‘We’re not going anywhere:’ Hundreds show up for Kansas City Pride Parade in Westport
Twenty-one-year-old Ali Ratzloff attended their first pride parade Saturday in Kansas City with the yellow, white, purple and black non-binary flag tied around their neck as a cape.
Ratzloff sat with their partner alongside Mill Creek Parkway as they watched Kansas City Pride Parade participants hand out candy and beads to observers along Mill Creek Parkway.
“I’ve had a long journey coming to the point where I am able to show people who I am,” Ratzloff said. “It shows a lot of people that we’re here and we exist.”
Ratzloff, a Kansas City native, was among the hundreds who gathered for the parade which kicked off a weekend of festivities. The parade started in Westport, marched down Broadway Boulevard and Mill Creek Parkway and ended at Theis Park.
Pride flags waved in the air. Hundreds lined the street, with dozens wearing Pride-themed hats, dresses, socks, skirts and shirts. Some painted their hair. Others had their faces painted. “Dancing Queen” by ABBA filled the air.
Dozens of organizations from across the city participated in the parade — the Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Fire Department, and Human Rights Campaign — as well as notable people from across the city, including Jackson County Legislature candidates Manny Abarca and Justice Horn.
Across the street on Mill Creek Parkway, Randy Hite stood in the shade wearing a rainbow colored visor and rainbow colored socks, with a Pride flag that flowed in the wind.
“I just went to my closet and got all the rainbow stuff,” said Hite, 63, as he watched the parade.
Hite grew up in Kansas City and has been attending the city’s Pride events since the 1980s he said. But it’s the parade he enjoys.
And for him, this year’s parade was also important amid the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation that has been written across the country — especially against transgender people.
“Once you have progress, the other side tries to push back,” Hite said. “The fight still goes on.”
In April, the Kansas Legislature tried passing a parents bill of rights and a ban on transgender athletes in girls sports. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed both bills and the Legislature failed to override her veto.
The Missouri House passed two separate bills that would bar transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that match the gender they identify with.
Other parade attendees were also alarmed at proposed legislation in other states across the country.
“We’re people,” said Briana Janas. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Janas, 31, attended the parade with her girlfriend Kirsten Francis. Even though they had been together for five months, Saturday’s parade was their first date.
“It’s like Halloween for grownups,” Janas said.
She said she recently got out of a relationship because her husband was homophobic and judged her for being bisexual.
“I’m a firm believer in love and treating people the way I want to be treated,” Janas said.
She has four kids, with her oldest being 4 years old. Janas said he wears a Pride bracelet.
“I don’t see any problem in a little boy loving a rainbow,” she said.
While she hasn’t talked to her son too much about LGBTQ issues, she wants to be supportive of him if he identifies as LGBTQ in the future. She wants to bring him to the parade next year.
“It’s nothing you should be ashamed of,” Janas said. “It’s OK.”
Pride events continue this weekend with the Kansas City Pride Festival in Theis Park from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5. The Heartland Men’s Chorus of Kansas City will perform “Unbreakable,” a 75-minute concert at the Folly Theater exploring pivotal moments in queer history and celebrating the resilience of the LGBTQ community. It costs between $20 and $70.
This story was originally published June 11, 2022 at 3:38 PM.
