In collaboration with Uniting Pride in Champaign County, NOLA’s Rock Bar in Urbana hosted a pride celebration called the “P.O.P. Pride Official Pre-Party” Sunday night. LGBTQ+ individuals and allies gathered for a free night of music, food, games and the main event: four drag shows.

A youth show, a show for cis gendered individuals, a king show and a queen show were arranged and hosted by Ceduxion Carrington, the grand matriarch of the Carrington drag family in the area. Through commentary, singing into the microphone and performing a few numbers herself, Carrigton would often insert herself into the shows.

During the shows, performers in artistically-selected outfits danced and sang along to selections of their favorite songs on the makeshift staging area behind the bar. The audience cheered loudly for every entertainer, and tips were given by handing the performers the money or putting the cash in the red Uniting Pride bin that maneuvered through the crowd.

Nicole Frydman, the director of operations for Uniting Pride, said that after the success of the outdoor pre-pride party last June, she and the manager of NOLA’s were extremely enthusiastic about hosting another event this year. 

“It was the biggest event (NOLA’s) had all last year,” Frydman said. “People were hungry to do stuff and especially hungry to have a moment to celebrate Pride. I think people felt safe being outside.” 

The outside venue allowed over a hundred people to safely gather and watch the shows. As the night went on and the sun disappeared, the stage was illuminated by the bar’s yellow string lights. 

For students, the pre-party was always a way to find an off-campus community. 

Karissa Benjamin, junior in LAS, said that the pre-party was important because it showed her that there is an accepting community outside of the University.

“During something like this, you can see college kids, but not everybody is a college kid,” Benjamin said. “You realize that there is a community outside of the campus where you can still find a welcoming place.”

Champaign-Urbana residents Meg Rawley and Gaby Lisman said they were excited to see drag shows again. Rawley said there haven’t been very many shows in the area recently.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve been to one,” Rawley said. “I can’t think of the bar that they used to have drag shows at.”

Chester Street Bar was a prominent C-U LGBTQ+ bar that hosted many drag shows, providing a place for gay individuals to gather and build a community. 

However, in 2017, Chester Street Bar shut down, and no other LGBTQ+ venue has opened. The circumstances left some residents wondering where the queer space in C-U is.

West Kraft, a Champaign-Urbana resident, moved to the area from Los Angeles. They said the transition into the C-U queer scene was “scary and unpredictable.”

“The queer scene out there is like, astronomical and beautiful,” Kraft said. “It was definitely a change, moving to such a smaller area.”

However, Kraft said events like the pride pre-party are ways that queer individuals in smaller areas can find each other. They also mentioned that it is important for queer individuals of all ages to find each other — that is why the youth drag show was necessary. 

“So to have these events, it’s not only a way to connect queer people to other queer people, but to also bring in community members who are not of age and are looking for a community,” Kraft said. “There’s so much that can be taught from this environment to other kids who are feeling scared and vulnerable.” 

Frydman said pride celebrations have always been important, but lately, their significance have been stronger than ever.

Frydman referred to the uptake in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and hate crimes. According to Prism Reports, 57 trans and gender-nonconforming people were reported killed. That number is up from 43 in 2020, and this excluded unreported crimes.

“Those of us who walk in progressive circles are tempted to think we’ve made a lot of progress, but 2021 was the worst year on record for the most anti-LGBTQ+ legislation ever passed in the history of this country,” Frydman said. 

According to Bloomberg, there has been 325 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation proposed in 2022. In 2021, there were 268.

“In some ways, it is even more important that we gather in crowds on the streets in the communities in which we live,” Frydman said.

For Kraft and other LGBTQ+ individuals, the pride pre-party was the chance to gather in a crowd in the community that they live in.

“For queer people, hearing that we have a safe space isn’t always believable, and a lot of us get harassed even inside of those spaces,” Kraft said, “But tonight was on instinct and trust, but so far, I’ve been having a really good time and I am proud of who I am.” 

Frydman said that Sunday night, she witnessed a united pride throughout the entire bar, and that pride gave her the drive to keep inspiring the community to come together.

“It’s a chance for community, it’s a chance to come together, it’s a chance to celebrate and it’s a chance to stand up for our rights,” Frydman said, “The fight is not done yet.”

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