Photos and story by Ladiah Thomas / Contributing Writer
The Murfreesboro Public Square was a colorful place to be Saturday afternoon as downtown Murfreesboro celebrated its third annual “Boro Pride.” It was a place where people all over the LGBT spectrum and their allies were shown support and acceptance. Men, women and children were all in attendance.
Murfreesboro Pride started in 2016. It was presented by the Rutherford County Committee for the Tennessee Equality Project, which is a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBT community. It was started to promote inclusion in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.
As soon as attendees walked through the rainbow arches near the entrance of the festival, they were greeted by people who were giving out free hugs.
Walking around the square, attendees saw all kinds of expression: artistic expression, expression of sexuality, expression of love and expression of family. There was also a big stage set up where talents could be showcased. Singers, drag kings and queens and speakers took the stage to share the love. There were also different flags flown high to represent the different groups within the LGBT community.
There were vendors selling items such as clothing and food and passing out flyers, candy, stickers and more. MTSU’s own Lambda, a campus organization that consists of LGBT members and its allies, was in attendance as well as the Murfreesboro LGBT publication Focus, which is available in print and online.
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