Prism Arts Alliance to hold Pride Panels

Scott Hagerman, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

Jordan Blake Key founded the Prism Arts Alliance about one year ago in Daviess County in response to protests against LGBTQ+ issues.

He said it’s a grassroots organization to promote arts and advocacy.

The organization announced this week that it will hold a series of Pride Panels at 5 p.m. each Saturday in June at First Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall. All of the panels are free to the public.

“We wanted to find something to do as a newer organization for PRIDE Month, and we thought the most poignant thing to do would be to start having conversations that center around LGBTQ+ issues,” Key said. “I think what our focus is ... establishing a safe sense of community for LGBTQ+ people.

“I feel like there is maybe a drive to pull everything into conflict, and that’s not necessarily what we want. We want to establish a safe space.”

The panels begin June 1 with “Defining LGBTQIA+,” which Key will present.

“The first one is a presentation I’m doing,” Key said. “The rest will have moderators and panelists who are relevant to each topic.”

The June 8 panel will be “Trans 101,” followed by “Queerness and Faith,” “Parenting a Queer Child” and “Fostering LGBTQ+ Creativity.”

Each panel will feature a moderator and panelists.

Key said the “Queerness and Faith” panel will deal with a lot of issues faced by people of faith who also identify as LGBTQ+.

“We’ll show the multiple perspectives of different faiths, not just Christianity or just one sect of Christianity,” he said. “It’s having an open discussion about what that means to identify as queer and to be a person of faith, the struggles and the specific conversations that could lead to.”

The alliance also just launched a Rainbow List, which is a roster of LGBTQ+-friendly businesses in Daviess County.

To qualify for the list, a business must fill out an application and meet one of three qualifications: be an LGBTQ+ owned or led business; have policies that specifically protect LGBTQ+ people; show any kind of public support, such as a sign on the door or a poster stating the business stands with the LGBTQ community.

“We just wanted to have one place where people can come and see these are the businesses that I can feel safe supporting,” Key said. “I feel like we’re picking up some steam with that, as well.”