the Pride Alliance really amped up their programming this year because they have so much stuff going on in the month of June.”
He was one of many in attendance at the kickoff and felt especially touched by the words of Representative Turner, speaking on what it means to be LGBTQITA+ in a state with a large Christian population.
“I feel like what summed up my feelings about Pride in Oklahoma was when Mauree Turner was talking about how the buckle of the Bible belt is a magical place to be Queer because that’s the feeling I get every time I’m at Pride in OKC,” Taylor said.
This year’s Pride events through June
June 3 at 2:00 pm – Pooch Parade at Bar K
June 6 at 6:00 pm – Queer Soccer Sanctuary
June 9 at 6:00 pm – Pride on the Plaza
June 10 at 4:00 pm – DeadCenter Happy Hour at Mary Eddys
June 12 at 6:00 pm – Queer volleyball pick-up game at Mesta Park
June 17 at 12:00 pm – Monster Drawing Rally at 21c
June 17 at 7:00 pm – Sober Dance Party
June 20 at 6:00 pm – Queer Soccer Sanctuary
June 22 at 7:00 pm – Ross Mathews at Tower Theatre
For more details about this month’s activities
Zoe Travers has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks. She is also Oklahoma City’s most enthusiastic connoisseur of cheese danishes.
