“Pride Is Different”: How TriPride Betrayed a Community in Crisis

You may have heard about Hurricane Helene and how it swept through Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina from September 24, 2024 through September 27, 2024, wiping several small towns off the map. What you may not realize is that it hit East Tennessee as well. Many homes were swept away, people were trapped under mudslides, employees at a local plant lost their lives due to poor judgment from upper management, and some were never found. Most were without power for months. It was a terrible time of year to lose power, especially in the mountains. Many homes are still being rebuilt. The main bridge in a local city is still out, rerouting traffic to back roads and downtown areas, with the date of completion pushed back several months.

As terrible as all of this was, we witnessed our community come together like never before. There are stories of hope and heroism – cats surviving the complete collapse of a house, elderly women washed down the river on nothing but a mattress, and men and women using their own resources to reach those still trapped in their homes. Some people couldn’t even get to their homes and watched in helpless horror as they were looted just a few feet away, divided only by rushing floodwaters.

Edwin, Tennessee in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Still, East Tennesseans are resilient, and we are stronger than ever. Watching and hearing our communities come together was truly inspiring. Every festival in the area was cancelled, including Jonesborough’s famous Storytelling Festival – called off out of respect for our community. Jonesborough is Tennessee’s oldest town and the storytelling capital of the world. Cancelling the Storytelling Festival was not a decision taken lightly, especially since it impacted everyone who had purchased tickets, including those who traveled from other countries for this beloved event.

At the time of the cancellation, they shared this beautiful message:

In stark contrast to the Jonesborough Storytelling Festival’s respectful decision to cancel out of solidarity with the community, the Gender Queer ideologists behind the TriPride parade and “Color Appalachia with Pride” refused to do the same. They insisted the show must go on, claiming that all proceeds would benefit Hurricane Helene victims. In total, they raised $10,170 for United Way of East Tennessee Highlands. That money is then distributed as the organization sees fit – every $0.95 to a dollar going to various groups. Is your child’s soul worth $10,000?

Because “Pride is different,” the parade and festival went forward just 15 days after Hurricane Helene swept through our region. On October 12, 2024, adult men dressed as women gyrated in front of children, taking their money. When asked why the Pride parade and festival were still happening after so many other festivals were cancelling out of respect for Appalachian residents, I was told by someone from the Johnson City Pride Center that “Pride is different.” She wasn’t wrong, but let me add to her statement: the cult of Gender Queer Ideology does not care about anyone or anything outside of child indoctrination and grooming. So yes, Pride is different. Imagine losing your entire home…almost losing your life? Not knowing if your loved ones made it out alive? Losing your pets? Your livestock? And then we were all told that the Pride parade will go on, because “Pride is different.”

To be fair, she was not part of the TriPride Committee. However, I did reach out to TriPride directly with several questions. Questions I have yet to receive answers to. I have yet to receive a personal response, but they eventually sent me a generic email from their mailing list on December 19, 2024:

As my email stated, I attended this festival, and it was as horrific as you can imagine. Not only were children present in great numbers – little kids were handing dollar bills to men dressed as caricatures of women. I'm referring to drag queens, of course.

For those who did not want to expose their children to drag shows and adult content, they provided a “Kid’s Zone.” However, it was still filled with queer propaganda, including an “AFAB drag queen” storyteller. An “AFAB drag queen” is simply a female dressed in drag. Confused? Think about how the children feel. There is nothing “prideful” about adults who parade themselves around in sexualized displays when in the presence of children. It is shameful. Yes, Pride is different. Pride festivals and parades are now a tool for predators to gain access to vulnerable children.

Unfortunately, Pride is different, and the next TriPride Parade and Festival is scheduled for October 2025. Queer radicals do not care about you or your children. Despite all the “Free Hugs” signs and colorful t-shirts, these people are not concerned with what you're going through. If they cared, they wouldn’t be exposing your children to adult entertainment. If they cared, they wouldn’t be so eager to steal your child’s innocence.

When are we going to stop making excuses? When is enough, enough, Tennessee?

References

Go Fund Me. Pride in Action: Hurricane Helene Relief via TriPride. 5 October 2024. https://www.gofundme.com/f/pride-in-action-hurricane-helene-relief-via-tripride 

Historic Jonesborough Tennessee. 2025. https://jonesborough.com/ 

Historic Jonesborough Tennessee. Storytelling Capital of the World. 2025. https://jonesborough.com/storytelling/ 

Story Telling Center. Facebook. 29 September 2024. https://www.facebook.com/StorytellingCenter/posts/were-deeply-sorry-to-announce-the-cancellation-of-the-2024-national-storytelling/837288068592186/ 

TriPride. Roots, Rainbows, Resilience: A Patchwork of Pride. 2025. https://www.tripridetn.org 

TriPride. TriPride 2024: Color Appalachia With Pride. 2025. https://www.tripridetn.org/tripride-2024/ 

United Way. FAQs: How much of my donation actually goes toward helping others? 2025. https://unitedwayetnh.org/ 

Unicoi County. Find The Most Unique Airbnb & Vrbo Stays In Unicoi County. 2020. https://realwildunicoicounty.com/daytrips/airbnb-vrbo/