Indy Pride Festival, formerly Circle City IN Pride, is the annual
week of LGBT pride events in
Indianapolis. The week is organized by
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
organization
Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival.
Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the
Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.
According to former
Indy Pride President, Gary Brackett, "The festival and events are to celebrate gay pride and bring the community together. We're trying to bring visibility to the greater Indianapolis community of how many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people there are here."
History
The first known Pride week in Indianapolis was celebrated in 1976 with the support of Metropolitan Community Church and Gay Peoples Union. However, the first
Indy Pride, Inc., sponsored event began in 1996 as a week-long celebration of events. Jeffrey Cleary and Bill McKinley served as Co-Chairs for the city's first ever pride week. The celebration held 10 events in seven days, culminating with a pride fair on the downtown Indy Canal. In 2011, the festival broke records by attracting a record estimate 70,000 attendees.
In 2012, the week of events opened with the new "Rainbow 5k Run/Walk". The festival saw the addition of a 2nd stage, as well as an expansion in family-friendly entertainment.
Attendance grew every year in the following decade until 2020 and 2021 when the event was not held in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indy Pride Parade
The first Indy Pride Parade stepped off in 2002, founded by Gary Brackett. The first parade was small with only eight participants and lasted 15 minutes. It has since grown into a 2-hour-plus-long event.
Anti-Pride protests and opposition
In a 2016 interview, Gary Brackett acknowledged that a few protestors oppose the event every year. According to Brackett, both the crowd and the anti-Pride protestors have received police protection.
Festival
![Indy Pride, Indianapolis, Indiana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Indy_Pride%2C_Indianapolis%2C_Indiana.jpg)
The festival includes several attractions for the LGBT community and allies, to browse and watch. Local
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
groups and supportive businesses sponsor booths catering to the community as a whole, as well as special interest groups. Surrounding the park, food vendors and other businesses also set up displays to show support and to market to the community. The main stage overlooks the event and serves as a centerpiece for the festival. National and local talents provide performances from the stage. Performances have included the
Pride of Indy Band, singers, national recording artists, drag performances, DJs, and speeches.
Performances have ranged from pure entertainment, such as
RuPaul who performed at the close of the festival in 2006 and
Kat DeLuna
Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna (born November 26, 1987) is an American singer.
DeLuna began pursuing a career as a singer when she was a teenager and later signed with Epic Records. Her debut single, " Whine Up", released in 2007, went on to become ...
who performed in 2009, to informational speeches, such as from
Candace Gingrich, who in 2007, gave a speech for the
Human Rights Campaign on
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
issues.
In 2012, the festival added a 2nd stage dedicated to DJs and dance music, as well as an area designated for family friendly entertainment.
2013 marked the 25th year of Indy's public LGBT Pride celebration.
Attendance
Estimated annual attendance, beginning with 2002:
Cadillac Barbie Indy Pride Parade
![Indy pride parade](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Indy_pride_parade.JPG)
The annual parade began in 2002, and runs from
Mass Ave, which is the city's unofficial
gayborhood
A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establis ...
, to the heart of
downtown Indianapolis
Downtown Indianapolis is a neighborhood area and the central business district of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Downtown is bordered by Interstate 65, Interstate 70, and the White River, and is situated near the geographic center of Ma ...
. Parade grand marshals have included celebrities and politicians, including the late congresswoman
Julia Carson
Julia May Carson (née Porter; July 8, 1938 – December 15, 2007) was a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1997 until her death in 2007 (numbered as the 10th District from 1997 to 2003). . The parade grew to more than 100 floats and participants by 2009.
Grand marshals
*2006:
Julia Carson
Julia May Carson (née Porter; July 8, 1938 – December 15, 2007) was a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1997 until her death in 2007 (numbered as the 10th District from 1997 to 2003). , congresswoman
*2007:
Del Shores, writer and producer
*2009: Broadway cast of ''
Wicked
Wicked may refer to:
Books
* Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe
* '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name
* ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...
''
*2010: Indy Bag Ladies
*2011: Cadillac Barbie (Gary K. Brackett), founder
*2012:
Jordan Windle
Jordan Pisey Windle is a Cambodian-born American Olympic diver. He is the first diver of Cambodian descent to compete in the Olympics.
Early life
Jordan was born in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on November 13, 1998. At the age of one, his biological ...
, youngest diver to ever qualify for the USA Diving Olympic Team Trials, and adopted son of two fathers.
*2013: Indiana Youth Group
[http://www.circlecityinpride.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Pride-Press-Release-IYG.pdf ]
*2014: Coburn "Coby" Palmer (one of the original Indy Bag Ladies),
Layshia Clarendon
Layshia Renee Clarendon (born May 2, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Clarendon is the first openly non-binary WNBA player, and the first active WNBA player to complete a top surgery.
Career
C ...
, point guard for the
Indiana Fever, Megan Roberson of Freedom Indiana, and Rick Sutton of Indiana Equality Action for their efforts in the law arena.
*2015:
Greg Ballard
Gregory Alan Ballard (born November 20, 1954) is an American politician, author, and businessman who served as the 48th mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps.
On November 6, 20 ...
, Mayor of Indianapolis
*2016: Alice Langford, community advocate; and Betty Wilson, president and CEO of The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis, Inc.
*2017: Chris Paulsen and Deanna Medsker, LGBTQ rights advocates
*2018: Finley C. Norris, Margaret Irish, Mark A. Lee, Terrell Parker, Jenna Scott, Wes Scott
*2019: Shelly Fitzgerald, State Senator
J. D. Ford, Trinity Haven, and Low Pone
*2020: Indy Bag Ladies and
Indianapolis City-County Council
The City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County is the legislative body of the combined government of the city of Indianapolis and the county of Marion in the state of Indiana. The council was established as part of the consolidation o ...
members Ali Brown, Ethan Evans, Keith Potts, and Zach Adamson (parade canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
)
*2021: Parade not held due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
*2022: Trans Solutions Research & Resource Center, GenderNexus,
ACLU of Indiana,
Indianapolis City-County Council
The City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County is the legislative body of the combined government of the city of Indianapolis and the county of Marion in the state of Indiana. The council was established as part of the consolidation o ...
members Zach Adamson, Ali Brown, Ethan Evans, and Keith Potts
See also
*
Indy Pride
*
List of LGBT events
The following is a calendar of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) events. This mainly comprises pride parades but also includes other kinds of events such as sporting events and film festivals. The world's largest pride parade ...
*
Pride of Indy Band and Color Guard
*
List of attractions and events in Indianapolis
The following is a list of important sites of interest and annual events in and around the city of Indianapolis.
__NOTOC__
A
* Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus)
B
* Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
* Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
* Benton House ...
External links
Indy PrideIndy Pride FestivalPride of Indy BandsIndiana Youth GroupIndianapolis PFLAG
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Circle City In Pride
LGBT events in Indiana
Festivals in Indianapolis
Festivals established in 2002
2002 establishments in Indiana
Pride parades in the United States