This article was originally published in The Examiner on March 9, 2017.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
Beaumont’s very own Pride festival started in 2014, but the non-profit dissolved last year due to the annual financial burden, former volunteer chair Jacqueline Hays said.
However, Hays said she believes that others in the community will step forward to keep Beaumont Pride going.
“I am expecting to see some movement in April because of Lamar University and Pride month,” she said. “We’re sure the community will take it over.”
She mentioned the LGBTQ group in Orange as a possibility.
Jacqueline Hays is also the president of PFLAG Beaumont. Hays helped found Beaumont Pride in 2014 along with Shawn Hare, Jennifer Daniel and Chance Henson.
About 2,500 people attended the first Beaumont Pride festival, Hays said, but the festival grew to nearly 4,000 attendees in June 2016.
“Pride operated entirely on community donations and volunteer labor,” Hays said in
an email. “Each year, the costs of the event exceeded the amount of donations collected, leaving the board members to cover the organization’s financial obligations.
“After three years of covering the deficit from their personal incomes, it was found that the members of the board could no longer afford to take on the annual financial burdens of the organization,” she said.
Several community members have expressed interested in continuing Beaumont Pride,
Hays said.
“At this time, however, it is unclear when they will announce their plans to produce the event,” she said.
Several past Pride attendees spoke with The Examiner about what the organization means to them and their hopes for the festival to continue.
“It’s a chance to show Beaumont how much our community is supported, how close many of us are, raising funds for and awareness of our local advocacy groups like PFLAG Beaumont, HRC and Legacy,” 2016 Beaumont Pride debutante Amanda Turner said. “It would be a great loss to Beaumont, not just the LGBT community, if it didn’t survive.”
Olivia Busceme said she attended and helped organize Beaumont Pride every year. Even if an official Beaumont Pride doesn’t happen this year, she said she believes some festivities will still happen this summer.
“There are still supportive businesses and organizations in town,” Busceme said. “The Publicity will surely continue hosting their annual White Party and weekly drag shows, PFLAG will continue hosting support group meetings, and human beings will continue showing love even when faced with criticism and prejudice.”
“While the Beaumont Pride walk and festival has been extremely impactful in our community, I don’t think it will be the end of the world if the festivities get changed up a bit,” she said.
“Small towns like Beaumont need this sort of celebration to increase visibility and
awareness of our issues to the city at large,” former Beaumont Pride volunteer Paul Martin said. “It would be absolutely wonderful to see another organization pick up the torch.”
“I think it would be a devastating blow to not just the people of Beaumont, but any
of the bands, performers, venue owners, and people who travel to experience pride,” slam poet and 2016 Beaumont Pride performer Tack Somers said. “A lot of people have worked very hard for this. I know that no matter what the outcome, the people of the Beaumont community are strong and resilient.
“I would hope to see such a wonderful event continue, but pride will never be gone, he said. “We may not have a festival, but pride is in our hearts.”
Eleanor Skelton 