COMMENTARY: Pine City Pride

When I finally realized I was a lesbian, I was lucky to be living in Minneapolis.  Home to a thriving lesbian community, including Ruby’s, the legendary lesbian cafe, and Amazon, the best women’s bookstore next door. [The world didn’t yet know Jeff Bezos.] Add in lesbian brunch groups, softball teams, the coffeehouse — it was easy to find community.

Years later I ended up living on a dirt road about 15 minutes from Pine City, and community was elusive. Social activities seemed to revolve around church and the Lions club (Lioness club for the women!).  Not being a church goer and not having kids in school, it was hard to meet new friends. The widowed dairy farmer nearby swore I wouldn’t last a year living in Pine City; I wondered if he was right.

Hearing that the new librarian in a nearby community was a lesbian, I jumped at the chance to introduce myself.  When the librarian and her wife introduced me to the annual Pride festival hosted in Pine City by East Central Minnesota Pride, I was amazed and delighted. In those early years, Pride was a quiet, small festival with music and food, but it still was an important event in a rural community.

Like any small town, Pine City has its share of welcoming and friendly folks, as well as those who find differences of any sort to be a challenge. For years, news of the Pride festival was posted on an electronic bulletin board outside of the local school. That ended about a decade ago, after an older farmer on the school board said the electronic board should not be used for any community events, lest children be negatively influenced by the word “Pride” and what it meant.  The school board took that action, even though the bulletin board was used for all sorts of community notices.

That hurtful action really stung and made me question Pine City’s reputation as a friendly small town.

The school board fiasco also made Pride an even more important community event to me. I started seeing Pride as more than just a fun day to hang out with friends. I began volunteering with set-up and clean-up. I realized that, while I was enjoying Pride as a time to share with other queers, it was also a chance to invite the whole community to share in the fun.

Most importantly, it also was an event to allow connections to grow between my queer community and folks who see queers as “other.” It was an important event for teens and young adults who struggle with acceptance at home or school.

It is easy to fear the unknown and to believe the worst of others when you do not know them.

It has been 10 years since a member of the school board enabled fear around the word “Pride.” Both the festival and the Pine City community have grown since then.

I have joined the Pride planning committee. Local  businesses and restaurants participate as vendors. The family friendly event continues to be free, with great music and lots of kids activities. And yes, there is a drag queen story hour. This year, the June 7 celebration will include an after-party at the local brewery and a Sunday morning interfaith session.

It has been 16 years since that dairy farmer thought I wouldn’t last a year. I’m now on the Pride Board, Pine City has added a new co-ed Lions club,  and I am still enthusiastic about Pine City.

Details: eastcentralminnesotapride.org