Our Stories

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the beautiful diversity that defines us, and an opportunity to listen, learn and grow closer as neighbors. To kick off the month, we spoke with Beck and Dana from Fox Valley Pride to discuss the vital role of local visibility, the long-lasting impact of inclusive cultural programming, and how we can all work together to build a community where everyone feels seen, valued and welcome – not just this month, but all year long.

Some portions may have been edited for length and clarity.

At the Fox Cities P.A.C., we believe stories have the power to build deep empathy. How do local cultural celebrations, like the Pride Festival or the Pride Promenade, help neighbors who might not identify as part of the community better understand the LGBTQIA2S+ experience in the Fox Cities?

For many people, Pride may be the first time they’re genuinely surrounded by LGBTQIA2S+ people in a visible, joyful context. That firsthand experience replaces abstraction with actual human faces and stories.

Things like chosen family structures, queer history, or drag can seem foreign to outsiders. Pride gives people a low stakes way to encounter and ask questions about these things in a festive, open environment.

Local pride festivals help create new local stories that provide a connection to community right next door. It shapes how we grow together, learn and love together, and support one another through happy, glad, stormy and sad times.

For local businesses, arts organizations like the Fox Cities P.A.C., or community members who want to be strong allies, what does meaningful support look like beyond the month of June?

Meaningful support matters a lot, beyond rainbow logos in June or a single contribution. Continuing to publicly affirm LGBTQIA2S+ colleagues, neighbors, and community members the other eleven months of the year signals that support is genuine. 

It’s important to understand that allyship isn’t a destination. Language, needs and issues evolve, and meaningful support means staying engaged and willing to be open to feedback, changing perspective, and even being corrected to meet the community’s standards, traditions, and ever-changing human experience.

Additionally, we need to continue to support intersecting communities that identify as LGBTQIA2S+, often the most vulnerable, including youth; through mentorship, affirming school environments, and organizations that serve homeless or teens who face rejection, and who identify as Latino, Black and indigenous, who are disproportionately targeted by negative actions. Create spaces where people can feel a sense of belonging and stand hand-in-hand, and use your voice as an ally when you see discrimination and oppression.

This year, the Fox Valley Pride Festival features a lineup of artists and entertainers, as well as an information table at Fox Cities P.A.C. during & Juliet from June 2-7. Why is it so vital to have a specific, visible platform for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals right here in our community?

Having a visible platform right here in our community provides a sense of belonging to those that identify as part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. It allows representation with dignity. Visibility shows people that they are not alone on their journey, and there is also a relatability to the performers onstage and lyrics they’re sharing. It shows that their existence is honored.

This year’s Pride Month will feature numerous inclusive events – the Pride Promenade the morning of June 13, the gathering in Jones Park later that afternoon, etc. How would you describe the energy on the ground at these events?

Pride has a pretty distinctive energy of joy and acceptance. It’s not just a party, it’s a celebration in the face of real history and ongoing struggle. That gives the joy a depth and intensity you don’t always feel at other festivals.

Like many other cultural festivals, a Pride festival celebrates unique experiences, traditions, clothing and insignia, songs, written and spoken word, and activities that are uniquely ours.

If a reader is attending a Fox Valley Pride event for the very first time this year, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

That they are wanted, welcome; that community supports are available, you are affirmed in your existence, and that we can continue to spread that feeling of acceptance through our community from one generation to the next. Be a part of furthering the love and support as your life matters dearly to each and every one of all of us who also identify as you do.

Your Fox Valley Performing Arts Center is proud to partner with Fox Valley Pride with an information booth during & Juliet from June 2-7. Patrons can enjoy a Buy One Get One ticket offer to see & Juliet for select performances June 5-7 using offer code PRIDE at checkout. The Fox Valley Pride Festival will be held in Jones Park in Appleton on Saturday, June 13; to view a full schedule of events, visit www.fvpride.org.