On Saturday, May 7, the inaugural LGBTQ+ Pride Parade went around the Courthourse Square amid applause and cheers from a large crowd of people standing in the streets and even from the balconies.
The crowds were not deterred by the hot Saturday afternoon as they clapped, cheered and gathered beads from smiling faces of people walking in the parade. Young children, elderly people and every age in between were seen adorned with rainbow flags and signs declaring, “No Hate in My State!” There was a small group of people gathered near the Confederate statue in front of the Lafayette Courthouse with the state flag of Mississippi and a large Christian flag. They quietly protested the parade despite being outnumbered by people brandishing rainbow flags and peace signs.
University of Mississippi graduate student, Matt Kessler, is the organizer behind this widely-received parade.
He said in an earlier interview: “I love Oxford. However, the city sorely lacks public spaces for the LGBTQ community. At the Sarah Isom Center, we’ve been dedicated to trying to think of new ways to create those types of public spaces and events. A Pride parade just seemed like a good fit.”
The parade is a part of the L.O.U. Pride Weekend. On Sunday, May 8, the Oxford Film Festival will screen “Struggles and Celebrations of Being Out in the Deep South” at The Shelter on Van Buren in co-sponsorship with Crossroads Film Society at 4 p.m., free of charge.
Callie Daniels Bryant is the senior managing editor at HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.
