Over this past weekend, many communities gathered and celebrated at the annual Madison Magic Pride Festival, hosted by OutReach, a community center that provides many programs and resources for the LGBTQIA+ community. The event symbolizes an extensive history of QTI pride in Madison and how queer identities have been shaped, shared, and celebrated for decades.
What was once a Magic Pride Parade is now a Magic Pride Festival, and remains focused on centering the lives and experiences of our Queer community here in Madison, through the collaboration of many sponsors, donors, and community partners. This event featured live music, food, youth and adult games and activities, as well as many vendors and organizations with tents and tables throughout the park, sharing resources and programs.
Community organizations such as Freedom, Inc., in partnership with OutReach, hosted the annual LGBTQIA+ tent, which is a space dedicated to queer communities of color. There was also a space for organizations to gain community support for their issues such as the UW-Madison Graduate workers, many of who identify as queer themselves, collecting signatures to build community power around established demands for equal wages and support during their academic journeys.
