Bridgeport Pride Makes A Joyful Return

Jewel Booker Photos.

Waves of colorful flags, banners, and signs moved down Bridgeport’s Broad and Fairfield Streets toward the Bijou Theatre. The smell of fresh cookies and savory sandwiches drifted through the air as restaurants and bakeries closed for the night. Suzanne Kachmar zig-zagged across the street with a speaker propped on one shoulder, blasting music. A butterfly strutted forward on tall stilts and voluminous, shiny red pants.

Bridgeport Pride was back.

That kicked off OUTWorks Bridgeport, a triumphant return to in-person Pride after the coronavirus pandemic-forced the celebration to go virtual last year. Last Sunday, the three-day celebration landed in downtown Bridgeport with a gallery show, Pride parade, and film festival. It was the rainbow-patterned brainchild of Kachmar, who runs City Lights Gallery, and artist and queer activist Ricky Mestre.

This marks the 11th year that the two have organized some sort of celebration. In that time, it has gained support from the Bijou Theatre, Trevi Lounge, the City of Bridgeport and others. As she nibbled on a chicken wing and prepared to march, drag queen Sorcia Wharhol said it was good to be back.

“This is my eighth year as an exhibiting artist and third year as a performer,” she said. “Bridgeport pride is my favorite ... [it] is always so much fun and the variety shows are always fun because everyone can just be themselves and put on a show for people.”

The parade began on the colorful stairs on Broad Street, led by a performer on 10-foot stilts wrapped in billowy red pants. As she raised her arms to expose the butterfly wings that connected from her outfit to her arms, the crowd lurched to life behind her. Ahead of the parade, a police car cleared traffic.

Participants marched down the steps and across a few blocks waving bright, rainbow and trans pride flags and carrying banners from different supporting organizations including CT Against Gun Violence. Cars honked their horns as they drove by to show support and join in on the noise. The parade ended on Fairfield Street, right in front of the Bijou Theatre. Inside, several drag queens and various performing artists waited to take the stage for an opening night variety show.

Drag Queens Miss Frank and Miss Kiki Lucia introduced host Dolores Dégagé Hopkins. The queen launched into an opening piece with two background dancers dressed in all black. Gloria Gaynor’s “I Am What I Am” blared over the stage as a music video played in the background. She went on to introduce every artist, while managing to interact with the crowd and make jokes in between performances.

Performances ranged from empowering to funny to beautiful and educational—some were a mix of all those things at once. Lucia stepped onto the stage dressed in a red coat and white bonnet as a handmaid. A homemade music video played in the background, splicing scenes of her own work in with Margaret Atwood’s dystopian creation Gilead. In the video, she walked down a New Haven street as Elizabeth Moss’ voice filled the room with the words “I was asleep before.” Lucia stood beside New Haven’s City Hall as a voiceover talked about a right-wing government takeover.

Back in the Bijou, Lucia took off her mask as the song “I'm Every Woman” began to play in the background. She peeled back her gloves methodically, putting on a show as she removed layers. When she dropped her cape, she was suddenly in a red, Wonder Woman-esque leotard. Letting a red wig loose, she walked through the crowd as audience members cheered her on.

She twisted, turned, stomped, and grooved to the music trying to show she was every woman, regardless of race, gender, or age.

Drag Queen Xiomarie Labeija took the stage full of energy, in a bedazzled black leotard and her signature voluminous blonde wig. With kicks, turns and flips, she folded in spoken word from Connecticut’s own Versatile Poetiq into a routine that also included Meghan Trainor. She spoke and sang into the crowd, making eye contact with attendees and singing to them. At one point she jumped off the stage into a split, all in heels. The crowd cheered back.

Others mined the event for its humor. Performing from Ballet Eloelle, three dancers entered in tutus and pointe shoes,  lampooning the grace and skill that goes into ballet even as they mastered it. They landed perfect turns and jumps as well as other difficult ballet moves.

At some points they pushed each other as if they were messing up and forgot the dances or couldn't perform a move. One ballerina would run to the front of the stage and just smile and bat her extremely long eyelashes, and the crowd would break out into laughs. They tried to outdance each other and to take the spotlight away from each other while also running away to the side to catch their breath.

Dégagé Hopkins later shared that the entire night—and the weekend—had been extremely special for her. This year marks the first in-person Bridgeport pride that she was able to attend as an out, proudly trans woman.

“So many years I produced shows, performed in shows and emceed shows in this theatre,” she wrote on social media. “Even living directly across the street for five years with the neon marquis lighting my front windows.  Then my entire world turned upside down.  Stepping back into the Bijou Theatre CT and then back onto that stage into the spotlight as my true authentic self was simply a glorious experience.”

“2021 is a Pride I will never forget!!,” she added with rainbow and trans pride flag emojis flanking the word Pride. “LIVE YOUR TRUTH!!”

Jewel Booker is a graduate of the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative (YAJI) and a participant in its inaugural summer camp. She recently finished her senior year at New Haven Academy and will be heading to the University of Connecticut this fall.