MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Blount County's usual Pride festival won't be held at the public Jack Greene Park this year.
Blount Pride said in a Facebook post on Wednesday the decision was made following conversations with Maryville representatives.
"In meetings and other communications with city representatives, we emphasized our priorities while discussing the expectations for our event, such as including Drag performances and having adequate safety protocols," Blount Pride said in the Facebook post. "As a result of these communications, we as a board did not feel comfortable going forward with a festival at this location on our original planned date of August 31st. "
Blount Pride said it started searching for a new venue earlier this year after Maryville College denied a request to provide a venue for the event. Maryville College hosted the festival last year. The event attracted national attention and controversy after District Attorney General Ryan Desmond wrote a letter saying he would enforce a law that effectively bans public drag performances.
That law has since been ruled unconstitutional twice — once in West Tennessee and again after a lawsuit stemming from the Blount Pride festival. The original West Tennessee case was appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The 2023 Blount Pride Festival was held in early September, attracting vendors and visitors to the college campus despite a gathering of protestors who held signs against the students, the festival and their identities. The protest was largely organized by far-right groups in East Tennessee.
Organizers brought out drag performers for a storytime event, bands for live music performances and organizations for a resource fair. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat and transgender representative from Montana, also arrived to give a speech.
In June, Blount Pride said Maryville College denied its application to host the event for this year. The college said the District Attorney's actions cost the college tens of thousands of dollars in legal expenses and other costs. In a statement, it also said it was concerned about the public reaction to the 2024 Pride festival and was not sure it would be able to deal with legal ramifications and public reaction to hosting it.
Blount Pride said on social media that it still plans to host events throughout the summer and fall to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, starting with a "Queer Double Feature" movie night on July 13.
"As we have been reflecting on the numerous obstacles we have faced, we are reminded that our struggles echo the original meaning of the first Pride marches: demanding the right to publicly and peacefully exist as one's true self. Once again, we are endlessly grateful for the kind words and support from our community. We're here. We're queer. We ain't goin' nowhere," Blount Pride said on social media.
Blount Pride also released a statement about the festival. That statement is below.
"We are pivoting to a different format for 2024. Yes, our celebrations will look different this year, but we are not giving up on our mission to uplift and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community of Blount County. Please watch our social media for announcements and sponsorship opportunities."