“It was the best National Coming Out Day that I’ve been a part of in Philadelphia history,” said GALAEI Executive Director Tyrell Brown about sharing the day with tens of thousands of people attending the second annual OURFest — the parade and festival that marks the holiday for Philadelphians.
The weekend kicked off with a parade that weaved throughout Center City on Oct. 12. Various LGBTQ-centered organizations, nonprofits and leaders participated in the parade — dancing on floats or waving flags as they marched in the streets. The historic 400-foot Pride flag was also carried throughout the city.
This year’s OURfest theme was “OURFest — OURFuture,” highlighting the queer community’s resilience in the face of recent legislative attacks and problematic rhetoric that threaten the lives and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people. The theme is more than a reminder to Brown, who led efforts to organize the festival. It’s a call to action.
“When we talk about solidarity, it’s really seeing each other, how we value each other and show up for each other that really pulls us through,” they said, underlining the need to reinvest in spaces and people who are doing the work to build a strong future together.
“There’s some residual tension in the community about how and who these events are run by — but I like to talk about who they’re for,” Brown added.
Rather than a “who” in the sense of developing the event with a specific person or group of people in mind, Brown described that “who” as more of a moment in time — “that moment when someone feels seen and validated.”
Brown, who arrived at 5 a.m. for set-up, said the festival wasn’t packed up until 8 p.m. Local drag and burlesque artists provided much of the entertainment throughout the festival day — which took place on Oct. 13 — along with headliner, singer Shanice.
The festival also featured vendors and artists selling homemade goods. More than 200 LGBTQ+ affirming organizations and service providers tabled at the event, and healthcare providers helped attendees get linked to care.
Three zones dubbed LUV gardens were designated for ages 21+ to keep alcohol consumption to limited specific areas — creating more space for those seeking sober-friendly and family-focused experiences.
Brown said the feedback has mostly been positive about the change — that people seemed to feel more secure and safer as they traversed beyond the LUV gardens. This also brought more attention to local bars and eateries — which hosted those zones and partnered with OURFest to offer free entry to those leaving the festival grounds at the close of the day.
“It was an organized way to see what’s happening there,” said a trans man who preferred not to share his name and said the festival was one his first trips to the Gayborhood. “I felt safe — and less like I was on my own.”
He’s new to the area and emphasized that while the neighborhood is a “friendly enough” part of the city to explore alone, the festival made him feel less like he was visiting the city and more like he was being introduced to a community.
He described the festival as “warm and welcoming,” and noted that the event was a helpful way for him to meet people, get more familiar with bars and eateries, and learn about health centers and resources he might not have found without it.
A surprise guest with an important message
Andy Cohen, an openly gay entertainer best known for his work as a Bravo network late night talk show host, made a surprise appearance in support of the Harris/Walz campaign. Cohen hopped onto the Main Stage around 4 p.m. wearing a “Harris 2024” T-shirt to speak about why he’s supporting the candidates and later caught up with Philly publicist Kory Aversa who posted the interaction to social media.
“In 1988 [when Aversa and Cohen were coming out], we did not have shit for protections. Now we do,” Cohen said. “And there’s a chance we could go back to 1988. I don’t want to go back to 1988. I don’t want to go back to 2016. I want to move forward.”
He cited that IVF, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and potential Supreme Court nominees will all be impacted by the outcome of the election. Volunteers helped attendees get registered to vote at the festival, but Cohen urged everyone to make a voting plan before Nov. 5.
“You can vote right now! I was surprised by the ease of it,” said Brown, who voted while running errands amidst the chaos of planning for OURFest.
They filled out a ballot at City Hall — known as “on-demand mail ballot voting,” which occurs when someone requests a main-in ballot then hands it back in on the spot. Brown said the process took about 10 minutes.
“It was quick, easy, fast — then I just headed straight over to my next errand,” they laughed. “Take yourself over there, vote and then get it out of the way.”
Sunday night stabbing
Hours after the festival, a triple stabbing occurred near Woody’s, a local LGBTQ+ bar. Police say a physical altercation occurred around 10 p.m. Three victims — who the police identify as men ages 20, 25 and 26 — were injured but are in stable condition. No weapon was recovered, and the offender and motive are unknown. No weapon was recovered.
A post shared by the Citizen App to X, formerly Twitter, said a large fight between approximately 17 people broke out, resulting in the stabbing. A canopy belonging to the bar may have been knocked down and used as a weapon. An unnamed man and woman were reported as alleged perpetrators by the Philadelphia Tribune.
“It is sad to see that the younger generation is resorting to that behavior,” said Woody’s owner Michael Weiss in an email. “After looking at a video of the incident, which did not take place out front of Woody’s, it seems that the fight started in the parking lot at 13th and Locust then moved in front of Cockatoo and moved to the corner of Chancellor and 13th. We have provided the police with a copy of the video and intend on assisting the authorities in any way we can to help identify the individuals and bring them to justice. As they are not our customers, we are hoping they are known to the authorities.”
The Philadelphia Police Department is urging anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Central Detectives at 215-686-3093. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling or texting the PPD tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
