Amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ bills in NC, thousands celebrate Out Raleigh Pride

After a week of clouds and rain, downtown Raleigh was a splash of color Saturday as pride flags, drag queens and thousands filled Fayetteville Street for the Triangle’s largest LGBTQ pride event.

Out Raleigh Pride returned to Downtown Raleigh Saturday, an all-day party celebrating the city’s LGBTQ community. This year marks Out Raleigh Pride’s 11th event, held in June’s Pride Month and amid new North Carolina bills restricting transgender rights.

The North Carolina General Assembly has introduced three bills so far this year addressing LGBTQ rights, including a bill prohibiting teaching related to gender identity in kindergarten through fourth grade, a ban against gender transition medical procedures on minors, and a bill mandating student athletes participate in sports based on their sex assigned at birth.

The tone Saturday was largely celebratory and something of a show of force, said Kori Hennessey, the interim executive director of the LGBT Center of Raleigh, which organizes Out Raleigh Pride.

“Our mission, what we want to accomplish every year is to create a celebratory, affirming and fun space,” Hennessey said. “I think it’s more important this year than it has been in a long time because of all the anti-LGBTQ legislation that’s happening.”

Hennessey pointed to North Carolina’s 2016 HB2, a repealed bill that imposed bathroom restrictions for transgender people, as a major point of origin for the country’s debate over trans rights and said 2023 has been difficult.

“It’s interesting, because North Carolina almost kind of created that catalyst event with HB2,” Hennessey said. “Since then I feel like it’s been one thing after another. This last year is even worse.”

Thousands packed together on Fayetteville Street Saturday, along with a large music stage, inflatable games for kids, dozens of vendors and community organizations and advocacy groups, churches and artists. At one intersection, a group danced to Whitney Houston as a street preacher spoke into a microphone across the street.

Given the size of the crowd and the heightened political moment surrounding LGBTQ issues, Hennessey said safety at the event was given greater consideration. There was a police presence on most blocks and each intersection had substantial barriers preventing cars from passing through.

“I know we were intentional about a lot of the things we did in making sure we were keeping track of if we heard of any safety concerns. Definitely have people helping us with safety. So far it’s been a beautiful day and that’s all we could ask for.”

This is the second Out Raleigh Pride for Tion Odese and Zem Nabors, who said they enjoy the event’s food and crafts. Odese said the event offered an expanded view of the Triangle’s LGBTQ community.

“It’s interesting to me — in my day-to-day life, I know a lot of queer people, I know a lot of trans, non-binary, gay people. These are my friends. When I come here it’s good because I don’t run into everyone I know here. It means I don’t know all the queer people here. It’s nice to see the show of numbers.”

Compared to last year’s event, Nabors, who uses they/them pronouns, said there were fewer groups speaking out against LGBTQ rights on the street, but that they still feel a constant struggle.

“It’s frustrating, I can’t exactly stop people from being bigots,” Nabors said. “So it’s frustrating because I’m just trying to survive.”

Saturday was the first Out Raleigh Pride for married couple Jacob Jiménez and Kevin Crumbler, who said they have been going to pride events for 20 years. Crumbler said he did not expect to see the crowds in downtown Raleigh and that he sees support from beyond the LGBTQ community.

“It’s the size that surprised me,” Crumbler said. “And I feel like there are a lot of straight couples. I feel like it’s not just gay people supporting gay people.”

Hennessey, who uses they/them pronouns, said celebrating pride means something different for everyone, but that they worked to create an event where everyone feels accepted.

“Pride to me is having a space where I can be myself,” Hennessey said. “As I walk through the festival, I feel this overwhelming sense of positive emotion. I know this is where I belong, this is my community and people here accept me for who I am. I don’t have to be anyone else.”