Laramie’s PrideFest hosted their fourth annual Pride Week last week with completely virtual get togethers.
PrideFest is a time of celebration and self-individuality. It gives people a chance to come together and be exactly who they want to be.
Mel Code, the PrideFest Board’s public relations representative, said Laramie PrideFest’s mission statement is “to use an intersectional framework to plan and host a series of community events that create an inclusive and safe environment for all in order to celebrate, honor, and support Wyoming’s LGBTQ+ community while centering the legacy of where Pride began, the 1969 Stonewall Riots.”
The week consisted of virtual meetups that had great themes and collaborations such as Pride Story hour with the Albany County Library and happy hour bar shows with Copper’s Corner and Front Street bars.
“In previous years, PrideFest focused on in-person events like drag and burlesque shows, the Pride March and Pride in the Park festival, the Matthew Shepard Vigil, and an annual dance,” explained Cody. “With this year’s concerns about COVID-19 transmission, especially to vulnerable populations like immunocompromised folks, we intentionally moved all of our events online and postponed the Matthew Shepard Vigil.”
Many local businesses put up the infamous pride flag in their windows. Turtle Rock Coffee & Cafe even handed out mini pride flags.
The Black Lives Matter movement is still taking center stage in most cities, and Laramie Pride Fest wanted to give them a spotlight during their Pride Week.
“Personally, my favorite part was the chat with Chauncey. He shared pieces of his life story with us, and his perspective as a queer black man is one that is often overlooked,” said Cody. “Listening to him was incredibly moving and powerful. I was honored to hold space for his voice to be heard.”
As many students at the University of Wyoming in Laramie are part of the LGBTQ+ community, PrideFest tries to include them as much as they can.
“We do collaborate with the university’s LGBTQ+ groups on specific projects, but we always try to make sure our events are inclusive to a broad swath of Laramie’s population,” said Cody. “UW students certainly increase our city’s LGBTQ+ population, and it’s important that queer students are included.”
With a town as small but diverse as Laramie, it is always important to have organizations that help represent and support everyone.
“We’re here!” stated Cody. “If you need help with anything, you can always reach out to us via Facebook, Instagram, or email. If you have any questions or concerns about queer life in Laramie, we want to help.”
