ABOUT ROME PRIDE

HISTORY

In 2018, Justin Deal of Rome, Georgia, hosted "Pride: 30" on June 30th. It was a social event hosted at the Moon Roof Bar that featured prizes, live music, and contests and provided visibility for the LGBTQ+ community of Rome, Georgia. Around 125 attendees enjoyed the event, which was the first public social event in Rome, Georgia, celebrating Pride.

"Pride Rome, Georgia," the 2nd annual iteration, featured live music, contests and prizes, games, a beach theme, and Pride swag to attendees at the River Dog Outpost & Paddle Co. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots of 1969, the 2nd annual "Pride Rome, Georgia," sponsored by Justin Deal, Terri Morgan with Turn Your Back On Hate Rome & Russell Evans, and Rebekah Kinney from #TeamKinney from the Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge, honored inclusion, celebrated diversity and increased visibility of the rural LGBTQ+ community of Northwest Georgia.

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2020 was a tough year for us all, and we had no celebration that year.

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In 2021, Benjamin Gentry (aka Courtney Chanel Stratton) hosted a Drag Pride Show at the River Arts District Playhouse. The event sold out, and the demand for more events during Pride became obvious.

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Rome Pride 2022 was our "inaugural" year because it is the first year with an active board/committee, and we have received an outpouring of support from the City of Rome, local families, and organizations, and had the resources due to the generous sponsorships from the business community. And—we went all out.

What we envisioned as a one-day event ballooned into an entire weekend of Pride activities. The community asked, and we wanted to go all out and deliver.