Taylor, Texas – Taylor Pride threw out one last hurrah on Saturday before Pride Month comes to an end.
Despite the heat, hundreds of people packed the park in downtown Taylor to celebrate and shop from as many as 60 vendors.
“There’s a lot of things going on, a lot of different vendors here,” said festival attendee Joshua Moses. “It’s a good feeling.”
Of course, it’s not glory without plenty of rainbows.
“I love it,” said Richard Bondi, program development lead with Rainbow Connections ATX. “You know, this is our third year at Taylor Pride, and we’ve been so impressed with the turnout every year in a rural setting.”
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Dennis Rogers, president of Taylor Pride, said he expects at least 2,000 people to attend for the festival’s fourth year.
“In rural, small pockets of America, we lack resources, we lack representation, and we lack queer joy,” Rogers said. “I mean allow us to have creepy fun, so we just need to make sure that happens.”
However, there was another notable presence among the rainbows. Every year, Rogers says, detractors appear. It’s her reminder of why she organizes this event.
“Obviously, there’s a real need for it,” Rogers said. “We have a large community of LGBTQ+ people in this area and allies, and so you’ll see a lot of families here today, and most importantly, we want the young people in this area to know that they are loved and supported.”
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It’s a public park, so the protesters stay, but the attendees keep their focus on the more colorful.
“It’s important for us to get out as much as possible so we can spread the word that older LGBTQ adults are here and shouldn’t be forgotten,” Bondi said.
“The more people that go, the more people will be better and spread love, peace and joy to whoever comes out here,” Moses said.