LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Coming up this weekend, the Louisville Pride Foundation will be hosting the 2nd annual Louisville Pride 5K.
Officials said this is the perfect way for members of the LGBTQ+ community to show their pride outside.
“Pride means to me being able to show up as your true, authentic self and not having to hide any of it," Michael Clemons, Louisville Pride 5K race director, said.
Step after step, mile after mile, officials with the Louisville Pride 5K said they encourage everyone in the community to show what pride means to them.
Clemons said that this year’s race comes at an important time for the community.
“Right now more than ever we see out in public, attacks on the LGBTQ community and this is a chance for us to come together to exercise, to get those endorphins going and to just show our support," he said.
He added that there have been more and more attacks on the LGBTQ+ community this year in the wake of states passing anti-trans legislation, including Kentucky.
“Being able to show up as your full, authentic self is so powerful, and we want to give a platform for everybody to be able to do that," Clemons said. "Where you’re not in a dark, loud, hidden bar which is where our LGBTQ community normally gathers. We want to be able to show up in public, in an open park like Iroquois Park and say, ‘We’re here. We’re ourselves.’”
He suggests that change won’t happen if the community doesn’t speak up and make themselves known.
“We’re a powerful community and our pride is not something to be scared of, not something to dim," Clemons said. "It’s something to be supported and encouraged. Change isn’t going to happen unless we all come together to show that we want that change.”
He says that all are welcome, LGBTQ+ people and allies alike, to put their pride on full display at the marathon.
The 5K starts at 9 a.m. inside Iroquois Park. They're still accepting virtual registrations, but all the 600 in person slots have been filled up.
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