Drag queen story time, performances, more: What to expect at Columbus’ Pride festival
After pushing last year’s events to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Columbus Georgia LGBTQ+ Pride Festival hosted by local nonprofit Colgay Pride returns downtown.
The outdoor events on Friday and Saturday will be spread out on Broadway between 10th and 12th streets to ensure social distancing is possible. Organizers are taking additional precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and mask use is mandatory, said Jeremy Hobbs, Colgay Pride’s director and founder.
The festival’s theme is “We are Human” and comes as city leaders consider enacting a non-discrimination ordinance aimed at protecting all of the city’s residents, including its LGBTQ+ community.
“We’ve got to put aside all of the difference we have and start working together,” Hobbs said. “I know it’s easy to look for differences in people. I know it’s easy to see how we’re not alike. ...We do have one common thing: we’re all human. There’s nothing that can change that.”
The events
The festival kicks off with the Mr. and Mrs. Columbus Georgia Pride 2021 pageant at 8 p.m. Friday.
Events begin at 9 a.m. Saturday with guest speakers, including Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson, and award presentations. Other city leaders expected to attend the festival include Councilors Mimi Woodson and Toyia Tucker, School Board Member Cathy Williams and Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mark Jones.
The Meet the Community segment begins at 11 a.m. Speakers will discuss the “We Serve All” establishment program and the city’s upcoming nondiscrimination ordinance. Several musical performances will also take place. Amateur drag shows start at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Around 2 p.m., drag queen story time begins. Hobbs said the organization plans to begin hosting future story time events via Zoom. At 3 p.m., eventgoers will take the daytime group photo and participate in the festival’s equality parade.
At 7 p.m., the festival’s night show beings, and at 9 p.m., Columbus drag queen Matasha Latweet Dickerson Black and friends take the stage. The new Mr. and Mrs. Columbus Georgia Pride 2021 will also perform.
This year’s festival comes as city leaders consider passing a non-discrimination ordinance. Last month, the Columbus Council passed a resolution that highlighted existing protections within city government, and stated the council will protect the city’s residents regardless of a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, familial status and veteran status.
Councilors will vote on a nondiscrimination ordinance outlining dispute resolution and enforcement before August 31.
If Columbus approves the ordinance, it would join 12 other Georgia cities with non-discrimination ordinances. Cities that have already passed measures include Atlanta, Savannah and Statesboro. Augusta-Richmond County and Athens-Clarke County are also considering ordinances.
“It’s for everybody,” Hobbs said about the ordinance. “It’s something we all need to focus on. What’s alarming to me is that 12 other cities have already passed it and Columbus hasn’t, with us being the second or third largest city in Georgia. That to me is very disappointing.
“There’s really no reason to be against this bill. This is what we deserve as human beings. We all deserve equality,” he added.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 3:55 PM.