LGBTQ+ Pride month kicks off with protests, parades, parties
1 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Several events are in store for Pride in Wichita. They include a march, parade, interfaith service, films and festivals.
Literacy
On Thursday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m., an inclusive literacy event will be held at the Advanced Learning Library downtown. It is sponsored by the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Local drag legends Divinity Masters and Starla Nyte will be reading B.J. Novak’s “The Book with No Pictures” and the beloved classic “Corduroy.” The first 100 attendees will receive a free copy of Corduroy to take home! The event is free and is not an official Wichita Public Library event.
Films
The PrideGrass Film Festival runs five nights during the month at the Tallgrass Film Center at The Lux. It is located at 120 East 1st St., Suite 113.
Night 1 is June 9 from 7-11 p.m. The film will include “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Raised a boy in East Berlin, Hedwig undergoes a personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as an “internationally ignored” but divinely talented rock diva, inhabiting a “beautiful gender of one.”
The second film, “Framing Agnes,” will be Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. Agnes, the pioneering, pseudonymized transgender woman who participated in Harold Garfinkel’s gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s, has long stood as a figurehead of trans history.
Night 3 will be on Sunday, June 25, with two showings of “Moonlight” from 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
The fourth film, “The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant,” tells the story of Petra von Kant a successful fashion designer — arrogant, caustic, and self-satisfied. She mistreats Marlene (her secretary, maid, and co-designer). Enter Karin, a 23-year-old beauty who wants to be a model. Petra falls in love with Karin and invites her to move in. It will be Thursday, June 29, from 7-9 p.m.
The last film will be “Peter Von Kant” on June 30 from 7-9 p.m. The story of Peter von Kant is about a successful, famous director who lives with his assistant Karl, whom he likes to mistreat and humiliate. Through the great actress Sidonie, he meets and falls in love with Amir, a handsome young man of modest means.
Tickets for the events can be purchased here.
Unity March and Picnic
The Unity March will happen Sunday, June 11, at 11 a.m., starting in Wichita’s Old Town Square. The march will go down Mead, Douglas and Greenwood streets and end at Hyde Park, 201 S. Greenwood St, for a family picnic. A button is required for the picnic. Buttons will give the wearer access to all Wichita Pride events and are $8 each.
Festivals and parade
Wichita Pride in the Park 2023 will take place on Friday, June 23, from 4-11 p.m. at Evergy Pavillion at Naftzger Park. It is in partnership with Wichita Pride, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Wichita. It is a free marquee arts, music and dance party. For vendor information, please contact Wichita Pride President Jim Hall at [email protected]. For event sponsorship info, click here.
Founders Fest is a ticketed event at Nortons Brewing on Wednesday, June 28. The ticket includes one drink and appetizers. For more on the event, click here.
The Wichita Pride Parade will be Sunday, June 25, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. It starts at the Old Sedgwick County Courthouse and will go to Century II.
Following the parade, the Wichita Pride Festival will be from 12-4 p.m. at Century II Expo Hall. Wichita Pride says more details on the event are to come.
Interfaith Service
The Interfaith Service will be Saturday, June 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Table of Hope Church at 156 S. Kansas.
Other Events
Other events for Wichita Pride include Wallflowers on Ice, a teen skate party at the Wichita Ice Center on Thursday, June 22, a Family Swim Party at Minisa Pool on Friday, June 23, Wild & Proud Day at the Sedgwick County Zoo on Saturday, June 24, and Pride Opening Night Show & Pageant on Saturday, June 24 at Century II.
For more on all the events, go to WichitaPride.org.