For Bliss Floccare, being a queer wedding photographer is bittersweet.
On the one hand, it’s heartwarming to thank an LGBTQ+ couple, they said. On the other hand, it reminds us of the work that needs to be done to provide people with more inclusive spaces.
“My favorite part of my job are the moments when I can really connect with a couple and make them feel safe,” said Floccare. “They don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to fear or discrimination.”
On Saturday, the LGBTQ+ community and its allies will celebrate the 12th annual Out! Raleigh Pride from 11am to 7pm on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Performers include Jorgeous and Dawn from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus, Common Women’s Chorus, the Triangle Pride Band, rapper Saint Ahmad and Maya.
“While Pride is a time for celebration and fun, this is an opportunity for our historically excluded and oppressed communities to speak about the history of the movement and why visibility is important,” said Kori Hennessey, executive director of the LGBT Center of Raleigh. and out! Raleigh Pride organizer,
“We have a responsibility to not only provide an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate, but also to educate those around us,” Hennessey said.
This year’s event has more than 300 vendors and sponsors. Visitors should bring water and sunscreen to protect themselves from the summer heat wave.
NC’s LGBTQ+ community
LGBT MAP, or the Movement Advancement Project, reported in 2020 that 4% of North Carolina’s adult population identified as LGBTQ+.
The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management reported that in 2022, 30,575 NC households were same-sex households, with about 26% of LGBTQ+ individuals having children.
Yet LGBTQ+ people in North Carolina sometimes struggle with acceptance.
Erica Street, the president of PFLAG Southern Pines, shook her head in disappointment when she read a local florist’s Facebook post about why the company won’t serve LGBTQ+ couples.
PFLAG supports, educates and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and those who love them.
“I hope that one day we won’t be able to judge people based on their orientation, their identity and all those things,” Street said. “It reminds me of segregation, and that is not the path we should be taking.”
‘Thousands of faces’
The Carolina Aging Alliance, a group focused on older LGBTQ+ people, will set up a tent at Pride events in Raleigh and Winston Salem on Saturday.
Sharon Kilpatrick, the alliance’s interim executive director, said many older LGBTQ+ adults face significant vulnerabilities because of their health and finances. These concerns are not specific to Pride month, she said, but apply year-round. challenges.
For example, in 2019, the UCLA School of Law published LGBTQ+ statistics from North Carolina showing that 29% of LGBTQ+ people were food insecure, 21% were uninsured, and only 30% had an income slightly above $24,000.
Many of these issues disproportionately affect people of color in the LGBTQ+ population. According to the 2019 report, 22% of LGBTQ+ people in North Carolina identify as Black and 11% identify as Latino/a. For those facing economic challenges, the Raleigh LGBT Center offers a comprehensive list of resources for youth and adults.
“There is not one face in our community, there are literally thousands of faces in our community,” Kilpatrick said. “There are needs in healthcare, the socio-economic sector and all people of color. There is not one look at our community, there is just one person.”
Floccare, who is based in Durham and uses they/them pronouns, said it feels like more people are coming out and being supportive, but also like society is sometimes moving backwards.
The queer community has been doing its best to educate the general public for decades, they said.
“It’s not [our] Our job is to ensure that people see us as people who deserve the same rights as everyone else,” they said.
Through pride events, but especially social media, people can connect and see others coming out, supporting gay rights and supporting the community, Floccare said.
But Floccare will not be present at Pride this year. They spend their weekend photographing newlywed queer love.
