Nexus @ Indianapolis Pride 2015 [ pics ]

By: Manny Esparza

Indy Pride was a last minute add-on to this year’s road-map to PRIDE for Nexus. We scrambled to put together a plan to make sure that Nexus was present in solidarity with our Hoosier friends and families that are often misrepresented in this state. Companies like Angie’s List, Salesforce, Pinnacle Vodka, Snowie, and of course Nexus and many others were present to show the true meaning of corporate social responsibility. Pinnacle Vodka was a title sponsor, their lemonade punch was everything in the 90 degree plus humidity weather. Unphased by the heat, the British songstress Neon Hitch donned a Brit Flag sweater towards the end of her set proving that she’s made out of pure hotness. The Nexus Dance favorite killed it on stage with her singles “FU Betta”, “Ass Back Home”, “Yard Sale”. Excellent show Neon!

There was a political streak to this year’s historic Indy Pride unlike any other Pride festival we’ve ever been to. The “Pence Must Go” signs were everywhere, referring to the incumbent governor Mike Pence whom signed anti-GLBT legislation earlier this year. There were short narratives read on stage with one standing out in particular, it was about Judy Garland’s significance to the movement. It was stated that Judy Garland’s funeral was the first unintentional congregation of GLBT individuals in one place, attracting more than twenty-thousand people and empowering the gay community to organize, untimately leading to the Stonewall riots.

Today PRIDE is so much more than just a GLBT event. It’s a secular movement, a faith-based outreach movement, an individualistic movement, the right for people to think, dress or act how they want to without being shamed and or discriminated against. Many Chicagoan’s have roots in Indiana including our own co-founder Greg Schweitzer, who was born and raised in Northwest Indiana and also has family roots in Indianapolis. Indiana is Nexus’ second home and we were honored to be part of Indy Pride for the first time.