KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pride Month is a celebration of love, but political tension can sometimes cloud the festivities — even in East Tennessee. Just like with most weather in Appalachia though, rainbows follow storms.
"I think Pride is the opposite of shame," said Winter Cayman, the Sevier County Regional Officer of Appalachian OUTreach. "Shame is something that a lot of queer people are made to feel, especially queer youth. And they're told to repress a part of themselves and not be their full selves."
During the last legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers passed several anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Several bills were also proposed that would have impacted the LGBTQ+ community. One particular bill threatened to change Pride celebrations across the state.
It was SB 0003, which effectively banned public drag performances. Pride celebrations usually include drag performers, so some members of the LGBTQ+ community could have been arrested during events if the law had taken effect statewide.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against it, before it went into effect, after a Memphis organization sued the state. The law was later ruled unconstitutional.
"We are going to have to protect our drag performers ... But, they're not going to stop Pride," said Elizabeth Maltempi, the marketing director for Appalachian OUTreach. "I think us going out there and doing what we do every year is a form of resisting. I think that it's just going to look different."
Despite the law, Cayman said they believe the LGBTQ+ community is focusing on the celebration. At SoKno Pride in South Knoxville, Maltempi later said organizers are changing their plans and will host drag performances outdoors, after initially planning for them to be held indoors.
"We need to be out there for our trans siblings. We're going to be out there because we need people who may not feel like they have a voice, or may not feel like they're safe enough to be out there, to see us out there and see that we are still thriving. We are still a community," Maltempi said.
Appalachian OUTreach is one of several groups planning to appear at Pride events during June. It is planning to appear during SoKno Pride on June 10 and organized kickoff events during the lead-up to June.
"The LGBTQ+ community in Appalachia is amazing. I have never met a group of people more open, more accepting, more loving, more, just willing to take care of each other," Maltempi said.
They also organized an effort to have the Sevier County Commission formally recognize June as Pride Month. However, the proposed proclamation was not taken up by commission members.
"I think we really have a sense of community when we're celebrating together. Because we're so close-knit, we don't have as many affirming outlets, we tend to gravitate towards each other," Cayman said. "Because we're all spread out and few and far between, I feel like we are closer than in a more liberal area."
Knox Pride also created a month full of events. They include a regular karaoke night, a bingo night, a celebration of neurodivergent Pride and an event reflecting on Pride's history.
"It's not going to be a big, happy parade. It may be a big, heavy parade. There are going to be moments of extreme, queer joy. And there's going to be moments of intense, queer solidarity," Maltempi said. "There's so much love and support, and there's a lot of resilience and a lot of strength. I think we're going to see that come out more this year than we ever have."
Pride Month honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, as well as the efforts by LGBTQ+ people across the U.S. who worked for equality under the law. It's a month that merges celebration and resistance.
"I think the heart of Pride is going to stay the same," Maltempi said. "I think this year, it's very important that everyone that goes out to Pride events is very conscious of the climate. We are going to have to handle things in a more toned-down way in order to keep certain members in the community safe."
Maltempi also said despite feeling hopeless at times, she found joy in the people she's around and said other members of the LGBTQ+ community may be able to do the same.
"Keep being yourself, despite everything. Be safe. Keep yourself around people that you're going to be safe with. If you're not safe, reach out to people like Appalachian OUTreach. We will get you into a situation where you can be safe and can be yourself," she said. "Keep being with people that inspire that queer joy."