After the dead of winter and before the blazing hot summer, it’s time for outside fun and games to begin in Louisiana. For a fourth year, ShrevePride is hosting their own outdoor activities.
Chris Lyon, a co-founder of ShrevePride, says that there are a lot of spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in Shreveport, but a number of them were not accessible to everyone.
“You know, as there are so many places to be a part of that community in town, many of them were focused on nightlife," Lyon says. "And when it came to people who weren’t really into nightlife, or who didn’t want to be at events particularly focused on alcohol, or who were too young to participate, we really saw a place for an experience like ShrevePride to exist.”
Thus, ShrevePride decided to host a family friendly event, open to all members of the community, called Q-Prom. According to Lyon, this event was a big success, but the pandemic in 2020 brought a halt to the celebration. ShrevePride decided in 2021 that an event held outdoors would be a good substitution for Q-Prom while also upholding the goal of offering fun for everyone.
“And what we came up with was Field Gay.”
The first Field Gay had outdoor vendors and classic outdoor games to offer a space for the community to celebrate Pride. Lyon says the original plan for Field Gay was to be a one-off event, until they realized it was popular enough to keep hosting it every year.
Like Q-Prom, Field Gay is open to everyone, including younger members of Shreveport’s community, who can sometimes be overlooked.
“You don’t magically manifest yourself at 21 years old fully formed as an individual, and then you can participate in things.”
By purposefully including younger LGBTQ+ people, Lyon says that ShrevePride can give them a place to feel welcome, which might encourage them to stay local and foster the community.
“I think as we, as a community, I think more broadly look at ways to attain young people or ways to attract young people, we need to make sure we’re including all of the aspects somebody might be looking at," Lyon says. "Not just a work opportunity or whether they could afford a home, but can they be themselves? Can they be a part of a community that’s welcoming in whatever aspect that might be?”
Field Gay will start at 9 a.m. on March 29. A lot of Pride events are celebrated during Pride Month in June, but Lyon says there are a few reasons ShrevePride has the event a little early. One reason is to beat the heat of a Louisiana summer, of course.
“When we first did it, it was a summer event, too, but gosh, it was just too hot.”
Another reason is to keep the LGBTQ+ community active outside of Pride Month.
“You know, you’re not just a person of color one month a year. You’re not just a woman one month a year," Lyon says. "You’re not just, you know, a person of the LGBTQIA community one month out of the year.”
Lyon says that participants in Field Gay come from all over the state and surrounding states. Participation means playing the games as well as watching the games and browsing the vendors. Overall, Field Gay has had a decent turnout in the past, with up to 16 teams of people playing a variety of games.
"One of my favorites is called Pass the Water, and they have to move water from one bucket at the front of the line to a bucket at the back of the line, and water will end up everywhere," Lyon says. "It is a competition environment, but it is one that encourages meeting other people and sharing each other’s experiences.”
Field Gay is about having low-stakes, family friendly fun available for the whole community. Lyon says that ShrevePride is happy to help others have fun, and to offer an event that might not be available to other cities.
"It is that inclusion and inclusivity, not just for specific and individual groups but also the community as a whole, that really makes a community rich."
With Red River Radio News, I’m Alaina Atnip.