John Coffelt, Editor

The Middle Tennessee Pride Alliance will hold its 18 and up LGBTQIA+ Prom: A Night to Celebrate Love, Identity, and Diversity on May 17 at the Church@117.

Co-organizer and Pride Alliance President Caden Blaylock said that the event will be a night of celebration, freedom, and self-expression.

“This is a safe, inclusive space where everyone—regardless of gender, orientation, or identity—can dance, laugh, and celebrate their true selves,” Blaylock said. 

“It’s for anyone who didn’t get to go to prom, or wasn’t able to go as their true selves,” Blaylock said. “I did not go because I did not get to go as my chosen gender.”

“I think it’s important to let everyone have that healing moment and attend prom as they should have in the beginning,” Blaylock said.

The event will feature music, dancing, light refreshments and for those over 21, a glitter pit bar. Nashville-based drag performer Styx Olympus will provide entertainment.

“For the fact that it is an 18+ drag show, I’m keeping everything very, very tame down,” Styx said. “I grew up here, so I know how people can be. I don’t want to incite any negativity because my personal drag style is very inherently sexual, but I also have the ability to tone it down.”

Blaylock said the event will be formal attire.

“We want you to dress like you were going to prom,” Blaylock said. “We want you to show up and have a good time.”

A Hillsboro native, Blaylock said this is to bring positivity to the community.

“Feel like our community is always looked down on,” Blaylock said. “It’s always in a negative connotation, so we just try to bring positivity anywhere we can. We are there to have a good time.”

The event is not limited to those in the LGBTQIA+ community. Any allies of the community are welcome to attend.

“I just want the public to see that we are people too,” Blaylock said. “There is always resistance. I can’t say that it is all that different from when I grew up. I can say that we’re here and we’re trying to open it up a little. We are not here to do anything that nobody would approve of.”

“We just want to open it up and show people that we do exist –we’ve always existed. There’s never been a time when there wasn’t any of us,” said Blaylock.

Styx said the opportunity to be a part of the event is special.

“To be able to see something like this grow and blossom is special, especially here in Coffee County. I grew up here, and I went through the high school. I saw so many people bullied, myself included, because of wanting to be who they were and trying to express that,” Styx said.

“It feels nice to be able to see it and especially to be part of it,” Styx said.

Coffee County Pride Alliance Secretary and Caden’s wife, Cat Blaylock added, “We’re here. We are not going away no matter how much hate you spew at us. There’s a whole generation of people who are going to grow up and it’s not necessary to see all the hate. Just love each other, that’s all we’re asking.”      

Tickets for the event are at www.coffeecountypride.org for $15 single or $20 per couple.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.