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Joan Saniuk, pastor of the local Metropolitan Community Church, says a blessing: "Look at how many beautiful people are gathered here today. "And to me, seeing all of this right now, just seeing everyone so happy is amazing."īefore people dig in, the Rev. "I was in the closet for a long time," Trejo says.
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The cake reads, "Happy 1st Pride Hendersonville." Having a space to be out and open in the community is important for him. "It has all of the different Pride flags on the side." He points to the colorful icing on the cake, smiling. "She's holding my heels," he says, pointing to a friend nearby. Under his aviator glasses, his eyelids are bejeweled with rhinestones. Trejo wouldn't have missed the inaugural Pride for anything. "This is more people than I thought was gonna be here," says Hector Trejo, a 20-year-old Hendersonville resident. "It's just a day of pride that's making me choke up." "People keep coming and food keeps coming," Streb says. Approximately 500 people attended, in a town of only 14,000. No one knew how many people to expect at Hendersonville's first Pride event. There's also the hamburger and hot dog table, the chips and dip table, and two picnic tables covered in desserts. "It just goes on and on."Īnd that's only the salad table. "We've got combination bean salads, we got cucumber salad, potato salad, traditional macaroni salad, a carrot salad, a pea salad, we've got three tricolor pasta salads," Streb says. Don Streb, one of the volunteers at the event, showed off the spread. Under the park shelter, picnic tables overflow with "salads" - and not the leafy green kind. Many participants came bearing casserole dishes of homemade food.
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Laura Bannister, organizer of Hendersonville's Pride picnic, says no one should have to leave their community to celebrate Pride. But drive just a few miles in any direction outside Asheville's bustling downtown, and the climate of LGBTQ acceptance seems to change.įor some in Hendersonville, Asheville can feel out of reach. Asheville hosts Blue Ridge Pride every September. It's common to see same-sex couples and gender diversity. Downtown Asheville is speckled with rainbow flags. Hendersonville is about 30 miles from the scenic, eclectic city of Asheville. Walz: Pride flag flies at Minnesota governor's mansion for first time