Squelching Westboro, Topeka shows Pride

Topeka Chief of Police is Grand Marshal

by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

Topeka is at it again…showing Pride, that is. It’s time for their second annual Topeka Pride Festival on September 26 & 27 with events scheduled for the entire week beginning September 21. And now, Pride billboards…oh, my!

“Last September, we held the first true LGBT community pride in the North Topeka Arts District (NOTO) and we had more than 2000 attendees,” said Stephanie Mott, Topeka Pride President. “This year, we will be holding our first Pride Parade in conjunction with the street festival on Sunday, September 27.”

Mott said Topeka Pride is important because all across the city of Topeka, there are still many LGBT individuals who are in the closet. The city “carries the stain” of Westboro Baptist Church and Topeka Pride is helping to change that image.

“We have some youth members of our Topeka Pride board who believe that they have the ability to make a difference in the world,” Mott said. “They believe that they can be who they are and love who they love. I believe that Topeka Pride helps these and other young people to see their city and their lives in a different way.”

Organizers say they have focused on celebrating diversity of all kinds, working hard to make sure they are putting on a family-friendly event. They want to be able to show that LGBT values are community values, that the entire community is important. “This helps people begin to understand that we are more than our orientations and identities.” For example, since inception they have collected food donations for all the food pantries in Topeka.

“I can't begin to tell you how many LGBT individuals came up to me during and after last year's pride with tears in their eyes saying that they never believed that they would see such an event in Topeka in their lifetime,” continues Mott with passion. “We have lived for so long under the shadow of the image of a Topeka that is defined by the idea that we are an anti-LGBT city, both from Westboro Baptist Church and from the Kansas legislature, and having a pride event speaks loudly that we are more than that.”

Mott was thrilled to announce, “We are excited that the Topeka Chief of Police, James Brown, will be our Grand Marshal. Chief Brown was hired about a year ago and after a few months, I set up a meeting with him to talk about Topeka and our LGBT citizens. We talked about the possibility of doing training for officers and recruits.”  

Mott said they spoke about having an LGBT presence on his advisory board and working on building a stronger relationship between the LGBT citizens and the police department.

“He was very open to all of these things,” she added. “Then, as we began planning this year's pride and we wanted to do a parade, it seemed like a great idea to ask him to be our Grand Marshal. He accepted without hesitation. When I asked him if it was okay for me to make a public announcement about him being the Grand Marshal, he said, ‘Yes. It's an honor.’”

Brown recently appointed Mott to his advisory board.

As if a gay Pride event and the Police Chief as Grand Marshal weren’t enough, now there are the billboards…“Last year there was the ‘God Loves Gays’ billboard that went up in Topeka,” Mott proclaimed. “Our Topeka Pride Vice President, Kimberly Daugherty said she wanted to put up a billboard that said ‘Topeka Pride.’”  

Mott said that night she put up a page on the website seeking donations and within 48 hours they met just over the goal needed to put up the billboard, which is scheduled to go up August 31 at 21st & Western in Topeka.  

“Many people donated and many people helped spread the word,” Mott added giving Daugherty much credit for her role in Topeka Pride. “As we were closing in on our goal, Planting Peace (Equality House) pledged $232 in matching funds and that really closed the deal.”

Mott said in closing that she feels the billboard is important because it will help create hope for LGBT individuals who are struggling. It helps begin to change the image of Topeka and it helps create a sense of unity among people who far-too-often believe that they are alone.

For more info, to donate, sponsor or volunteer about Topeka Pride, visit www.topekapride.org.

TOPEKA PRIDE EVENTS
Drag Show, Saturday, Sept. 26, at Serendipity from 9 pm-2am.
Pride Parade, Sunday, Sept. 27 at NOTO, 1-2 pm (staging begins at noon)
Pride Street Festival, Sunday, Sept. 27 at NOTO, 2-6pm

Pride Activities all week - September 21 - September 27

Monday, Sept. 21, International Day of Peace service/vigil, 7:30pm, MCC of Topeka
Tuesday, Sept. 22nd, First annual Topeka Pride Awards, 6pm at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Wednesday, Sept. 23, Karaoke contest, Skivies Bar.
Thursday, Sept. 24, TBA: full-day educational event with workshops on LGBT issues
(Positive Connections providing free & confidential HIV testing at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship)
Friday, Sept. 25, Topeka Pride Social, J&J Gallery
(Details on all these events will be forthcoming at www.topekapride.org)

*(NOTO: North Topeka Arts District). The events on Sunday the 27 are designed to be family-friendly with many activities for youth and strict expectations about keeping things appropriate for the presence of young children.

The Gayly – September 13, 2015 @ 11:45am.