Outfest 2016
Outfest 2016 took place in the Gayborhood
Services to free AIDs testing.
of Philadelphia. The Gayborhood is located
on South Broad Street close to City Hall. The
to the elderly and included every race, creed,
area is easily noted by the rainbow details on
gender and sexuality. Outfest’s activities
the bottom of the street signs and the rainbow
ranged from block parties to more serious
crosswalks on certain intersections.
subjects such as advocating fro various
Steven Edward, 26, a law stdent at Penn has
support him, I have been”
LGBTQ causes.
been attending Outfest ever since he moved
national and local lesbian, gay, bisexual,
to Philadelphia when he was 18. Although
LGBTQ movement present, saying that the
transgendered and queer (LGBTQ)
Steven himself is straight he spends a lot of
point of the event to him was not only to
time advocating for the LGBTQ community.
show the community that they are not alone,
but to show those who do not support the
Outfest is a community event where
communities come together with local businesses to show pride and promote various causes. The booths set up ranged from the Philadelphia SPCA and the National Park
Attendents ranged in age from children
“We are all here to love eachother” - Kevin Labree
“My brother has been a drag queen for
Steven was one of many allies of the
about 10 years now,” said Steven “so ever
LGBTQ community, that Philadelphia is a city
since I was able to come out to his events to
of love, not hate.
“It’s all about love, it’s all about peace” - Kevin Toms
Outfest is an event that the LGBTQ community
even though the large majority of attendees at
and its supporters in Philadelphia look forward
Outfest were intoxicated, she had not seen a
to every year. Kevin Toms attended the event
single altercation throughout the event.
with his best friend Kevin Labree and his
wife, Jessica Bradenbach. Toms loves outfest
events and has been ever since Toms came
because it shows the larger Philadelphia
out to him when the two were in college
community what he feels the LGBTQ
together.
community is about, peace and love.
love this.”
Jessica is a bartender at a bar in South
Philadelphia and brought up that she sees fights in her bar almost every night and that
Labree is an avid attendee of LGBTQ
“I love him, and this is who he is, so I