LOU Pride Weekend in Oxford, Mississippi May 5-8

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On the first weekend of May, the efforts of Matt Kessler, the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, the UM Pride Network, and many more will culminate in the LOU (Lafayette Oxford University) Pride Weekend and, ultimately, Oxford’s inaugural LOU Pride Parade. I spoke with Kessler, the man behind organizing what will be a weekend full of events focused on fostering public spaces for Oxford’s LGBTQ community, and Spencer Pleasants, the president of the UM Pride Network, to get a sense of how this weekend came to be.

Last October, Proud Larrys’ hosted the first Code Pink event, also sponsored by UM Pride Network and the Sarah Isom Center. Pleasants explained that the “sunflower seed of an idea” to

have a full-blown Pride event in Oxford first sprouted in the midst of Code Pink’s success. With safety as the first priority, Kessler sought permission from the University Police Department and the Oxford Police Department before moving forward. “Everyone we spoke to has been very supportive,” Kessler wrote in an email.

In the last week of March, Governor Phil Bryant singed House Bill 1523 into law, a bill which critics characterize as the most sweeping anti-LGBT legislation in the United States. Although the planning process for the parade began in January, Kessler explained that the outrage surrounding the bill mobilized the LGBT community as well as local community and business owners.

“It was like, okay this is why this is important; all the more reason to have the pride. But this was absolutely already in the works because there was already such a need,” Pleasants explained. “[Matt] has been orchestrating this so well. Once we had cooperation from UPD, it was like, okay, we can move forward on this. And it’s kind of like an instance of ‘if you build it, they will come,’ because there’s just been a thirst for it, and now it’s finally being satisfied.”

On Thursday, May 5, Proud Larrys’ will host the second Code Pink dance party. Kessler mentioned that next year there will be as many as four more Code Pink nights. Kessler explained that the idea behind Code Pink is “a dance night and platform for the LGBTQ community. We’d like it to be a relatively loose night. Anyone in Oxford’s LGBTQ community who’d like to perform, we’d like to create a space for you.” Thursday’s event will feature sets by DJs Gogo & Special K, DJ Sgrotesque, DJ Shep, and DJ Such & Such. There will also be a dance performance called “Square Secrets,” featuring Hinge Dance Company, Hip Hop Rebs, and Ole Miss Student Dance.

On Friday, May 6, graduating LGBTQ students will be honored at Ole Miss’ inaugural Lavender Graduation in the Student Union Ballroom at noon. That night, GoDiva’s Eleganza Extravaganza Drag Show will return to Oxford and perform at Proud Larrys’, featuring drag queens from Tupelo and North Mississippi. The much-anticipated parade will start at 2:30 pm on Saturday, and there will be a post-parade gathering at 4 pm at Lamar Lounge.

In 2014, Pleasants and other students representing the UM Pride Network and Ole Miss traveled to Memphis and walked in the Mid-South Pride Parade. “Every few feet we were out there just chanting ‘Hotty Toddy’ and making sure people knew it was us,” Pleasants elaborated. The students returned home from the parade with the Most Spirited award.

“Now, it feels so much more personal because it’s home. It’s great that there are people I know and love and who support me, and that we’ll get to have this great experience together. This time, pressure is off to stand out. It’s all about lifting one another up,” Pleasants said regarding the LOU Pride Parade, which will begin at the Ford Center parking lot, then follow University Avenue up South Lamar and proceed through the Square.

Anyone interested in being a part of the parade should arrive at the Ford Center parking lot at 2 pm Saturday. “Just show up, show out, and be prideful,” said Pleasants.

“And for those who’d rather cheer than march, we’d love you to line up along the path and cheer us on. That will be just as important for the parade’s success!” Kessler added. “There will be floats, people marching, people holding banners. All are welcome.”

Kessler and Pleasants are both most excited to spend time with the LGBTQ community. “There are no gay bars in Oxford, so we don’t get to hang out enough,” Kessler acknowledged.

Finally, on Sunday, Oxford Film Festival and Crossroads Film Society will provide a free screening of “LGBTQ Shorts: Struggles and Celebrations of Being Out in the Deep South” at The Shelter on Van Buren at 4 pm. Filmmakers will be in attendance for a discussion after the films.

“We hope that people celebrate and enjoy the screenings with us on Mother’s Day, especially with films such as Instababy which discuss gay couples adopting in Mississippi and The Ballad of Little Pam which touches on the relationship between mother and daughter,” Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington said.

Oxford has seen a slight but notable increase in visible spaces for the LGBTQ community over the past couple of years, and the LOU Pride Weekend aims to amplify this momentum.

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