IDS Thursday, September 1, 2022
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
2022 Midterm Election Guide, p. 7
'Out and proud'
Bloomington Pridefest celebrates the LGBTQ community By Charlotte Jones
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cmj35@iu.edu
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Bloomington PRIDE’s ninth annual Pridefest celebrated the LGBTQ community with vendors, performances and community from 2-11:45 p.m. Saturday all along Kirkwood Avenue. Supported by local businesses such as Rainbow Bakery and Hopscotch Coffee, the festival was flooded with patrons. Booths sold graphic tees, handmade jewelry and coloring books featuring designs from LGBTQ artists. Pride flags also lined the streets. “The environment was so wonderfully accepting and affirming,” IU sophomore Bryan Wade said. “It’s my first pride and I felt such an overwhelmingly deep connection to queer culture.” For physical and spiritual nourishment, local food trucks took over almost an entire block. Pizza X gave away condoms and special edition cups that are sure to line dorm shelves for the rest of the semester. Karina Bhargava, a holistic healer, provided free tarot readings and Alex Moffitt, a local hair stylist, offered free hair glitter. Many local churches, including St. Thomas Lutheran and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, supported the festival by giving out handmade pins and popsicles. Many children also came to the festival, sitting on top of their parents’ shoulders to watch the performances. “One of my favorite parts about Pridefest was seeing all the younger kids who
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were there — out and proud,” IU sophomore Nithin Krishnan said. “It was inspiring and heart-warming to see a new generation getting to experience being a part of this amazing community.” The performances were at the heart of the festival, with local celebrity drag queens and kings performing for the crowds. Pat Yo Weave and Desiree Bouvier, local drag queens, provided comforting commentary throughout the performances, emphasizing that they love everyone no matter what. Notable acts included Lady Dumpster pouring candle wax all over herself, Lyna Koke lip-belting and Oriana Perón’s hormone monster mashup. Drag shows graced the mainstage at different intervals through the night, offering both family-friendly and risqué performances. Drenched in sweat, the crowd cheered each other on at any given opportunity, dancing with the drag queens and skateboarding on church lawns. The crowd cloaked themselves in flags and doused themselves in glitter. “The queer community has the best fashion, hands down,” Krishnan said. Pridefest created a welcoming atmosphere for everyone in attendance, IU sophomore Sym Cloyd said. “Bloomington PRIDE is my favorite pride I've been to because it feels very safe and secure,” Cloyd said. “As a Black queer person, it is so important for me to feel seen in all my intersections, and I feel that way at Bloomington Pride.” WESTON KILGORE | IDS
1. Drag artist Sanatana Sword poses by the Pridefest sign Aug. 27. Sword was one of the performers at Pridefest this year. 2. Pridefest attendees stand in line for popsicles Aug. 27. Some people wore their respective flags as capes, while many others had clothing items or accessories that were rainbow colored. 3. Performers dance on stage at the end of one of Pridefest's drag shows Aug. 27, 2022, on Kirkwood Avenue. This was the ninth Pridefest organized by Bloomington PRIDE.
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4. Festivalgoers walk down Kirkwood Avenue during Bloomington Pridefest on Aug 27. Booths lined the street and included tents ranging from religious organizations to T-shirt stores. 5. Students from Bloomington High School North attend Pridefest Aug. 27. People of all ages enjoyed the festivities. 6. People pose for a picture in front of a big Pridefest sign Aug. 27. The sign was a hotspot for those taking pictures at the event. 7. Drag artist Lavendar Rose performs on stage Aug. 27. Most of the artists went with a traditional drag show performance of dancing to an upbeat song, but Rose took a more avant-garde approach as they danced to a slower, instrumental song.
FOOTBALL
'We're ready to go play ': Coaches take podium ahead of first game By Jacob Spudich
jaspudi@iu.edu | @spudichjacob
On Monday afternoon, Indiana football head coach Tom Allen, defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Chad Wilt and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Walt Bell took the podium to answer questions for the media ahead of Indiana’s season opener at 8 p.m. Friday night against Illinois. In back-to-back years, Indiana will open up the season against a Big Ten opponent. Last year, Indiana opened the season against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hoosiers lost that game 34-6, but this year they’ll kick off the season in Bloomington. Allen said he is thankful his team gets to start the season at home since the familiarity of playing in Memorial Stadium plays a big factor in the team's comfort levels. Along with that, the guys love playing at home in front of the fans, Allen said. Indiana’s strength of schedules is tougher than what many other teams will face, as they have the ninth-
toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN. Still, Allen looks to embrace the competition. “Big Ten football, it's what you expect,” Allen said. “Really good football teams every single week and a tremendous challenge, great opportunity. Excited for our players to open our season.” The Indiana coaches said there was no surprise from their staff when Syracuse University transfer Tommy DeVito was named the Fighting Illini’s starting quarterback last week. “I think there are obvious reasons why he won the job, and I think he's really talented,” Allen said. While Allen will be doing the defensive play calling for the Hoosiers, defensive coordinator Chad Wilt will be on the field managing personnel, sideline adjustments and digest feedback. Wilt will also alert Allen of trends and tendencies throughout the game. Indiana plays its first game against Illinois this Friday, but the Fighting Illini already had their first game last weekend against
the University of Wyoming. Illinois won 38-6, and Allen, Wilt and the rest of the coaching staff said they will use the extra film to their advantage. “They're going to run the football," Wilt said. "They’re a Big Ten football team. They believe in that. They also do a good job managing the game and distributing the ball.” Wilt believes Illinois is a “solid, balanced Big Ten football team” but is confident in the ability of the Hoosiers’ defensive leadership from senior defensive back Taiwan Mullen and fifth-year senior defensive back Jaylin Williams to combat Devito and the Fighting Illini. Offensively, Bell said he is optimistic about the current state of Indiana’s offense after making great progress during the offseason. Bell understands there will be growing pains for the Hoosiers as they adjust to new coaching and quarterback leadership, but he knows that goes along with learning a new system. “We feel very prepared, and we’re ready to go play,”
IDS FILE PHOTO BY MALLOREY DAUNHAUER
Head coach Tom Allen calls a play Sept. 4, 2021, in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The Hoosiers will kick of their season against the Fighting Illini on Friday.
Bell said. Bell is aware of Illinois' defensive strengths. He spoke highly of the Fighting Illini’s defense and said they have very talented athletes and play with great confidence. They show patience letting the game come to them and don’t allow freebies on the perimeter and run game, Bell said. The wide receiver room will look to be the most un-
predictable position group for Indiana this season. Bell said he is confident there will be eight different players getting snaps at the position throughout the regular season and suggested it’s very possible for there to be nine. “We have a great group of kids, guys that want to get better every day,” Bell said. “I'm really proud of that group.” Allen and his coaching
staff are confident about the team’s success this year, and — with many newcomers on the team — Allen said he is most excited about the leadership exhibited by this team. “There's a lot of things about this team that excite me,” Allen said. “I feel like we have a strong group of leaders that care a whole lot and are going to make sure things are done the right way.”