What festival-goers had to say

Adrian Stancil-Martin, Appleton Alder

Appleton has a very, very strong sense of community. And I'm pretty sure there were some protesters here. But they left, and people just want to have a good time. I can imagine how stressful things can be for the LGBTQ community. And I applaud everyone for coming out, especially during these very tense times. I'd be terrified to be doing this. I think it's very, very courageous, and I'm glad that we can have this event.

Jim Straub

It just shows that we have a voice, we have a community and everyone is here for the right reasons. We’re not walking around showing anger at the stuff that’s going on. We’re just here being ourselves and enjoying the day and enjoying fellowship and community.

I’ve been very fortunate since I came out. I don’t know if it’s my demeanor or if it’s like I look like a Republican white guy but people accept me, and once I came out I never hid anything. There was a time I was a closeted married man with children and grandchildren. I was raised Catholic and was afraid my parents wouldn’t accept me but once I came out I found they did accept me and loved me for who I was. When I told my dad, he said, ‘I’ve known that for years, pass the mashed potatoes,’ and that was the end of it. I know people who have been disowned by their families. People who have been beaten and abused because of their sexuality and I feel for them.

Alex

I'm here to show support to all of my FAEs and gays, all of my family members and my friends. This is my third pride in Appleton. The first year, most of these tents were not here. It was just an open area.

I think it's incredibly important, more important than it ever was, given the current state of things. I mean, it's not really safe for anybody, so I think a day for everyone to come together is imporant. There was a mom here. She said, 'Have you had your free mom hug today?' She held our hands and she said, ‘We're proud. I stand with you.’ And I think moments like those, you don't get a lot outside of events like this.

Mitchell

I think the mission is twofold. I mean, I think it's a good place for people to be able to come and be themselves and enjoy themselves. I also think it's really important for the people that don't go out to just to be able to see other people like them and know that they're not alone.

I think it's especially important now that we seem in terms of civil rights, in terms of personal freedoms, to be moving backwards. I think it's more important than ever that we celebrate the progress that we have made. Because I think, as we've seen, if we stop for even just a moment, people start trying to take away your rights. So I think, more than ever, it's important to have to fight for those.

Unidentified woman

Pride is very important to me because I think it is just a really consistent and positive representation of love and community support. It is a festival that started as a riot but has continued as a celebration and a coming together. And I think it makes Appleton great. I mean, Appleton is a wonderful place with wonderful people, and this is a really good showcase of some of the best of those people.

Rosemary and Angie

I came out in 1996. It was right around the time Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. It was one of of the reasons I moved out of Montana. I came to Wisconsin for school looking for someplace a little more progressive. It was a pretty low bar back then. – Angie

I hid that part of myself very well for 20 years and it was community like this that made me come out– Rosemary