Libby Pride welcomes all to annual event

An open letter to all the “gay” people out there, well, yes, actually I’m talking about the LGBTQ+ community, but I’m really talking about all the gay men and lesbians who have been such an integral part of our larger community for so many years. 

This letter is to the folks who don’t plan pride festivals, or wear rainbow garb. This letter is to the folks who have never even attended a pride festival, or, maybe just took a peek and didn’t feel particularly welcome, and left. The folks who have been steadily living and working and loving , not hiding exactly, but maybe just quietly waving at passerby from your comfortable chair in your cozy open-door closet.

Some conservative estimates of LGBTQ+ folks put the number at 5% give or take. This means that in Lincoln County, with a population of approximately 20,000, there are at least 1000 of us. This means that in Libby, with a population of approximately 3,000, there are at least 150 LGBTQ+ folks. This is a very, very conservative estimate, we all know there are many more.

We are business owners, professionals, cooks and servers. We are social workers, tech workers, hospital and retail workers, and entrepreneurs. We are retired folks, students, veterans, homemakers, artists. We are basically everyone. Many of you are conservative and traditional, some are not. Some of you are married, some are not. Some of you are still in the closet, most are not.

This year a small group of brave, dedicated folks are offering the community a 5th annual Pride festival. The generous benefactors who built the festival from a picnic in the park to a large and fabulous event, an exhausting, overwhelming and expensive task, have earned the right to hand over the reins to others in the community. It will be less fabulous, less flashy. There will be fewer out of town, larger than life performers. This year's festival will feature our local performers, our local entrepreneurs, and hopeful more of our local, regular everyday ‘gay’ folks. There will be music, comedy, food, booths, and drag, but, in my opinion, it's all about YOU, the silent LGBTQ+ community that this year is all about.

The open-door closet may have been a safe, comfortable place for you for a long time, but times have changed and the ones who may be looking to disturb your peace have become more visible, more aggressive, and more dangerous.

Please, come down to the memorial center this year, on July 18. Have a pizza, watch the dog show, enjoy some local comedy, sit and relax, be seen. All are welcome, all are respected, and all are honored. You will find no judgment, and no politics, only a welcoming place for your whole self.

July 18 from 9 to five at the Libby Memorial Center.

MOIRA BLAZI

Libby, Mont.