LANCASTER, Pa. — For local photographer Brady Pappas, Pride Month is an opportunity to cherish chosen family.
“Just being around people and being able to love and be loved for the first time was transformative,” said Pappas. “I still feel the effects of that every single day.”
Over the last nine years, Pappas has been taking pictures of their closest friends, drag queens and activists.
“I like to think that under my lens, anybody is worthy of being photographed, so there's no rules," they said. "It's come as you are here and be celebrated.”
Rather than keeping these photos in a private collection, Pappas hosts an annual exhibition titled Tulle Queer, to share with the rest of Lancaster.
In each image, the subject is surrounded in a plume of tulle as an homage to the early phases of self-love and discovery.
“I've always loved tulle for how accessible it is,” said Pappas. “I always saw it on the runways, and it just allowed me to feel like my work could contribute to an industry that I didn’t have access to.”
And those grassroots beginnings speak to them on a very personal level.
“Photography really helped me to see a new trajectory for my life and to believe in myself in a whole new light.”
Lancaster City will host its 16th Annual Pride Festival this weekend, and after drawing in a massive crowd of more than 6,000 people at the convention center in 2023, organizers feel they’re going need a little more room. So, they’re expanding the party by closing Vine Street and putting a big stage right in the middle of the road.
“We're not going anywhere,” said president of Lancaster Pride Tiffany Shirley. “We're proud to be who we are, and we're going to make this visible—bigger and bigger and bigger every year.”
This comes as turmoil surrounding the LGBTQ+ community hit close to home. A drag queen story hour planned at the Lancaster Public Library earlier this year was canceled following a bomb threat.
But incidents like this, Lancaster Pride officials say, have only made the community in the area grow more united.
“I felt like it was pride season all over,” said Shirley. “I saw rainbows everywhere on every single business. It was just overwhelming to see the support that we had.”
Local LGBTQ+ leaders want people to know that they don’t need to feel intimidated when they walk in the door.
“I know people are concerned about safety, but pride has taken every single step to make this festival safe for everybody,” said Shirley.
Attendees will be scanned by a handheld metal detector and are asked to only bring a clear bag and a smile. In short, come as you are.
“Seeing how our community supports us gives us that pride, and it gives us the other 364 days of the year to be proud of who we are and to celebrate ourselves,” said Shirley.
“I feel so grateful to be here at this time, documenting this era of queer culture in Pennsylvania,” said Pappas. “It's just really great to be surrounded by people who believe in you, support your mission and see you.”