Pride Fest coming to Fort Dodge | News, Sports, Jobs – Fort Dodge Messenger
-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Kyrie Borsay, owner of KD’s Over the Moon, holds up one of the shirts she’s selling for Saturday’s Fort Dodge Pride Festival. The event will start at 10 a.m. on the City Square.
Kyrie Borsay wanted to make a space where members of the LGBTQ community can come together and feel safe, supported and celebrated, so she’s spearheading the inaugural Fort Dodge Pride Festival this Saturday.
June is Pride Month — when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and other members under the rainbow umbrella celebrate being able to live as their open, authentic selves without fear — and Borsay wanted to bring that celebration to Fort Dodge.
When Borsay, who identifies as a queer woman and owns KD’s Over the Moon on Central Avenue, moved to Fort Dodge, she felt that there wasn’t a very active LGBTQ community here.
“I came to Fort Dodge and I was like ‘Where are my people?’” she said. “In Cedar Falls, where I came from, we had a great Pride group.”
Borsay believes it’s important for members of the LGBTQ community to have a place to come together as a community, so a few months ago, she decided she was going to put together Fort Dodge’s first-ever Pride event.
“I thought if I have to pay for it all out of my own pocket, I’m going to do it,” she said. “And I have, and it’s been my pleasure because I want this event to grow.”
Borsay said she hopes the event will eventually become big enough that it can sustain a scholarship at Iowa Central Community College for students in the LGBTQ community.
Saturday’s Pride event will kick off at 10 a.m. at the City Square with a Rainbow Run/Walk. There will be prizes for the best rainbow outfit, best drag, best decorated stroller and best dog costume.
“We wanted to make it kid-friendly,” Borsay said.
Guest speaker Jeni Kadel will start around noon. Kadel is a trans woman running for the Iowa House District 40 seat near Des Moines.
There will also be several vendors, games, music, entertainment, crafts, food, drag shows and more running all day.
The Sioux City organization Free Mom Hugs will also be there giving away, well, free mom hugs.
“I think it’s going to be a great day,” Borsay said.
Borsay said she’s received a lot of positive response since announcing the event — especially from moms of young LGBTQ kids.
“That’s why I’m doing this,” she said. “Because it’s one thing to tell your child ‘I’m OK with you coming out and being that way,’ and it’s another thing to have an opportunity to stand with them in solidarity and demonstrate through action that they are there for them.”
Borsay said she hopes this event and others like it will signal to people that this area is an inclusive and welcoming community for all.
“This is going to be a reason for people to visit Fort Dodge and feel comfortable visiting,” she said.