Attendees talk about the weather, swap recipes and share stories about mutual friends. The thought that someone might bring a gun kept Bannister up at night.īut on the day of the picnic, not a single protester showed up. Bannister had a feeling these same protesters would show up at the Pride picnic. The proclamation drew a crowd of around 60 protesters, holding signs with Bible verses. In the week before the picnic, Hendersonville's mayor, Barbara Volk, issued a proclamation designating June 15, 2019, as Pride Day. "There've been people that've told me, the KKK will show up if you have this picnic at the park." "I've had a lot of resistance," Bannister says. Why not? But the path to making her dream a reality wasn't easy. Not so in Hendersonville.īannister thought, of course the city should celebrate Pride. Laura Bannister moved to Hendersonville three years ago with her partner and currently leads the LGBTQ Democrats of Henderson County.īannister used to live in Washington, where it was common to see LGBTQ celebrations. "You know, I never even thought about it until Laura came along." "I didn't think it was possible," Miller says. Miller never expected to see Pride in Hendersonville. Fearing community backlash, the leaders never shared it publicly. Back then, new members of the group had to call a phone number to get the meeting location. Twenty years ago, he began leading a local PFLAG chapter, a group for family and friends of LGBTQ people. Miller, 85, is like the grandfather of this community. The couple wears matching T-shirts that read "Gay? Fine by me." Jerry Miller and his wife, Bea, at the picnic. Don Streb, one of the volunteers at the event, showed off the spread. Under the park shelter, picnic tables overflow with "salads" - and not the leafy green kind. Many participants came bearing casserole dishes of homemade food. Laura Bannister, organizer of Hendersonville's Pride picnic, says no one should have to leave their community to celebrate Pride.
But drive just a few miles in any direction outside Asheville's bustling downtown, and the climate of LGBTQ acceptance seems to change.įor some in Hendersonville, Asheville can feel out of reach. Asheville hosts Blue Ridge Pride every September. It's common to see same-sex couples and gender diversity. Downtown Asheville is speckled with rainbow flags. Hendersonville is about 30 miles from the scenic, eclectic city of Asheville. Unlike many Pride celebrations in bigger cities, there was no parade or festival. The small city of Hendersonville, N.C., celebrated Pride for the first time. In the parking lot, people are unloading their lawn chairs. A couple walks up to the pavilion, each holding a gallon of iced tea. On a beautiful June afternoon in the Blue Ridge Mountains, dozens of tiny rainbow flags lead the way toward a park pavilion. Attendees brought a range of picnic fare to the Hendersonville Pride potluck, including a strawberry cobbler, deviled eggs, watermelon and a rainbow cake that reads "Happy Pride Y'all."