LGBTQ+ kids and teens find community at Twin Cities Pride's first youth night

The first-ever Twin Cities Pride Youth Night looked a lot like how movies depict big school carnivals. The ones where the characters plan, anticipate and focus their pleasure, but which seem to not exist in real life.

Crowds of children and teenagers gathered in the heart of Loring Park in Minneapolis, milling around, sitting cross-legged around an intimate stage and lining up for free pizza and ice cream on a humid summer evening.

” It's crazy. We didn’t expect this big turnout,” said Kelsey Alto, director of programming for Twin Cities Pride, amid Friday’s hubbub. She estimates at least 2,000 people attended the event.

Nonprofits that provide direct services to LGBTQ+ youth, like QUEERSPACE Collective and Annex Teen Clinic, offered booths with interactive activities—opportunities to decorate folding fans and make friendship bracelets while learning about resources.

Drag was at the heart of the event, with established artists and newcomers on stage. A DJ played pop hits from young queer artists like Chappell Roan. People could have their faces painted in rainbow colors and find free gender-affirming clothing.

Youth Night kicked off the Twin Cities’ largest Pride festival, which will run throughout the weekend. While the festival is open to all ages, Alto said organizers wanted to create a space for people under 21 to connect.

““There has been such an increase in violence and hate speech,” Alto said. “It’s really a place where we can, you know, tell them that they’re a part of this community just as much as anyone else.” »

Chaperones and younger siblings were welcome, although there were also designated waiting areas.

MPR News asked four young people to share their thoughts on the day.

Hildie Edwards, 14 years old

Edwards is a singer, performer and actress, so she loved lip-syncing, which she says is a form of drag. Her song choice was “360” by Charli XCX.

She's also a vocal advocate for transgender youth like herself, and was the grand marshal of the Twin Cities Pride parade in 2022. This year, she returned as an intern for the nonprofit, helping decide which ideas were “too awkward” (in Alto's words) for the youth night.

“I think it's a good thing that so many young gay people felt safe enough to come here,” she said.

“So many trans kids are being targeted in official legislative and public venues, and just the fact that they're showing up is really special because even if one gay kid found another, it just means they have the feeling like “We are less alone,” Edwards added.

Rhue Williams, 10 years old

Williams attended the youth night with a group of friends and their mothers. They said it was great to be in a place where they didn't feel the pressure to “tone it down.” At one point, they went on stage.

“I was dancing to Demi Lovato's 'Confident' and I felt confident doing it,” they said.

They said their school was an open environment, but their self-expression still felt outside the norm.

“Here you can just go all out. I wore a bright rainbow skirt. I wouldn’t do that at school,” Williams said. “Here, I wouldn’t really question whether I should do this.”

When asked what they wanted people to know about queer youth, Williams said, “For a lot of people, they’re not pretending and it’s kind of hurtful to say that. I’m just like, ‘That’s who people are.’ It’s not a fake thing.”

Damien Charles, 16

Charles and his family drove from Devils Lake, North Dakota, to attend their first Pride celebration together. She said it was really fun and everyone was friendly. These were the activities that he enjoyed the most.

“Honestly, I'm pretty excited. There's just a lot to look at.

When asked what they want people to know about queer youth, Charles said, “It all feels like a spectrum. It is not like that Or That. You can be a bit like a trans person or a bit like a gay person.

Nova Riley, 22

Riley participated as a booth volunteer for The Bridge for Youth, a nonprofit organization providing emergency shelter and outreach programs for homeless youth, particularly youth of color and queer youth. They are passionate about the organization because of its impact on their lives.

After her family became homeless, Riley used the shelter as a teenager and then its residential transitional housing program. Today, they find community in its weekly LGBTQ+ groups.

Riley handed out items like period and personal care kits, while happily attending the event.

“I really wish I had something like this when I was their age,” Riley said with a smile. “Sometimes it’s really scary going to Pride and being a young person, but seeing parents bring their kids out or kids come out and be so curious about identities and pronouns and being able to share their love with them — it’s so important and it makes me so proud.”

Riley said it took a few years for their parents to come to terms with their gender identity. In a more supportive environment, Riley thinks their parents would have been more tolerant earlier.

“There are still times where I'm afraid to express, you know, my pronouns or my name change. And so I think it's really important to have that representation for young people so that when they feel ready to come out, or they have questions, they have that safe space to be able to do that.