With tens of thousands of people teeming through Philadelphia’s Gayborhood last Sunday for the annual OutFest celebration, it’s likely no two festivalgoers had the same exact OutFest experience.
Some may have come from out of town for some big-city fun. Others may have walked out their front doors and into the crowds. Some visitors may have been taking their first step out of the closet at OutFest, while others have been frequenting the festival for years. Some may have tried their hands at the mechanical bull and on-stage contests, while others gobbled up giveaways and information from community resources. Some may have overindulged at the myriad bar parties, while others called it an early night.
And there were some bigger ups and downs for the festival itself. The exemplary weather had people gathering in the streets until long after the sun went down, a far cry from last year’s soggy celebration, and new parties and activities drew throngs of excited crowds.
But, there were some tense overtones to a new drag show staged on the same street as the main stage. Antigay protestors made their usual unwelcomed appearance. And two men were arrested in an incident they say was unwarranted and involved excessive police force. The men are now pursuing a grievance with Internal Affairs.
The varied experiences, however, reflected an overall reality: The LGBT community isn’t, and shouldn’t be, monolithic. Our community represents people of all ages, races, ethnicities, orientations, identities, socioeconomic situations, interests and general walks of life. At the PGN table, our team witnessed the full diversity of OutFest attendees — teens, seniors, families with kids, couples, singles and a slew of allies, including a wealth of parents of LGBT youth and even straight couples who came on their own to check out the festival. Each person who walked the Gayborhood Sunday came for his or her own reason, and with his or her own goal for the day.
While the day is meant to promote unity among the LGBT community, that unity is rooted in an acknowledgement of individuality. Some OutFest attendees expressed their LGBT identity by wearing rainbow socks, tutus or carrying rainbow flags, while others simply grasped their partners’ hands and still others embraced the LGBT label by just turning out for the event. Being LGBT, and being out, means something different to everyone, and it’s that commitment to individual expression that was the rallying point that brought the community together on Sunday.
As the LGBT-rights movement progresses, and quickly, it is becoming even more important for the community itself to recognize and celebrate the sea of facets within itself. Just as no two OutFest experiences were the same, no two LGBT people are the same; appreciating the individual experiences and talents of the full gamut of our community is an integral way to build community unity and demonstrate a strong and solidified front to help bring our shared goals to fruition.