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Stonewall Rising: Showing Support With Pride

GayRVA Staff | July 2, 2020

Topics: alexsis rodgers, black lives matter, Black Pride RVA, Diversity Richmond, Equality Virginia, health brigade, Jennifer McClellan, Joseph Papa, LGBTQ Pride Month, Marcus-David Peters, Minority Veterans of America, Nationz Foundation, Pride Month, Rebecca Keel, Richmond Lesbian Feminists, Richmond LGBTQ Chamber, Richmond Triangle Players, Southerners on new ground, Stonewall Rising, Stonewall Sports, va pride, Virginia Anti-Violence Project

Last weekend’s Stonewall Rising march was an act of solidarity by Richmond’s LGBTQ community, which took this opportunity during Pride Month to march in support of Black lives.

On Saturday, June 27, Richmond’s LGBTQ community commemorated the last weekend of Pride Month with a march demonstrating solidarity with the Black community of Richmond and beyond. Stonewall Rising: LGBTQ March For Black Lives was organized by a variety of Richmond LGBTQ advocacy and support groups, including Diversity Richmond, the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber, Nationz Foundation, Black Pride RVA, VA Pride, Equality Virginia, Virginia Anti-Violence Project, Southerners On New Ground, Health Brigade, Minority Veterans of America, Richmond Triangle Players, Richmond Lesbian Feminists, and Stonewall Sports.

The march began with a gathering at Diversity Richmond on Sherwood Ave, where local LGBTQ activist Rebecca Keel rallied the crowd with a speech about how the LGBTQ rights movement began 51 years earlier — almost to the day — at Stonewall Inn with a riot against police oppression. After a few other speeches, the crowd formed up and began marching toward the Richmond Police Training Academy on Graham Rd, just over a mile away from Diversity Richmond.

Jennifer McClellan speaks at Richmond Police Training Academy.

The crowd, which numbered at least 1000 at the peak of the protest according to local LGBTQ activist Joseph Papa, carried signs featuring slogans like “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Pride For Black Lives,” as well as posters depicting Breonna Taylor and Marcus-David Peters. The protest was greeted at the Police Training Academy by a line of police in riot gear, but things remained peaceful. Several leaders spoke to the assembled crowd, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McClellan. Alexsis Rodgers, who is currently running for mayor of Richmond, was also in attendance. The evening ended with a march back to Diversity Richmond.

Here are some photos of the evening’s events, captured by Richmond photographer David Kenedy.

Rebecca Keel.

Gay(RVA)NYE: Ring In Your 2020 in Proper Fashion

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 26, 2019

Topics: Black Pride RVA, Decemberween, Diversity Richmond, events in richmond va, events richmond va, Fallout, Godfrey's, Kabana Rooftop, Lamplighter, New Years Eve, No BS! Brass Band, PLF, Quirk Hotel, richmond events, Richmond Triangle Players, richmond va, Robert B. Moss Theatre, RVA, Scott Wichmann, Studio Two Three, things to do richmond va

Get the most out of your new year and say goodbye to the 10’s in proper fashion with our GayRVA guide to the best New Year’s Eve parties this town has to offer!

As 2019 ends and a new decade is set to begin, we all want to have the best New Year’s Eve possible. For plenty of people, this means traveling to some bigger city: New York for the ball drop in Times Square, DC for the big parties, maybe Atlanta where it’s not so cold… but what if you just want to stay in Richmond this year?

Well, if you choose to do so, you’ll not only be missing out on a boatload of travel time and related expenses, you’ll find plenty of amazing things to do and enjoy right here in the good ol’ RVA. If you ask us, it’s really the best way to go.

Here are the best places in Richmond to have yourself a truly wonderful New Year’s Eve.

PLF’s Decemberween at Diversity Richmond

This one’s at the top of the list every year, and I can’t imagine that’ll change anytime soon. The Party Liberation Front’s Halloween-in-December shindig is always the place to be for the arrival of the new year, and it’s because the group never fails to pull out all the stops for this affair.

This year is no different! Dozens of DJs on three different stages will ensure that the music never stops. There’ll be fire performances outside to keep you from getting chilly, as well as mutant vehicles, food trucks, art installations, three different bars, and a whole lot more. It’s a totally immersive experience that will tantalize all five senses for eight full hours! Don’t miss this one. Tickets are $66, and worth every penny. Order here.

Black Pride RVA’s New Year’s Eve Bash 2020 at Studio Two Three

This New Year’s Eve, Black Pride RVA is doing it up right over at Studio Two Three. Their decade-ending event will be a Black & White Affair featuring food, champagne, party favors, and more. Everyone will be dressed to the nines for this one, and you’re sure to enjoy every moment. Tickets start at $25 — order here.

Scott Wichmann at Richmond Triangle Players’ Robert B. Moss Theatre

If you’re looking for a memorable musical affair that summons up the glittering showbiz days of yesteryear, Richmond Triangle Players has got you covered this year, with two performances by “Mister Showtime,” Scott Wichmann. Wichmann’s charismatic flair will lend a special vibrance to his performance of Rat Pack classics, and he’ll have some special guests and a trio led by Musical Director Ryan Corbitt to kick things up a notch and make it a show worthy of wrapping up the decade.

Wichmann will perform two different shows on New Year’s Eve, one at 7 PM and one at 10 PM, so whether you want to wrap the evening up early or stay out all night, there’s a showtime that’ll work for you! Tickets start at only $10, and can be purchased here. Grab yours now!

Godfrey’s New Year’s Eve Celebration

There are all kinds of places you can go for this occasion, but sometimes nothing feels as right as the place you visit regularly all year. That’s why the Godfrey’s New Year’s Eve throwdown just might be the best place to be in this whole town on December 31. They’ll be throwing a big drag show, along with some great year-end drink specials and a cash balloon drop at midnight, so there’ll be plenty to enjoy all evening. The economically-minded should make a note that the cover doubles at 11 PM — so show up by 10:59 and party all night!

Fallout’s New Year’s Eve Masque

Shockoe Bottom’s #1 fetish club is continuing their tradition with this Masquerade Ball featuring drinks, DJs, and plenty of awesome outfits. The line for drinks might be long once this one gets going, but there will be a secondary cash-only bar, so if you’ve got some legal tender in your pocket, you can avoid the rush!

Fallout strictly requires attendees to wear formal and/or fetish clothing, and a mask, so make sure you’re properly attired, or you might be turned away to hang with the normies. No one wants that! While Fallout is members-only, non-members can be guested in by friends who are members, or message their facebook to obtain a one night pass. It’ll be worth it.

Roaring 20s NYE at Kabana Rooftop

Over in the straight world, the arrival of 2020 seems to be a big occasion for “Roaring 20s” themed events, and Kabana Rooftop, atop the Hampton Inn downtown, certainly looks like the most promising of these. They’ll feature music all evening, headlined by a performance from virtuoso violinist and turntable-spinner DJ Manifesto. Plus there’ll be champagne toasts, party favors, and a live feed of the ball drop — so you don’t have to watch it at home. Tickets start at $35, and if you don’t want to find your way home afterward, Hampton Inn offers special rates for suites directly attached to Kabana, so you really can make an entire night of it.

Belle Epoque at Quirk Hotel

But hey, maybe the roaring 20s aren’t even retro enough for you — maybe you want to take things all the way back to the late 19th century. If so, Quirk Hotel has you covered with their Belle Epoque-style evening, featuring music by DJ Ant Boogie, a custom gin & tonic bar, champagne toast at midnight, party favors, and everything else you love about NYE parties. For $25, you can drop in to Quirk around 10 PM (tickets here), or if you really want to do it up right and proper, you can kick the evening off with a 5-course New Year’s Eve dinner at Maple & Pine, Quirk Hotel’s in-house restaurant. The prix-fixe meal is $99 per person (tickets here), and includes entrance to the Quirk event, so that’s your whole evening covered!

Noon Year’s Eve at Lamplighter featuring No BS! Brass Band

Are you the sort of person who’d really rather avoid leaving the house on New Year’s Eve at all? That’s understandable — the roads are hardly the safest on that evening, and lord knows a lot of people do not know how to stay within their limits. Fortunately, even if you’re completely uninterested in being out of the house after dark, there is some fun still to be had over at Lamplighter’s Addison Street location. Specifically, No BS! Brass Band will be showing up late in the morning on December 31 to play tunes and get the party rockin’ for a ball drop on the Lamplighter roof at noon! So there you go — you can take part in a joyous year-ending event with the sun still high in the sky, and head home secure in the knowledge that you’ve done your carousing for the year.

Top Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

Op-Ed: Why Racial Equity Should Matter To The LGBTQ Movement

Ted Lewis & Rev. Lacette Cross | November 14, 2019

Topics: Black & Bold Awards, black LGBTQ youth, Black Pride RVA, Diversity Richmond, racial equity, Side By Side, Us Giving Richmond Connections, Viva RVA

Side By Side and Us Giving Richmond Connections are publicly committing to black LGBTQ youth in their work for racial equity. Side By Side’s Ted Lewis and UGRC’s Rev. Lacette Cross explain why this commitment is of paramount importance.

The life expectancy for Black transgender women is 31 years, according to the Consumer Health Foundation. LGBTQ+ people of color make less money and are discriminated against at higher rates than their white LGBTQ+ peers, according to HRC. A HRC survey shows that Black LGBTQ+ youth face the highest risk for suicide, homelessness, and incarceration of any youth in our community. If we are to build a better world for all LGBTQ+ people, then we must embrace racial equity in our movement. 

“Racial equity is about applying justice and a little bit of common sense to a system that’s been out of balance,” writes the Center for Social Inclusion. It is an ongoing practice of investigating the ways oppressive systems impact racially marginalized people in our community, and equitably distributing resources and services to ensure all of us thrive.

Racial equity is not easy. It is not something that can be done in a one-time meeting or event. It is an ongoing practice that requires all of us to engage in difficult and meaningful dialogue around racism and how it continues in our LGBTQ+ community.

Historically, LGBTQ+ people of color from, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to Audre Lorde and James Baldwin, have been at the front of the movement to improve the lives of all LGBTQ+ people. Today in Richmond, LGBTQ+ leaders of color continue the legacy of doing justice work at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender/sexuality. And these leaders, both past and present, continue to remind and push our community towards a more just movement.

In the Richmond area, we’ve seen the birth of new celebrations, including Diversity Richmond’s Black & Bold Awards, Us Giving Richmond Connections’ (UGRC’s) Black Pride RVA, and Viva RVA, which celebrate the beauty and fullness of our community. These events celebrate the culture, contributions and unique experiences of LGBTQ+ people of color through events that welcome everyone.

Photo via Black Pride RVA/Facebook

Yet even with the presence of wonderful leaders of color and beautiful new events, we often hear murmurs that many believe this representation divides our community. It does not. These events bring us together, because they acknowledge and celebrate the diversity, showing the full rainbow of experiences within our community. 

In order to continue to advance the fight for justice for LGBTQ+ people, we must engage thoughtfully in conversations of racism within our community and how we can actively dismantle it. Side by Side’s board and staff have been working with Dr. Archana Pathak at VCU to embrace racial equity as an organization. Over the past three years, we have been on an intentional journey to shift the makeup of our organization to better reflect our community. We have engaged in deep, difficult, and ultimately fruitful conversations about shifting our policy and our practice to ensure LGBTQ+ youth of color receive the services and support they need to thrive. 

Side by Side, with URGC’s support and guidance, are excited to publicly share our commitment to Black LGBTQ+ youth. Given the unique history of anti-Black racism in Virginia, and specifically in Richmond, we are focusing on Black youth in this initial work of racial equity. We invite our community to engage in this work with us and hold us accountable to this commitment.

We invite leaders in our community to join us on December 2nd at 6pm at ART180 for a special focus group on the needs of Black LGBTQ+ youth. And then we invite youth and families to join us at four Community Forums on Black LGBTQ+ youth in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Petersburg in early 2020. 

We encourage our community to dive into racial equity work and embrace the messy and difficult dialogue that comes from dismantling racism within our movement. We hope that our journey towards a more racially equitable organization and our commitment to Black LGBTQ+ youth can help turn the tide and change the statistics for our community. And we hope that you all will join us in this work.

Learn more at sidebysideva.org/racial-equity

Note: Op-Eds are contributions from guest writers and do not reflect GayRVA editorial policy.

Top Photo: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera march in New York City, 1973. Photo via Netflix

The House Of Hashi: Shablamming Their Way Across The Commonwealth

Wyatt Gordon | September 26, 2019

Topics: ball culture, Black Pride RVA, Byrd Theatre, Chloe, Fall 2019 Pride Guide, Gio, House Of Hashi, Jamal Brooks, Ken Ken, MonGays, Paris Is Burning, va pride, VA PrideFest 2019, Wynter

Our 2019 Fall Pride Guide, in collaboration with VA Pride, comes out at PrideFest this Saturday! In this article from the magazine, we take a closer look at Virginia’s newest ambassadors of ball culture: the House Of Hashi.

Seldom does the Byrd Theatre witness a standing ovation, but this past Pride Month, the House of Hashi had a 400-person crowd roaring with applause. On the fourth night of the queer film series, MonGays, Health Brigade sponsored a screening of Paris is Burning. People from every corner of Central Virginia turned out to see the cult classic on the silver screen for the first time. However, few knew that VA Pride board member Jamal Brooks had a surprise waiting in the wings. 

When Wynter, Ken Ken, Gio, and Chloe strutted down the aisle to the front of the theater, a hush descended over the audience. As soon as the voguing began, however, everyone was on their feet, staring in awe as each performer brought to life the movement and dance that defined Madonna’s career and electrified a generation. The precision and athleticism of twirls, poses, and death drops can be taken for granted at a ball, where top-notch performers face off with such moves for hours on end — but for the Byrd Theatre audience, the show was a stunning treat. 

This performance birthed the House of Hashi, and marked a rare moment in Virginia in which black, queer, and trans bodies took center stage at one of the city’s most prominent venues. The importance of taking up space inside a Richmond landmark was not lost on the house’s four members, nor their manager; for them, MonGays was the perfect launching pad to become ambassadors for the Commonwealth’s underground ballroom scene. 

Immediately after, Black Pride RVA booked the House of Hashi to perform at both their Youth Dance and Day of Purpose in July. Not long later, the group received an invitation to perform at the 2019 VA PrideFest with headliner Betty Who. But as the bookings pour in, the House of Hashi has not forgotten who they are performing for and why. 

Much like Paris is Burning and Pose before them, the shows across the Commonwealth have the ability to use creativity and dance to break down barriers within the LGBTQ community, as well as between queer and straight worlds. By adhering to the intricate customs and rules of the ballroom community during their performances, they have the power to draw audiences into a space where they’d never normally set foot. 

Ball culture arose out queer people’s frustration from being constantly shut out of straight spaces. The drag balls of the mid-twentieth century, like much else at the time, eventually split in two due to the ubiquitous cultures of racism and transphobia. Black, brown, and trans performers would only sit on the sidelines and get left out of trophy ceremonies for so long. If they wanted to win, they knew they’d have to create their own underground scene. 

Ball culture in Richmond goes back, as far as Gio can remember, to at least the late 1990s. None of the performers of the House of Hashi are old enough to know exactly when queer people first began putting on their finest clothes to meet in our capital’s auditoriums, hotel conference rooms, churches, and parking lots. The prejudice of the times and the often-secretive nature of the events precluded their thorough documentation. What everyone can agree on is that some of their best memories were made at Skateland, between the hours of two and seven in the morning. 

From the outside looking in, one may assume that ballroom is little more than improvised dance, flamboyant outfits, and spontaneous bravado; however, that presumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Ball culture is governed by a strict set of customs, rules, and hierarchies that often feel closer to the royal courts of Victorian England than to modern-day America. 

Each ball features an elaborate — and often ostentatious — theme, which may range from the Marvel Universe to Gods and Goddesses, or from the patriotism of the Fourth of July to Cartoon Network. Large balls may only take place once a year, while smaller pageants, known as “miniballs,” happen as often as organizers can pull them together. 

Each ball begins with an acronym: LSS is the portion of the night when Legends, Statements, and Stars of the scene are called to give a quick preview of their talents and let the audience know to expect a show. A ball performer only achieves legendary status, which can never be revoked, after consistently winning in their categories for at least a decade. In the old days, performers often retired after becoming legendary, but in today’s ballroom, Legends increasingly continue to walk and create memorable moments. 

The only group above them are Icons — people who made their life as legends while also giving back to their community. Icons are often advocates who fight for equal rights and the health of all queer people, acting as the mothers and fathers of houses and guiding their children to legendary status. “As an Icon, you’re not just walking to win, you’re walking for a purpose,” explains Gio. 

Below the Legends reign the Statements; ball performers who have a proven record of winning for at least five years. Gio and Wynter of the House of Hashi fall within this category. Having only competed for a couple years, Chloe and Ken Ken sit among the Stars. This final group consists of competitors who are relatively new to ballroom, but have already made a name for themselves on the circuit. Flagging someone as a Star notifies the community to watch their rise as they compete their way towards becoming a Statement, Legend, or perhaps even an Icon. 

The key to rising through the complex hierarchy of ballroom is to compete in categories. The only thing that remains constant about categories is that there are normally 12 per ball. Beyond that, anything goes. A typical list of categories may include any of the following and more: Female Figure Performance, Face, Schoolboy Realness, Runway, Best Dressed, Labels, Sneaker Versus Sneaker, Sex Siren, Body, Urban Streetwear, Twister, Butch Queen Vogue Fem, and Legendary Performance. Many of the categories are even broken down further to make room for all gender identities. 

While it may seem paradoxical that participants choose to receive this intense scrutiny and judgement from their peers — in a world already critical of their existence — for many performers, success, trophies, and the lavish praise they earn may be the only substantial affirmation they receive for their identity and skills. Before Gio was open with his sexuality, he would sneak off to balls to feel like he fit in. “The ballroom scene was the one place where I could be completely gay and face no judgement, even though I was being judged.” 

When Gio first entered the ballroom scene, competitors made all of their own “effects” for signature looks by hand, using sequins, glue guns, and whatever materials they could scrape together. Perhaps due to the increasing popularity of ball culture, today’s outfits are often about showing off the amount of money invested into each effect. Wowing the crowd is half the battle, and with prizes ranging from $50 to well over $1,000, it makes sense for ballroom professionals to invest in their craft. 

“Ballroom requires a lot of free time and money,” Gio explains. “It requires you to be able to travel and have a full team that supports you. It looks so fun, but it really can be a full-time job. Some people will go to balls counting on winning their categories just so that they can pay their rent for the month. Professional ballroom is a lifestyle.” 

Gio (formerly of House Revlon) got brought into ball culture at the age of 21, and was groomed for his voguing talents to walk Butch Queen Vogue Fem as well as Realness With A Twist. His natural athleticism and rhythm shine in his work as a dancer, personal trainer, and fitness instructor. A jack of all trades, Gio also gigs as a stylist, designer, and bartender when he’s not advocating for better access to testing and treatment as a Greater Than AIDS ambassador. “Self-expression is key to me,” he said. “Whatever you want to let out artistically, do it. Whether it’s cooking, sewing, or acting, you just have to express yourself, because someone out there is going to feel what you’re putting out there and respond to it. You’re always going to influence somebody by being yourself.” 

Chloe of House Lanvin started off in the world of pageants, and even used to be the duchess of Nationz. She wanted to do something different to change her brand from frilly dresses to “Face” — the category in which every follicle and pore is inspected to assess perfection. “I walk in Runway and Face because those categories reflect the things about myself I take pride in,” she said. “Those two allow me to showcase my beauty, hair, skin, and makeup all in one.” Her success in the balls comes from the expertise she has gained in her business, Chloe’s Customs & Cosmetics. Under this brand she has built her career as a modeling coach, fashion designer, and makeup artist, all in one. While her friends consider her most famous for her delectable banana pudding, the ballroom scene appreciates the full range of her talents. 

Ken Ken, also of House Lanvin, cut his teeth in the world of performance as the first male cheerleader at Huguenot High School. “To be the first and only male cheerleader required confidence,” he said. “I had just moved here from North Carolina and wanted to make history.”  

His charisma and self-belief serve him well when he competes in Realness, Schoolboy Realness, and Realness with a Twist — all variations on a theme of trying not to appear too feminine or gay, a skill which to this day can mean the difference between a safe trip home and being jumped. Outside of ballroom, Ken Ken lets his creativity flow acting at Grace Street Theater, editing videos, singing, choreographing, and writing poetry. Whatever he does, he does it with all his heart, declaring, “In ballroom you’re going to have ten people tell you ‘no,’ so you better be ready to walk that eleventh time!” 

Sabrina Wynter Gabana Prodigy serves as the House of Hashi’s commentator — the person who announces, makes beats for, and remarks upon performers (the Pray Tell of the group, for Pose fans). Urged on by her friends’ high estimation of her wit, Wynter spontaneously competed in Commentator Versus Commentator at a ball in Alabama and took home the grand prize. Combined with her winnings from a voguing category, her haul for the night was a solid grand. Her natural talent for female figure performance is clear from her work as a dancer and hairstylist. She saw her first clip of ballroom performance when she was in middle school and was instantly transfixed. As the current Princess of the DMV region for the House of Gabana, Wynter isn’t afraid of responsibility, but the crowd size expected at VA PrideFest will be a new level for her. 

“I’m very, very excited to perform this year,” she said. “This is so surreal for me. I never would’ve believed I’d one day make it to such a big stage when I was just voguing in my friends’ bedrooms. Ballroom gives everybody a chance to express yourself and be a part of something, and I want us to be a bridge from the ballroom scene to mainstream society. I want to continue to let people know we’re here.” 

While most house names are derived from fashion names and labels like Balenciaga, Misrahi, and Chanel, the group of Gio, Chloe, Wynter, and Ken Ken chose to call their collective of ballroom ambassadors “Hashi.” It’s a word they came up with that equates to confidence and the banishing of all self-doubt. “If you’re hashi, you are who you are, and you won’t allow anyone to take that away from you,” explained Wynter. “You know what you stand for and where you want to go in life.” 

The House of Hashi knows their mission: they want to continue to make ball culture known to people who would never otherwise get the chance to experience it. “We want to help educate people on ballroom,” said Ken Ken. In this aim, their mission bears a message of inclusivity and acceptance. The House of Hashi hopes to grow over the coming months and years to showcase the full diversity of ballroom. Anyone is welcome to audition — as long as they have the hashi to walk the runway. 

Catch the House of Hashi performing at VA Pridefest 2019 on September 28th from noon to 8pm at Brown’s Island. If you’re interested in booking or joining the House of Hashi, email [email protected] to schedule an audition.

Mongays Week Five: Pariah

Wyatt Gordon | July 1, 2019

Topics: Black Pride Month, Black Pride RVA, LGBTQ women of color, MonGays, Pariah, The Byrd Theatre

Every Monday throughout June, The Byrd Theatre celebrated Pride Month with #MonGays, a series spotlighting the LGBTQ community. This week, Black Pride RVA launches Black Pride Month with their selection of Pariah.

What do you do when your family doesn’t understand part of who you are?  Even worse, what do you do if they disapprove? This is the challenge facing Alike, the young protagonist of Pariah, but these questions may have also been running through the minds of the founders of Black Pride RVA two years ago.

From the erasure of the black trans women that threw the first bricks at Stonewall to the alarmingly high rates of HIV infection among minority LGBTQ Americans, the existence of racism in the queer world is well documented. Black Pride RVA was founded as a protest, not against any group or organization in the Richmond scene (as some rumors have it), but rather as a positive protest, to celebrate the dual identities of queer people of color.

When Virginia Pride reached out to Black Pride RVA about sponsoring a week of MonGays — a special grand finale week in July: Black Pride Month — their leadership knew they “wanted to participate to increase our visibility and highlight the broader diversity of the LGBTQ community in Richmond.”

That same desire to shine a spotlight on the diversity of the queer community also led them to choose Pariah, a film that focuses on the struggle of a butch black girl to come to terms with her sexuality amidst her conservative family. “Our team was drawn by the story of a masculine-leaning female lead and her journey to acceptance,” Black Pride’s leadership stated. “We wanted a film that showcases LGBTQ women of color since their stories are not often told on the big screen, despite the fact women are more likely to identify as LGBTQ in the US.”  

That lack of visibility makes it harder for others in the same situation as Alike to come out. A dearth of positive role models and stories is one of many theories mooted as to why queer people of color face higher levels of depression. The leaders of Black Pride RVA know the struggle all too well.  

“Representation is important,” they stated. “Showing Pariah on the big screen helps to lift up the stories of queer women of color who make up the fabric of the Black LGBTQ community. We hope the audience will see the struggle to be yourself is difficult, and in the face of difficulty there is black joy, resilience, and acceptance.”

Black Pride RVA celebrated its inaugural festivities last year to help queer people of all colors in Richmond to overcome that struggle and move collectively towards the positive side of being LGBTQ. “Our work is all about lifting the unique voices and lived experiences of Black LGBTQ persons in the greater Richmond area,” they stated. “This is why we created Black Pride RVA weekend.”

Tonight’s screening of Pariah at the Byrd Theatre will offer the audience the chance to join Black Pride RVA in their celebration of our Commonwealth’s queer people of color. “Pariah highlights the power of voice, resilience, and acceptance. This is a movie Richmond needs to see.”

Pariah marks the fifth and final week of MonGays — a queer film series celebrating the LGBTQ+ community every Monday during Pride Month and the first week of Black Pride Month — tonight at 7pm at the Byrd Theatre. The 2nd annual Black Pride RVA weekend is July 18-21. Check out www.blackpriderva.com for details.

Community Out of Tragedy: Virginia’s First Black Pride Celebration

David Streever | July 19, 2018

Topics: Black Pride RVA, Diversity Richmond, intersectionality, Lacette Cross, LGBTQ, pride

This story was originally published on GayRVA.

After the horrific 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub, Richmond’s LGBTQ community tried to come together for unity, but instead, found division. Vigils were organized locally by leading LGBTQ advocacy groups, but as happens all too often in American society at large, Black and Latinx leaders felt underrepresented and excluded by an event that was supposed to mark a tragedy that had touched them personally.

Remembering the aftermath, local activist and minister Lacette Cross said she wondered, “Why didn’t they call us? It’s not like the organizers don’t know queer Black leaders.”

Cross felt the slight was unintentional, but it inspired her to create an intentional space for LGBTQ people of color in the city. At a post-event meeting, she says, “I said, ‘We can complain, or we can do something about it.’ Folks said, we can do something.”

That something is Black Pride RVA, a first of its kind event in Virginia, to be held this weekend in Richmond. Cross stresses that it’s not a competition with other local Pride events — she attends them all — but simply a way to provide representation to a group that faces additional challenges and discrimination. “This is not a homogenous world, and LGBTQ people are not homogenous. We’re not all the same gay, the same bi, the same queer. There’s a beauty in our diversity.”

The event is “a party with a purpose,” she says. Among the entertainment — highlights include a drag performance hosted by Alvion Davenport and Heaven-Leigh Kennedy on Friday night, a ballroom dance competition, and local rapper McKinley Dixon headlining on Saturday — Black Pride RVA will also feature a range of family-focused activities and educational classes. From a workshop on mental health, subtitled Navigating Your Truth in a Trump Era, to financial wellness classes and Black LGBTQ history, Cross has prepared a diversity of programming to make sure that the event serves the community it represents.

It has taken time to plan the event from those early discussions in September of 2016. After the talks, Cross founded a non-profit, Us Giving RVA Connection, and by February of the next year, the loosely-formed group had put together programming around Black LGBTQ history, creating the first Black LGBTQ History Month celebration, hosted by Diversity Richmond. They kept meeting monthly, knowing they wanted to do something bigger, and Cross took steps to make the process as inclusive as possible. “We wanted everybody to come to the table who wanted to be involved,” she says.

What she kept hearing was an interest in hosting a Black Pride event. While Virginia has never had a Black Pride event, they aren’t new; the first one was held in Washington, D.C., in 1991. It continues to this day under the umbrella group the Center for Black Equity, which plans other Black Prides around the country, and Cross knew who to turn to as she worked out the details on Richmond’s inaugural event.

“I got the Black Pride bootcamp, and it was amazing,” she says, talking about a series of training sessions she took in May of last year. That training introduced her to Black queer leaders from around the country, and helped her to schedule Richmond’s event to avoid conflicts with events both near, like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s June 24 event; and far, like the Black Pride held earlier this month in Paris, France.

Cross has a videographer and photography team who will document the event, and with her awareness of Black Pride on the national scene, I ask her how big of an event we should expect. “This is our first year, but I see Black Pride RVA as a tourist destination, especially over the next two years,” she says. She turns dreamy for a minute, talking about future events, before she laughs, exclaiming, “Don’t print that! I’m dreaming big. Right now, I just have to get through this weekend.”

—

Black Pride RVA’s first official event is “Dinner and a Drag Show,” hosted by Godfrey’s this Friday. Tickets are $12 online, $15 at the door. For more info, click here.

Admission to the main event, the Day Of Purpose, hosted by Diversity Richmond on Saturday, is free of charge, but attendees are encouraged to get a free ticket online. For more info, click here.

Saturday night is an after-party hosted at The Speakeasy Grill; tickets are $15 online and $25 at the door. Tickets to this event, as well as VIP passes and more, are available at Eventbrite.

The weekend will close with a worship service at Third Street Bethel AME on Sunday morning at 11 AM.

For more info on all events, visit Black Pride RVA’s website at blackpriderva.com.

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