Southern Illinois Pride Fest is holding a CARE-avan for LGBTQ Pride on Sunday, June 26th.
Pride Fest co-founder Tara Bell said they held the first caravan last year, due to the pandemic. The success of the event prompted the group to expand the event to surrounding towns this year.
"We'll really be able to see that southern Illinois pride is not just folks in Carbondale, right? But that we are a community across all of southern Illinois, including all of these surrounding smaller surrounding towns where it might be difficult to come out of the closet. It might be hard to be openly LGBTQ and live your true and authentic life, because you face so much discrimination, you know, bullying, harassment, vandalism, a number of things that folks in their small communities face," Bell said.
Last year's event in Carbondale drew a crowd of 32 cars, 100 spectators and 1200 livestream viewers. Bell said expanding the event will help show that the community is spread across the region.
"This will give the rest of southern Illinois a chance to see just how large and impactful and supportive of one another that the LGBTQ community across southern Illinois actually is," she said.
The caravan will begin in Mt. Vernon at 9:30 am and reach Carbondale at noon.
Participants can gather in Mt. Vernon, Harrisburg, Johnston City, Murphysboro, Du Quoin, Marion, Makanda, or Carbondale to join. Car decorating supplies will be available. For details and times, visit the Southern Illinois Pride Fest Facebook page. The event will be livestreamed on the page as well.
