{"id":26032,"date":"2025-05-07T08:59:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T12:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/?p=26032"},"modified":"2025-05-07T08:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T12:59:39","slug":"pride-festival-set-for-june-in-decatur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/07\/pride-festival-set-for-june-in-decatur\/","title":{"rendered":"Pride festival set for June in Decatur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By BOB SHRALUKA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WZBD.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several requests to use the Madison St. Plaza for events were approved by Decatur City Council at its meeting in City Hall Tuesday night, but only one is sure to stir some controversy: a Pride festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four members of a recently formed Decatur Pride organization appeared before council to formally request permission to use the plaza for the event on Saturday, June 28, from 5-10 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four \u2013 Molly Cochran, Kristine Brite, Nikki Ausland and Kat Rogers \u2013 told council the event is designed to support the LGBTQIA+ community in Decatur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that Decatur is ready for a celebration that reflects the diversity, unity and resilience of its residents,\u201d Cochran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left, Kat Rogers, Nikki Ausland, Kristine Brite, Molly Cochran<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Decatur Pride, will feature a variety of family-friendly activities, including crafts for kids, games and face painting, according to the foursome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entertainment will be provided by Rogers, known as DJ Kat in her job as a deejay in Fort Wayne. Food trucks and alcoholic beverages will be available for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will implement all required safety measures to foster a welcoming and secure environment for all participants,\u201d it was noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group is hoping for a turnout of 100 to 200 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of our primary goals of hosting Decatur Pride this summer is to demonstrate to the LGBTQ+ community that they are seen, valued and supported by their own city,\u201d Ausland said. \u201cBy fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion, this event aims to create a welcoming environment that encourages individuals to remain in Decatur and take pride in being part of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A poll, she continued, showed that approximately 9.3% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+, which translates to an estimated 31 million individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of personal beliefs,\u201d she added, \u201cit is important to recognize that LGBTQ+ individuals are part of our community; they live, work and contribute to the fabric of our town. They deserve to be welcomed, respected and embraced as valued members of our shared home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brite told council that Decatur Pride is a \u201cgroup of like-minded individuals, united by a shared purpose: to establish an annual celebration in support of Decatur’s LGBTQ+ community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unidentified women in the meeting room asked \u201cif anyone will be taking their clothes off.\u201d Ausland said \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman also asked \u201cif there will be drag performers.\u201d Ausland said there will be, \u201cbut they won’t be taking off their clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decatur Pride is a non-profit organization. One of its board members is Jenny Bowers-Shultz, a member of city council who recused herself when voting to approve the event was held. Approval was given via a 4-0 vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By BOB SHRALUKA WZBD.com Several requests to use the Madison St. Plaza for events were approved by Decatur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[14,15,21],"class_list":["post-26032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-decatur","tag-featured","tag-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26032"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26034,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032\/revisions\/26034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}