Feature photo courtesy of Sidelines Archive
Story by Kameron Scott
The 9th annual BoroPride, the LGBTQ+ festival held in Murfreesboro, takes place on Oct. 12th. Though Pride Month is celebrated in June, Murfreesboro typically holds its pride celebration in September or October.
“BoroPride is always held in the fall,” said Leslie Russell Yost, the co-chair of the BoroPride planning committee. “Partially because there are so many established events in June, hosting BoroPride in the fall is a great way to extend the celebration of pride, a great time to welcome MTSU students, and sometimes it’s cooler weather.”
Yost said that the festival, which the Tennessee Equality Project organized, will be hosting events at two separate venues.
The afternoon’s slate of events, open to the general public, will be held at MTSU’s Miller Coliseum from 1:30-5 p.m. There will be performances from musicians throughout the day, including Carter Elliott, Jayme Graves and Turtle. There will also be a Halloween costume contest for dogs.
The evening’s slate of events, open only to those 18 years old and above, will take place at the Walnut House from 6:30-10:30 p.m. The first three hours will have music from performers such as Ancestral Tongue, Fame & Fiction and Big if True. The evening will conclude with a drag show featuring the new Mr. and Ms. BoroPride, Travi Sexton Dupree and Nikole Grace.
Yost also talked about the challenges BoroPride faced in recent years due to the anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed in Tennessee in the last few years, including the controversial drag ban that was recently reinstated by a panel of federal judges from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Murfreesboro banned the Tennessee Equality Project from hosting any event, not just BoroPride,” said Yost. “The city went on to pass a now repealed decency ordinance that went so far as to make homosexuality illegal. The current standing drag ban is why BoroPride is celebrating in two separate locations.”
Yost also expressed concerns that future festivals could be affected depending on who becomes president this November. He cited 10% voter turnout in the most recent local elections and any emails or petitions for or against the drag ban.
“Murfreesboro is a perfect example of how representation matters…” said Yost. “Apathy like that gives permission to our local elected leaders to continue disparaging their constituents whose lives and skin look different than theirs and not just for our LGBTQIA+ friends and neighbors. The upcoming national election will have a significant impact on minorities, people of various faiths, women, elderly and so on.”
Kameron Scott is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
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