Hosted in the basement of the 8th St. Taproom, Lawrence Pride’s moth-style storytelling event “Queer Voices,” is an affair like no other in Lawrence. Its an event where LGBTQ+ individuals can take the stage to share stories, poems and community in a safe space; a stark contrast to the world that the U.S. legislature is trying to mold. 

Caden Baird | caden.baird@ku.edu

Under newly-elected President Donald Trump, the queer community has been under legislative bombardment. Trump’s first days in office marked the targeting of the trans and gay community on multiple measures. Among these actions is the de-recogniztion of “gender ideology,” which is the idea that gender falls along a spectrum. The new legislation identifies only two genders, male and female.

“In a world where we are increasingly embattled, it’s nice to have this sort of community,” K, a participant in the event, said.

Queer Voices finds its uniqueness from other Lawrence storytelling events with its moth-style storytelling, which is live and unscripted. This method of storytelling focuses on connecting the generations of the queer community by not only sharing stories from today, but from the past as well, through elders in the gay community.

The event is the brainchild of Courtney Farr, the finance director of Lawrence Pride. They hope this event will bridge continuity from the past to the present and hopefully, for the future for the LGBTQ+ community in Lawrence.

8th St. Taproom is home to Queer Voices during winter, and the event has been ongoing for about two years. Queer Voices occurs every three months at one of the locations. No cover is required for entry, but donations are welcome.

While bridging generations is the thesis of Queer Voices, its delivers on more. 

“There’s something very different about sharing with an intimate group on stage and realizing how accepted and cared for you are,” Farr said. “There’s a lot of power there, just listening to each other’s stories.”

Stories can range from tales of living through homelessness, as one storyteller spoke of, to figuring out sexuality and how to deal with an abusive marriage, to just having a haven where being yourself is celebrated.

“It’s helped a lot,” Farr said. “I’ve processed a lot of dealing with my sexuality and gender identity. Through these, I’ve told a lot of stories about my family and past traumas, and it’s helped me work through it.”

It can be a powerful commodity for someone, or a group of people, to just listen.

“We have a president who says we don’t exist, we can’t exist, so what we say to that is bullsh*t,” K said. “We’re here, and we are not going away.”