LGBT Atlanta readies for Southern Fried Queer Pride weekend

A new option to celebrate your Pride is on the LGBT scene in Atlanta and it goes by the name Southern Fried Queer Pride. The group has what they’re calling a queer culture Pride festival lined up this weekend to kick things off.

The three-day festival taking place June 26-28 will include a cookout for queer and trans people of color, dance party, field day, workshops, variety shows and more.

The organizers behind Southern Fried Queer Pride (Courtesy photo)
The organizers behind Southern Fried Queer Pride (Courtesy photo)

The initial discussions about Southern Fried Queer Pride began a year-and-a-half ago according to Taylor Alxndr, one of the event organizers and a founder of Queer Up Atlanta. Local artists and other activists then began laying the groundwork for what’s to transpire later this month.

“SFQP was born out of a need of representation and inclusion,” Alxndr says. “We wanted to build a festival all about intentional intersectionality and celebrating being queer and trans and Southern. Too often mainstream LGBT media typifies the South as this dangerous place where queer and trans folks can’t prosper. That sometimes smothers the vibrant community that proudly exists here. We wanted to put on a festival that screamed, ‘We’re here! We’re queer! We’re from the South! And we’ve got a lot of mouth!’”

Organizers plan on making SFQP an annual event, which will be 100 percent community funded so they depend on donations, sponsorships and fundraisers.

Check out the event lineup below:

COLORBLOQ: A QTPoC Cookout Special
Friday, June 26 from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Honeycomb Haven
1130 Kirkwood Ave.

DEEP HEAT: SFQP Kickoff Dance Party
Friday, June 26 from 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery
88 Forsyth St.

DIRTY WORK: A Day of Workshops and Skill Sharing
Saturday, June 27 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Little 5 Points Community Center
1083 Austin Ave.

CRAFT ME QUEER: Arts & Crafts, Zines & Everything In-Between
Saturday, June 27 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Little 5 Points Community Center
1083 Austin Ave.

SWEET TEA: A Queer Variety Show
Saturday, June 27 from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.
The Hangar
151 Sampson St.

RISE N SHINE: A Self-Love, Self-Care Brunch
Sunday, June 28 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Phillip Rush Center
1530 Dekalb Ave.

YOUTH IN THE PARK: A Field Day & Screen on the Green
Sunday, June 28 from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Brownwood Park
602 Brownwood Ave.

WE ARE HERE!: The SFQP Closing Reception
Sunday, June 28 from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery
88 Forsyth St.

Website: southernfriedqueerpride.com