Unbridled Pride reaches Fancy Farm Picnic

As part of our effort to increase visibility and awareness of KFA, we took our colorful and spirited message to Fancy Farm this past summer.

The Fancy Farm picnic, held annually on the first Saturday in August, is billed as the world's largest political picnic, and is attended by an estimated 10,000 people.

Fancy Farm is located in Graves County, about 30 miles south of Paducah.

As politicians delivered their sometimes fiery speeches, KFA Community Organizer Wes Wright and former board member Shane Talbott held our "Unbridled Pride" banner, our popular parody of Governor Fletcher's "Unbridled Spirit" log and slogan, high on stakes so that the politicians and the crowd could see that Kentucky's gay rights organization had a presence.

Our KFA team received nothing but positive feedback. One woman and her college-age son stopped to praise us for our courage. "You are probably the bravest people here today," she said.

To achieve fairness and equality for glbt people, we must be smart and strategic, but never shy, about standing up, even in potentially hostile environments.

"We didn't know what kind of reaction we would receive at Fancy Farm," said Wright. "People were respectful and some were openly supportive. It was the kind of experience that gives me hope."