Rain doesn't dampen spirits at RI Pride's first celebration in two years

Providence Journal - 10/31/2021

PROVIDENCE — It wasn't the same Pride festival as in past years.

There was no dancing through downtown streets. It wasn't as loud. There were fewer people than the typical crowds of hundreds.

But it didn't matter. To have Rhode Island Pride host some type of community event meant a lot to those who came out on Saturday for the organization's Halloween Jubilee, held indoors at the WaterFire Arts Center.

"It's great to see the LGBTQ+ community coming together for really the first big Pride event since COVID," said Jen Stevens, who went with her partner and their two children.

It's been more than two years since the last PrideFest and parade in Providence. Last year's was canceled because of the coronavirus. And this year, Rhode Island Pride announced a postponement in June before deciding to replace it with the Jubilee.

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The decision came after a change in the group's leadership, which saw Rodney Davis take on the position of president for a second time, but it was also made in response to the continuing uncertainty around the pandemic.

The festival and march take a year to plan, said Davis. With so many things surrounding COVID shifting by the day, it was impossible to make the commitments necessary to hold a full-blown PrideFest. But Rhode Island Pride wanted to do something to mark the organization's 45th anniversary this year and the 20th anniversary of the Illuminated Night Parade.

The Jubilee was always going to be a smaller event, but it was still supposed to be held downtown and outdoors, and a march was planned. Then, with the forecast of steady rain all day, organizers had to scale it down a little more in the scramble to move everything to the WaterFire center in Olneyville.

"The street portion of it had to be canceled, but we really didn't want to say we can't hold an event," said Davis. "The community is not in a spiritual place to say, 'We're canceled.' So I'm really happy that we can do something."

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The festivities kicked off in the afternoon with a fair to showcase resources for the LGBTQ+ community and ended with a dance party at night. In between, Mayor Jorge Elorza stopped by in a show of support, as did U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, Rep. David Cicilline and other elected leaders.

Among the groups that set up tables at the community resource fair was Love Wins Little Compton, which is trying to foster acceptance of all sexual and gender identities in the tiny East Bay community. Its members scored a victory in the summer when officials agreed to fly rainbow Pride flags over Town Hall and the Wilbur & McMahon Middle School.

"We got support from our community that we didn't think was there," said Raul Iriarte-Moore, who is vice president of Love Wins.

He and Megan Gonzalez, co-president of the group, said they hope to inspire similar work in other suburban towns, such as Barrington or Bristol, where the LGBTQ+ community may not be as active as in a city like Providence.

"We started the conversation, and the response has been really overwhelming," said Gonzalez.

Also represented at the fair was Project Weber/RENEW, which provides outreach and support to sex workers and other at-risk populations. Its services include needle exchange, HIV testing and counseling, said Jesinya Sousa, trans outreach coordinator for the organization.

"We've got to keep on getting the word out," said Sousa. "Everybody deserves a normal life without being stigmatized."

It being the day before Halloween, many attendees came out in costume. That included Stevens dressed as Robin Hood; her partner, Sarah Rich, who came as Winnie the Pooh; and their children, Elio and Avery, dressed as characters from "Where the Wild Things Are."

"Halloween is a really special holiday for the queer community," Stevens laughed. "LGBTQ people really love to dress up and have fun."

Davis said that the Jubilee represented a new start for Rhode Island Pride.

"This was really important to do something," he said. "Having this engagement is why we do this."