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Support Pride Month From Home With The RVA Virtual Pride Market

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A brand-new event is coming to Richmond, and you won’t have to leave your house to attend. The RVA Virtual Pride Market this Saturday lets us support LGBTQ small businesses from home. 

It’s June in Richmond, and in a normal year, it would be time to enjoy the many celebrations of Pride Month across the city. Like many other facets of the “normal” world, though, this year has seen a change to that dynamic. 

Amid the coronavirus pandemic and recent Black Lives Matter protests, events are being cancelled to protect public safety, and many LGBTQ organizations are stepping back to bring systematic racism to light. In times like these, breaking out the rainbow flag might not be enough for locals to show their support. Enter the new RVA Virtual Pride Market: an opportunity to make a difference, safely from home. 

This Saturday, June 27, the first-ever event brings local LGBTQ small businesses together in an online market. Customers can support their favorite vendors without visiting public spaces, and donate to the Black Lives Matter movement through several organizations that have partnered with the market.

Local business owners Andy Waller (Dayum This Is My Jam) and Holly Sullivan Foster (Pistil + Stamen) joined hands to create the new concept this year. 

“Holly and I have known each other for a while through our nonprofit work,” Waller explained. “We parted ways because of different life paths, and then reconnected through the rad career network that exists in Richmond.” 

Image via RVA Virtual Pride Market

Waller and Foster met in 2012, but it would be another eight years before the pandemic would bring them together for their latest project. 

“At that time, I was in the midst of doing a lot of theater and costuming,” Foster said. “I’ve delved into different art aspects throughout my life. I’m a very creative-minded person… I’m trying to put marginalized communities first. I advertise to those communities regarding my services, and I try to cater in terms of non-traditional services. For example, I do flower beards. That’s not something that all designers are known for.”

Both owning small businesses that identify as part of the LGBTQ community, Foster and Waller used their platforms to reach out to local customers. Waller first brought the idea for the RVA Virtual Pride Market to Foster, and together, they got to work. 

During the event, customers can pay for items through one Venmo or PayPal account, then the market disperses one hundred percent of funds to participating vendors. Paying in one place keeps the checkout process simple. 

“Everything’s supposed to be priced between $25-50 to make it more seamless,” Waller said. “Folks can attend in their PJs and not leave their houses. However big in-person events and parades are, they might not seem like a safe space for those who don’t feel ready. This is a way for folks to engage and be a part of this, and show up in ways they haven’t been able to before.” 

Running with the motto “You Don’t Have to Come Out to Show Up,” this year’s Virtual Pride Market will host local vendors like Dayum This Is My Jam, Pistil + Stamen, Karmalita’s Marshmallows and Confections, RVA Witches Unite, Two Fat Babies Candle Company, The Tottering Teacup, Nicmakesknickknacks, Diamond and Shadow, Over The Rainbow Apparel, Guy Piper, Color & Culture, and Sarah Schultz-Taylor Photography. More details on each vendor can be found on Facebook at the official event page. 

Customers can choose either delivery or one-day pickup options. Vendors will be able to display and sell their work, and live entertainment will run through the event. 

“It’s an LGBTQ+ market, it’s a fundraiser, there’s entertainment, there will be DJs, live performances, and we’ve got an LGBTQ+ children’s book reading,” Waller said. “And, of course, the most important part for Holly and I is awareness.” 

PHOTO: RVA Virtual Pride Market

Not only will the event support and highlight the LGBTQ community in Richmond, but it also sheds light on the Black Lives Matter movement. The market offers donation services to foundations and organizations available to combat these problems facing the nation right now. 

“Police brutality is probably one of the biggest offenders right now,” Foster said. “We have so much work to do before we can get anywhere where people of color in the queer community are treated equally.” 

Customers can donate to the SupportBlackLivesRVA Signs Project that benefits the Black Lives Matter movement. Donations can also be made to the Nationz Foundation, an organization dedicated to HIV-related education and overall health which also works to make Central Virginia more inclusive. The official RVA Virtual Market t-shirt donates 100 percent of profits to the Nationz Foundation. 

“I’ve always wanted to help people,” Foster said. “It’s personally gratifying to help others… We want to support however we can.” 

Thinking ahead to the market’s future, Waller and Foster both plan to see how the next year unfolds before making any concrete plans. 

“We have to be sustainable,” Foster said. “Hopefully, by this time next year, we won’t be in quarantine (fingers crossed). That would open up a lot of avenues and opportunities for us, and we’d be able to do an in-person event. It may be possible that we could collaborate with other folks in the community. I’d say it has potential.” 

As the state slowly opens back up, many Virginians are unsure whether it’s safe to venture back out into public life. For those looking to make a difference from home, this Virtual Pride Market is a great option to show support. With more than two thousand people interested on Facebook, hopes are high that the first-ever event will be a hit.

To learn more about the RVA Virtual Pride Market, a full guide with information is listed in this public Google Doc. Updates will be posted to the Facebook event page throughout the week. 

Taylor Mac’s “Holiday Sauce”

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Hot on the very high heels of the wildly successful epic extravaganza, “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music,” the incomparable Taylor Mac makes his Richmond, Virginia debut to share a little holiday sass and dazzling glitter with “Holiday Sauce.” It’s Christmas as calamity when MacArthur Fellow (2017) and Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac celebrates the season’s dysfunction in the ultimate holiday survival guide. Joined by longtime collaborators Machine Dazzle and Matt Ray, and a spectacular band, Mac reframes the songs you love and the holidays you hate in a brilliant, and at times shocking, take-down of the sentimentality of the holidays.

Please note: This performance is not child friendly.

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This Is What A Geek Looks Like

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The creatives behind Quirktastic grew up without a space for black youth in nerd culture… so they made their own. 

“You’re not really the right race to dress up as that character.”

“You don’t really look like a geek.”

“Are you pretending just for guys’ attention?”

Lauren Grant has heard everything in the book. But together with Bryanda Law and Larissa Orakunda, she’s cultivated an inclusive space for geeks, nerds, and weirdos to freely be themselves with no judgement.

Quirktastic is a website dedicated to all things alternative, featuring articles, videos and quizzes on everything from anime to crystal healing. Beginning as a blog in 2014, Quirktastic has grown into a full fledged, LA-based media company.

Law’s goal when creating Quirktastic was to make an outlet that people wished existed when they were growing up quirky, alternative, and black.

Quirktastic team. LEFT: Chief Content Officer Lauren Grant. CENTER: Founder + CEO Bryanda Law. RIGHT: Editor-In-Chief Larissa Irankunda.

“There was no other site dedicated to creating black-business lists that cater to quirky black women, or anyone writing love letters to black men who play with LEGOs,” Law stated in a 2017 interview. “I wanted to be that site.”

Grant, a VCU Broadcast Journalism alum, joined the team in 2017, two days after leaving the worst job of her life. One of her best friends tweeted her Quirktastic’s call for writers. When she saw the website, it was love at first click.

“When I clicked on the website, I couldn’t believe that I had never heard of Quirktastic before!” says Grant. “Quirky black girls like myself were writing pieces that related to me, pieces I actually wanted to read not only from the perspective of a nerd, but from the perspective of being a woman of color.”

Grant has moved through the ranks and is now the Chief Content Officer of Quirktastic, producing all of their video and podcast content.

Grant has always known life as a geek. She first remembers getting into the culture at about seven years old, when her childhood friend Amanda introduced her to Sailor Moon, a popular Japanese cartoon and comic book about a group of magical teenage girls saving the Universe.

However, largely due to her gender and race, many people have looked at her interest with an air of skepticism.

“I wish I could say that it’s stopped, but even as someone who has worked in a geeky space for years, I still am hearing, ‘You don’t look like a geek.’” 

Photo via Quirktastic Quizzes

Even black female celebrities have recently come under fire for their interest in nerd culture. Rapper and singer Lizzo dressed as Sailor Moon for a concert. Megan thee Stallion did a photoshoot for Paper magazine as Todoroki, a character from the anime My Hero Academia, and has multiple mentions of anime in her lyrics.

Both celebrities, especially Megan thee Stallion, were accused of faking their interest in order to chase “clout” and exploit “real anime fans.”

This strict gatekeeping has been one of the greatest hurdles that the Quirktastic team has tried to overcome since relocating to LA. During many investor meetings and networking events, they keep hearing, “Well, you don’t really look like geeks.”

Quirktastic has made strides in creating a community for those who feel ostracized. With the creation of a friendship app and the hashtag #thisiswhatageeklookslike, the Quirk community has a strong emphasis on inclusivity.

“We give everyone a chance to shine, especially women, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community — but our platform doesn’t just cater to minorities like ourselves,” said Grant. “We don’t care who comes into our nerdy space, as long as you come in with empathy and respect… and often that’s all anyone, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, wants.”

When it comes to advice for young black nerds who might feel alienated, Grant has plenty.

“Find your tribe! Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you don’t belong in this space. There’s room for all types of geeks! YOU are what a geek looks like!” 

Top Photo via Quirktastic

VA PrideFest 2019

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VA PrideFest is the largest annual celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trangender (LGBTQ+) community in the Commonwealth.
Planned and implemented by Virginia Pride, this FREE, family-friendly day of festivities feature a variety of vendors, local eats, activities, and entertainment for a day of fun in the sun!
More details will be posted as they become available.  In the meantime, please consider joining our mailing list, signing up to volunteer, or making a donation to ensure VA Pride continues to serve Virginia’s LGBTQ+ community, and to keep the festival free!

Mario Lopez Says It’s Dangerous to Support Transgender Kids

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For Hollywood stars whose relevance is fading, sharing discriminatory hot takes on causes you don’t understand is a bad way to get back in the spotlight.

This week, things took an awkward turn when it turned out that Zach Morris is not actually the Saved By The Bell cast member who is trash. Instead, it turns out, it’s good ol’ AC Slater. Former Saved By the Bell actor Mario Lopez, who is now a host on the entertainment news show Extra, is confused — and he thinks you actually care about his opinion. 

He especially seems to think you care about his problematic (read: dangerous) opinion about parents who support their transgender children. Originally Lopez appeared back in June on conservative YouTube talk show The Candace Owens Show and was asked about parents allowing their children to express traditionally-opposite gender interests. Specifically, he remarked about how children don’t understand what is going on anyway, and how dangerous it is. 

Owens, who was previously a nanny, opened the questioning by prodding that children don’t have the mental authority to understand gender identity. 

“I’m kind of blown away, too,” Lopez told Owens, according to NBC News. “I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids, obviously, and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong… but at the same time, my God, if you’re 3 years old and you’re saying you’re feeling a certain way, or you think you’re a boy or a girl — or whatever the case may be — I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make that determination.” 

“When you’re a kid … you don’t know anything about sexuality yet. You’re just a kid,” Lopez said. 

While this may be true depending on the source you cite, it should be noted by anyone with any sense that gender and sexuality are two separate entities. Conservative media enjoys conveniently combining them, but it should again be noted that they are, seriously, not the same thing. 

It took a while for anyone to notice his appearance on the show, but finally people found out about it, and now Lopez has come under fire on social media. Naturally, he backpedaled the hell out of there as soon as the clip went viral, commenting on Wednesday about how sorry he is and how much he supports the LGBTQ community. 

“I have been, and always will be, an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself,” Lopez said, according to Insider. “Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful.” 

I would like to point out that if he really agreed that these comments were in poor taste, he wouldn’t have waited until the last day of July to jump on that. To quote my dear father, “You’re not sorry you did it, you’re sorry you got caught.” 

For the record, the producers of Extra were not on board with what Lopez had to say, issuing a statement of their own about the whole affair. “While we have enjoyed a long relationship with Mario Lopez, who we know to be a caring person, the opinions he expressed in this interview do not reflect those of Extra,” they stated, according to Deadline. “We wholeheartedly embrace our friends from the LGBTQ community and believe they need support and love.”

Hopefully cast members from 90s teen sitcoms will give us more of that support and love in the future. And hopefully Mario Lopez will follow through on that promise to educate himself about an issue he has proven himself ignorant about.