Pride, equality in Tahlequah

As large rain clouds and gray skies gave way to sunshine, rainbows could be seen throughout Norris Park Sunday, June 1, during Tahlequah’s First Gay Pride Picnic.

An estimated 300 to 500 people were in attendance, sharing picnics on blankets and showing support for the LGBTQ2 – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer/Questioning, Two-Spirited – community.

Carden Crow, co-founder of TahlEquality and organizer of the event, was pleased with the turnout.

“It’s nice to see this level of support in the community,” said Crow. “It’s inspiring to see the amount of alliances and heterosexual families in attendance.”

Families and groups of friends had set up shade tents and clusters of blankets and chairs. Many had brought their own coolers and food, and were settled in for an afternoon of music and entertainment.

In between bands and dance music, Joshua Harris-Till made announcements as master of ceremonies. Till is a recent graduate of Northeastern State University and has been friends with Crow for many years. He is currently running as a Democratic candidate for Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District, but was there just to volunteer.

“This is a phenomenal event of like-minded people,” said Till. “I’m not here campaigning, but just to support friends. It’s wonderful to have this safe zone of inclusion.”

People might have been surprised to see a politician at a Tahlequah gay pride rally, but more interesting to some was a Department of Human Services booth, where staff members were asking attendees if they were interested in becoming foster parents.

“We’re in desperate need of foster parents,” said Dana Rogers, a foster care worker. “We wanted to let the community know that we do not discriminate against single parents or same-sex couples.”

According to Rogers, there are 52 foster families in Cherokee County, and only 12 are “traditional” families. The DHS has not had an open family in which to place children in six months.

“A lot of people stopped by the table and said they didn’t know that nontraditional families can be foster families,” said Jeromy Klinger, DHS worker. “We do anything to get good, loving families.”

Another booth focusing on families was manned by Rachel Green, an associate professor at Northeastern State University. She had sign-up sheets for those interested in starting and attending meetings of PFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

“I’ve been trying to start a PFLAG in Tahlequah for a couple of years,” said Green, who is a PFLAG mom and aunt. “It’s good to have someone to talk to who’s been through a similar situation.”

Green also commented on the event T-shirts, which sold out in under an hour.

“I love it! They say ‘Making history,’ and here we are, doing just that,” she said.

The table next to the PFLAG tent had traveled from Oklahoma City. The Freedom Oklahoma group was there, with pledges to sign in favor of legalizing gay marriage and the desire to open dialogue about discrimination.

Most people in attendance were current Tahlequah residents or had lived here at some point.

Jackie Smith had heard about the Gay Pride Picnic through friends and Facebook. She was there with her three boys; her partner, Sherri Mouse; and her daughter. Two of her boys had rainbows painted on their faces.

“This is a good place to bring the family,” said Smith. “There are more same-sex couples raising kids nowadays. More events like this should happen.”

Mouse agreed.

No protesters showed up, and Tahlequah Police Chief Nate King reported there were no incidents that required officers to be dispatched.

“There’s been no complications,” said Shronn Schuelke, co-organizer. “Everything’s gone very, very well. I keep hearing how positive everything feels. I hope this is the beginning of a long-standing tradition of freedom of expression and acceptance in this community.”

Schuelke was a main organizer for the smart mob dance. It started with her, Tills, and another volunteer, Chendre Taie, but grew to a crowd of a few dozen throughout the song.

Other entertainment that brought the picnickers off of their blankets were the drag queen, and king, performances. The whole area surrounding the concrete space of Norris Park was packed as performers lip-synched and danced to music.

“This event put a stamp on this town,” said Taie. “It was a joy to come out and help with the event and show support for people who are close to me.”

by Sheri Gourd, Staff Writer, Tahlequah Daily Press, Tahlequah, OK

Copyright 2014 by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., shared by the Associated Press.

The Gayly – June 4, 2014 @ 10:20am