By Chang Liu | Focus/Design Editor
Last weekend, members supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Waco gathered at the Brazos out of solidarity for the community.
Waco Pride Network hosted Out on the Brazos, celebrating LGBTQ+ pride at the Brazos Parks East on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Out on the Brazos had 113 vendors, including nonprofit and student organizations, food services, sponsors and even musical performances.
Waco Pride Network originated as a nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ groups with its members all being volunteers.
Central Presbyterian Church was one of the vendors in attendance. Pastor of CPC Judith March Hardie said the first year she moved to Waco, the event was smaller than it is now.
“It was a safe space to come and to support people being whoever they are,” Hardie said. “They [didn’t] have to worry about people judging them, saying rude things or not recognizing them for their true selves.”
Hardie said that, as the pastor of the church, she believes that God made people in God’s image, and all people are part of the diversity that makes up the world.
“It’s important that whatever gifts you bring as yourself be shared in service to others, in love of God and love of self and love of others,” Hardie said. “ We’d like to work for a just society where everyone is safe — races, queer people, straight people, immigrants and all the categories.”
Meg Bierwirth, who attended the event, said the reason she was here was because her son is gay. She also said she is glad that Waco has a place that shows support for the community.
“I think it’s very difficult [for LGBTQ+ groups to live in Waco],” Bierwirth said. “My child is gay, and he would never come back [to Waco]. Although there are lots of people [at this event], it also has lots of groups that are hurtful to people in the queer community. Unfortunately, most of that I feel comes from faith communities that are hurtful to the gay community or to the queer community.”
Janet Montes, another attendee of the event, said this event is important because Waco doesn’t have many events for LGBTQ+ groups.
“I have been married to my wife for 13 years and she has to work today, but I figured I’d bring my daughter out to celebrate,” Montes said.
Katy senior Maya Rao said she met a lot of kind LGBTQ+ people in Waco.
“I definitely feel like the religious atmosphere here can be a bit exclusionary, especially around the Baylor area,” Rao said. “I encountered a lot of homophobia at Baylor, but not so much in Waco.”
Another attendant, Alison Bright, said it is easy to be stuck in the Baylor bubble and think there is only a specific sort of person in this town.
“People bash on Waco too much,” Bright said. “It’s just another normal town. It’s full of normal people. There are plenty of different people with different viewpoints, and there’s a lot of people that are very supportive.”
