Hattiesburg got a lot more colorful this week as the city welcomed residents and visitors for the 2021 Pine Belt Pride. Now in its seventh year, the week-long event aims to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community in the Pine Belt area. They also advocate for anti-discrimination law, like the current discussions with Hattiesburg City Hall officials for an anti-discrimination city ordinance, and better resources, especially for people that have lost familial support or those struggling to get medical or mental health treatments.
“Pride is a week that helps people know where and how to reach out to (the community) because they don’t always know where they can go,” said Keenon Walker, one of the program’s founders. “(LGBTQ+) often identify as something that they’re told they can’t be, and it’s upsetting that they don’t have the support. We’re here to give them that support.”
Walker first became involved with pride weeks when working abroad in Europe. His first experiences were in Paris and Berlin, and he wondered, “why can’t we have something like this in Mississippi?”
After returning home and speaking to others in the local LGBTQ+ community, a group of like-minded individuals decided to give the idea a chance. They asked Walker, an event organizer and photographer, to coordinate the first event in the fall of 2015.
“I couldn’t say no,” he said. “I think that for me specifically it’s 100% about visibility. I try my best to live very open and authentically because I didn’t have a positive representation of people like me growing up. There weren’t a lot of gay Black men on television. I live my life hoping that I could be at least some kind of positive representation by being out and active in the community.”
While there were some protests from conservative groups in the first couple years of the event, Walker said that protestors haven’t demonstrated at Pride Week since, he thinks, 2017.
“We’ve had really good reception from the community,” Walker said. “We have great sponsors. It’s very humbling every year to see how many people support us. I’m very, I’m so very thankful for the help we’ve had here, and I get a little emotional thinking about it all. It’s just been an amazing experience.”
Like years past, there are a lot of events planned for the 2021 Pine Belt Pride Week. Walker said his best advice for getting the most of of Pride Week is to just show up and make friends.
“We’re always accepting of everyone who comes in,” Walker said. “Many years people have told me that they’ve made new friends at Pine Belt Pride just by showing up and saying hello. I think people just have to be willing to step out of their shell.”
For more information on scheduled events, visit the website: pinebeltpride.com and follow both Pine Belt Pride and The Spectrum Center, an event sponsor and LGBTQ+ community resource, on Facebook. Walker said that both Facebook pages are active and quick to respond to messages.
2021 Pine Belt Pride events include:
• Oct. 4 — 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. — Pride Week Kickoff Cookout
(The Spectrum Center)
• Oct. 5 — 7:00 - 8:00 p.m — Family Game Night (The Spectrum Center)
• Oct. 6 — 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. — Beers, Queers & Karaoke
(Southern Prohibition)
• Oct. 7 — 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. — Pepper’s Pride Party (Multi-Purpose Venue)
• Oct. 8 — 8:00 p.m. — Queer Comedy Show (Community Arts Center)
• Oct. 9 — 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. — Pre-Pride Wellness (Town Square Park)
• Oct. 9 —12:00 - 5:00 p.m. — Pride in the Park & March (Town Square Park)
• Oct. 9 —5:00 - 8:00 p.m. — Pub Crawl (Downtown Hattiesburg)
• Oct. 9 —8:00 p.m. — After Party with The Vixen from RuPaul’s Drag Race
(Hattiesburg Train Depot)
• Oct. 10 — 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. — Drag Brunch & Brews
(Colludium Brewing Company)
• Oct. 10 —7:00 - 9:00 p.m. — Pride Week T3 (The Spectrum Center)
