Pride’s planning keeps event calm

They may not have realized it, but the organizers of Owatonna’s Pride in the Park took a page right out of an 1833 novel.

“Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best,” wrote Benjamin Disraeli, who would later become British Prime Minister.

That’s just what Rainbowatonna and the Owatonna Police Department did over the past year, hoping to prevent a repeat of the ugliness that marked last year’s Pride event.

They created a plan that limited amplification, designated a “free speech zone” and secured a permit that allowed the organizers to ask people to leave if they’re deemed disruptive.

There was improved security, including OPD officers.

The additional measures were put into place after increasing hostility and confrontations since the city’s first Pride event in 2021.

Last year, protesters used bullhorns and speakers to disrupt the LGBTQ+ celebration of Pride Month. They stood in front of the stage during speeches and performances, reportedly yelling slurs and confronting attendees – including children. Some held large posters of the aftermath of abortion procedures.

The preparations were enough to keep Saturday’s event peaceful. The protesters were there, but without amplification, they drew less attention – prompting them to walk around the perimeter sidewalk to share their message.

They were mostly ignored.

Finding allies …

Amid vendors selling jewelry, clothing, baked goods, crafts and more, there were plenty of resources available at Pride.

Representatives from the Owatonna Human Rights Commission, Alliance for Greater Equity, Children’s Home Society, Spero, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center and several churches were at the event.

So was Melissa Miller, who was part of a large contingent from Austin.

“In 2020, my child came out as non-binary, and I basically had to educate myself and then try to be as supportive as possible,” she said.

She attended her first Pride festival in West Virginia, where the family lived at the time, “and I saw a lady wearing a ‘Free Mom hugs’ shirt. I thought it was cute, and a friend of mine told me it was a whole organization – so I joined,” Miller said.

She and her family moved to Minnesota in 2022, but this was the first year she represented the group at a booth.

“Before, I just kind of went to Pride with my shirt on and gave hugs,” Miller said, but perhaps surprisingly, there weren’t many takers.

That’s good news, she said, because it could indicate parents are becoming more supportive.

“And not everyone’s big on hugs, which is fine,” Miller said. “We can do fist bumps or high fives, whatever you’re comfortable with; we’re just there showing our support. They’re not alone – there’s people that care about them and support them, you know?”

… everywhere

Mikah Meyer is a filmmaker, speaker and outdoors expert. He’s traveled from New York to New Zealand and Iran to Japan – and now, Owatonna.

He sat alone at a booth near the fountain in Central Park, surrounded by tiny rainbow-colored trees in the form of magnets, keychains, stickers, lapel pins and more.

It’s part of his Outside Safe Space program, which provides allies a way to make the outdoor more accessible for LGBTQ+ people.

“We used to be sold in 60 National Park Service site gift shops until Donald Trump banned us, because he said we were promoting gender ideology,” Meyer said.

“So that’s one of the reasons I’m here. I said, ‘well, if your goal is to make me get despondent and quit, then I’m going to go to every damn Pride festival I can,’” he explained. “There’s going to be way more people wearing these pins.”

He splits his time between Minneapolis and Los Angeles, and has visited all 491 national parks in one continuous trip.

LGBTQ+ people are regularly assessing if spaces are welcoming – safe to hold hands with their significant other, for example.

Meyer created the symbol to be worn on outside gear to communicate someone is an ally, “especially in outdoor, rural and active places that have traditionally been less-welcoming than urban bubbles,” he said.

Organizers expected hundreds of people to attend; a final estimate was not available when this issue of the Steele County Times went to press.