Out and proud: Despite setbacks, LGBTQ+ community celebrates who they are – Red and Black

The word “pride” is used often at the University of Georgia and in Athens.

Many will think of Bulldog pride, or Georgia pride. Pride is also used in everyday life — people take pride in their accomplishments and in their communities. But no group uses the term quite like the LGBTQ+ community.

Though June is the official national Pride month in celebration of LGBTQ+ people as it was the month of the historic Stonewall riots, many pride-centered events in Athens take place in the month of November to allow the university community to participate.

Originally, there was meant to be a pride street festival and parade on Nov. 13, but that will not happen because the county declined to approve a permit for the event due to COVID-19.

Even so, there are still plenty of events happening between Nov. 8 and Nov. 14 to celebrate Pride and allow for LGBTQ+ people to showcase their pride in their own original ways.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community utilize different terms associated with their sexuality and gender identity. The acronym LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, or questioning. These are not the only words people use to identify, and the word “pride” is integral within the community. There is no one-size-fits-all for these descriptors, and the diversity within these communities is reflected in the labels people uxe for themselves.

‘Authentic self’

Although the LGBTQ+ community in Athens and at UGA has been around for decades, it has not necessarily always been visible. True visibility began in 1971, two years after the Stonewall riots — a landmark moment in 1969 for national LGBTQ+ rights, when activists protested for the right to be openly out — with two UGA students, John Hoard and Bill Green, who formed the Committee on Gay Education.

From here, various milestones were achieved: the first gay dance at a Southeastern university took place, the Gay Lesbian or Bisexual Employees Supporters Group formed and the Pride Center was established at the university.

But, still, what does being LGBTQ+ mean?

“For me, it really means being who you truly are,” Sophie DuPont, a sophomore majoring in animal science, said. “Being out and open about who I truly am — it means acceptance and a sense of home.”

DuPont, who is bisexual, said that she faced backlash after coming out in high school and did not have any LGBTQ+ role models to look up to. For various LGBTQ+ individuals, the reasonable fear of judgement — from family, friends, peers and society as a whole — is a very real one prior to coming out. It can delay people coming out or even keep them from ever coming out.

Justin Kim, a sophomore studying biochemistry who is bisexual, and Mason McClintock, a junior majoring in public relations who identifies as gay, were both raised in Christian households and said their upbringings affected how they came to embrace their sexual orientations.

“I struggled with my sexual orientation for such a long time because of my religious upbringing,” McClintock said. “I had been brainwashed to a degree to believe that people like me were inadequate, or diseased, or wrong, or bad or just the worst thing to ever cross the Earth.”

When a person does embrace their LGBTQ+ identity, it can often feel affirming and bring feelings of contentment with who they are. However, Marshall Thornton, who identifies as gay, said that sexuality is only one part of “being your authentic self.”

“You are definitely more than just your sexual orientation or what you identify as — you are a human being,” Thornton, a junior advertising major, said. “Being gay or bi or queer or whatever you identify as adds to that. I think it’s just like the sprinkle on top, the cherry on top of the sundae.”

Is UGA a supportive environment?

On Nov. 3, Evangelical preaching groups came to Tate Plaza and yelled slurs and derogatory remarks to various marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. DuPont attended a counterprotest against the preachers, where she stood at the front of the protest holding a pride flag.

“You expect them to spew their radical extremist views … but what I didn’t expect was to be called a slur, directly to my face,” DuPont said. “[A preacher] was shouting at me that I should die.”

The UGA dean of students, Bill McDonald, as well as several police officers were present at the protest to ensure the preachers were able to deliver their messages in one of the university’s designated free-speech zones.

Kim said hearing about the preachers made him question whether campus was a supportive space for him.

“This was the first time where I felt like maybe I’m not safe here. Maybe I still have something to hide,” Kim said.

McClintock said he is unfortunately used to the kind of rhetoric the preachers were using. He said he believes it comes from a certain amount of “brainwashing” and no attempt at having conversations with LGBTQ+ people or people from other different communities.

“I believe that you cannot help but love someone once you know their story, and I think that those messages arose and continue to arise because people refuse to give others a chance,” McClintock said. “That is one thing that makes me sick to my stomach.”

DuPont said she welcomes a statement from UGA that would show its support and care for the marginalized groups on campus that were verbally attacked by the preachers.

Dealing constantly with this kind of backlash and hatred can be mentally and emotionally taxing and LGBTQ+ individuals and communities have to find ways to cope.

Thornton said he works to emulate Marsha P. Johnson — a Black transgender activist who played a prominent role in the 1969 Stonewall riots — and “pay it no mind,” while McClintock works to push through feelings of defeat to ensure he can act as a voice for those who are not yet ready to speak up for themselves.

Finding spaces

The local LGBTQ+ community is undeniably present in Athens and at UGA, both in terms of formal institutions and less organized groups and circles.

The UGA Pride Center is located in Memorial Hall and provides resources to LGBTQ+ identifying people. It fosters an inclusive environment on campus and offers various programs and services, such as an LGBTQ+ library and support groups. There are also several student organizations such as UGA Pride Alliance and the Marsha Garden that seek to create safe spaces on campus for LGBTQ+ students.

Outside UGA, Athens is also home to various LGBTQ+ organizations such as Athens Queer Collective and OUR HOPE Metropolitan Community Church. Athens PRIDE and the Athens Showgirl Cabaret are two of the most prominent ones.

Show director of Athens Showgirl Cabaret Kellie Divine and assistant show director Jenn Sparx have both been a part of the Athens drag community for several years, performing at gay bars that have since closed and at county venues. In terms of shaping LGBTQ+ culture, the directors said that while they were never “fighting to be in the streets,” they always provided a space for people to be out.

“We always had a safe space for anybody and everybody,” Divine said.

In celebration of Pride, Athens PRIDE started its Pride Week on Nov. 8, with the main event being Pride Fest on Nov. 13 at Terrapin Beer Company.

According to the vice president of Athens PRIDE, Cameron Harrelson, it was important to continue to celebrate despite the cancellation of the street festival and parade.

“There were many people that might have been forced into unaccepting homes during the quarantine or people that are religious [who] lack that sense of camaraderie that they find in people that are like them,” Harrelson said. “By having these events and doing it in a safe way, we’re reestablishing those spaces for people to come and feel accepted and feel validated and feel loved as they are.”

Harrelson also noted that people from the surrounding Athens areas who don’t have a supportive LGBTQ+ community are also able to participate in the city’s Pride events to feel that sense of community.

Kim is not a part of any organizations that are primarily LGBTQ+ centered, but he has a circle of LGBTQ+ friends and peers that are accepting.

“A queer community to me is having the space to express my sexuality and identity without fear of judgment or without fear of retaliation in some manner,” Kim said. “Queer individuals tend to seek out other queer individuals.”

Osbaldo Marin contributed to this story.