Organizers and Attendees Celebrate Resilience at Rainy Franklin Pride

Franklin Pride returned to Harlinsdale Park on June 7 for the festival’s fifth-annual celebration. Despite rainy weather and a loss of sponsorships, thousands of attendees flocked to the park to celebrate, shop and enjoy live musical performances.

With nearly 120 vendors, as well as musical performances by Major Minors, Bryan Ruby, Diane King, Brian Falduto and Gwen Levey and The Breakdown to name a few, the day marked Franklin Pride’s biggest festival yet. The festival was hosted by “Rooted Recovery Stories” podcast host Patrick Custer and former Real Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Spinner.

Spinner said: “Some of you might not know this, but I used to live in Orange County, [Calif.], and I was the first gay housewife to come out on ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County,’ and when I decided to leave there, one of the reasons that we decided to move our family to Franklin was because they had a Pride. So, this is near and dear to my heart.”

Attendees said that the event was an opportunity to connect with other members of the LGBTQ community.

“This is my first Pride event, and I’m having a lot of fun,” Syd Lynch, a Woodbury resident, said. “It’s really exciting to see everyone, [and] it just feels so safe here.”

For many, the event was a welcome celebration amid increasing state and federal attacks on LGBTQ rights. Abby Young, who grew up in Franklin, said that while it wasn’t their first Pride event, it was special to attend an event in their hometown.

“I’ve been to Nashville Pride a couple of times. But being here, I feel more connected to the part of me that grew up in the South, because it’s hard to be a queer kid in the South sometimes,” Young said. “When you’re in such a southern area [with] country music and all of that, it truly makes you feel welcomed in a community that you wouldn’t normally feel as welcome.”

According to organizers, creating a sense of belonging for those who have felt isolated in the larger community is central to the event itself. Ryan Baltz, a Franklin Pride board member, said that having Pride in Franklin takes a different tone than in Nashville and other larger Southern cities.

“Folks who are living in Nashville, I think overall, don't experience a lot of the same difficulties that members of the queer community experience in smaller towns,” Baltz said. “We need to have this show of support here in these communities, so the young people know that they're not alone.”

In April 2023, Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted narrowly to approve the festival after a public outcry from community members and right-wing activists regarding the event’s drag performances. This year, the event was approved unanimously.

Patty Schuman, a volunteer with Free Mom Hugs, hoped to bring this sense of welcoming to Franklin Pride by standing at the event’s entrance with a sign reading, “FREE MOM HUGS.” Free Mom Hugs is an organization that began by offering free hugs from affirming adults at Pride events and has now expanded to a podcast, national speaking engagements and chapters in all 50 states.

Schuman, who embraced dozens of individuals as they entered the event throughout the day, said that she feels her work is especially important at Franklin Pride and in the South.

“There’s no boundaries to where this community is and lives, and so it’s important to show up for them everywhere,” she said.

This year’s pride took a notably different tone from years past due to ongoing federal attacks on the LGBTQ community. In his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders targeting LGBTQ individuals, ending legal recognition of transgender individuals, and banning gender affirming care for minors.

The Trump administration also released executive orders ending federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and empowering the executive branch to investigate private companies that implement DEI initiatives. Across the country, companies have reacted by terminating their own DEI initiatives to avoid government interference. 

As a result of the end of many corporate DEI initiatives, Pride festivals across the country have seen a mass exodus of sponsors. And Franklin Pride was no different, as it felt the impact of corporate sponsors pulling out of the event. But, the organization was able to rally community support to make up for the loss of funding, and organizers said this was the first year that the community itself was the event’s presenting sponsor. 

“I want to acknowledge the reason that we're having this festival, it's because of all of you,” Franklin Pride President Clayton Klutts said during the festival’s opening remarks. “As you know, we lost some corporate sponsors at the beginning of our season and the community stepped up in a big way.”

Baltz said that the community’s efforts to save the event have been inspiring.

“What we've seen is this huge outpouring of support from the community and from individuals who have really stepped up and helped in a big way to make this event happen,” Baltz said. “It's really actually been inspiring to see, because with everything that you see going on politically that you can't do much about, it's great to see the community really banding together to make this happen.”

Despite a loss of some corporate sponsorships, dozens of local businesses supported the event via sponsorships and booths at the festival. Lindsay Martin, owner of Sweet Peas Bake Shop in Brentwood, said having a booth at the festival was a “no brainer,” despite the risk of backlash.

“I feel like the good that I can do with my business, representing and supporting the community, just fully outweighs any kind of negative effect for me,” Martin said. “I know so many people that are more progressive and open and welcoming in the community that I'd be happy to just cater to them.”

Bryn Sierra, owner of Sierra Paper Love in Nashville, agreed.

“Silence is too deadly these days,” she said. “And I have the privilege to do more with a little bit less risk, and that’s what I need to do.”

Sierra, who hosted a booth at the event with her child, hopes that more families in Franklin will take advantage of the festival in years to come.

“What I’m seeing today and what I saw last year is a ton of families, tons of kids, a ton of all shapes and sizes and representations that you don’t see in Franklin on a daily basis,” she said. “We all live in this community, and to not see every member of the community as much and as safely as we do at Pride is a shame.”

Despite ongoing struggles within the LGBTQ community, attendees encouraged community members to attend the event, regardless of how they identify.

“Being in spaces with other people that are like you, it just makes you feel good,” Lynch said.

Editor's Note: Williamson Scene is a media sponsor of Franklin Pride.