Local artist Hunter Gromala has been doing art since they could hold a crayon. But rarely do they enter design contests, electing to leave that to artists who have more experience.
This year though, Gromala’s design won the competition to serve as the logo for Wichita Pride events. They said given current times, this one felt important.
The last six months have seen Kansas lawmakers ban trans people from using public restrooms or having drivers’ licenses aligned with their gender identity. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling that transgender girls and women cannot compete on female sports teams.
Gromala’s logo depicts a colorful crowd holding up Pride flags and signs, including “Love is love” and “Protect the dolls.”
“Saying that you like trans women and (that) trans people are a part of the community is, unfortunately, controversial sometimes,” Gromala said. “I specifically put those signs in the crowd to kind of stand 10 toes down, like, ‘No, everyone’s a part of our community, and everyone deserves to feel belonging here.’”
Hundreds of people wore the logo on T-shirts and buttons alongside colorful outfits and Pride flags for Wichita Pride’s parade and festival last weekend.
Wichita Pride has organized events for more than two decades. June Turner, the group’s communications director, said this year’s theme — “Survive and Thrive” — was chosen by the community and alludes to recent political challenges.
“It really spoke to us, and kind of where we’re at with LGBTQIA rights in Kansas,” Turner said. “We’re surviving, and we’re hanging in there, and we’re doing what it takes to make sure that we can keep going.
“And now we’re going to take a moment, and we’re going to celebrate that, and we’re going to thrive.”
Senate Bill 244, Kansas lawmakers approved in February, prevents people from using public bathrooms that don’t align with the sex they were assigned at birth. It passed despite Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto in February.
As a trans person, Turner said figuring out if there is a bathroom for them to use is part of their planning when going into public spaces.
“Like, make sure that I’m not drinking too much coffee before I head out the door. That way I don’t have to worry about finding somewhere I can go pee,” she said. “Or … making sure that I’m going somewhere that has a gender-neutral bathroom that I can safely use.”
At Wichita’s Pride Festival, every bathroom was labeled gender-neutral. That’s been done for previous events, but Turner said messaging was more intentional this year to inform attendees they could access a “safe bathroom.”
Lisette Rubrykal said this year’s event was one of the largest she has seen. She said the event’s growth has helped her feel supported.
“We are here. We’ll still be here, and we’re finding a voice — more of a voice, more people to fight with us, more people to stand with us and support us,” Rubrykal said. “So that means a lot.”
Holly Martin has been attending Pride events for more than 30 years. She said as she gets older, the celebrations are more about seeing others start to become that “sparkly person, that rainbow person.”
Right before the festival began, a group of anti-LGBTQ protestors set up outside the venue.
Watching them from across the street, Harmony Rena said despite the tension, she felt at peace.
“It warms my heart, like my cheeks are right now, because I can’t stop smiling, because it’s just so sweet,” Rena said. “Like literally, there’s a little girl over there yelling, ‘Love is love.’”
Thomas Backus attended Pride events to support his son, who is transgender. He said he believes “change is coming, and things are going to get better.”
“There’s a lot of misguided hatred pointed at folks like him, and I told him, ‘You’re the boogeyman right now to people, and once we get past it, they’re going to move on to something else, and then you can be who you are, and just know that I always love and support (you),’” he said.
While there are a lot of people working to create a safer community, Gromala said that for some of their peers, that isn’t always enough.
“I do have a couple of friends that are currently saving up to move out of the state because they are scared, or because they’re just like, ‘I can't see a future for my family in this,’ or ‘It’s just not worth sitting here and waiting to see whether it’s going to go positively or negatively, when it comes to the politics,’” they said.
