The second annual Dodge City LGBTQ Pride Event occurred June 24, 2023. The event included moving speeches from LGBTQ+ Kansans, fabulous drag performances, lucha wrestling, vendor booths, and food trucks.
The 2023 event was produced by Education Growers Development Company, a 501c3 organization.
2023 Sponsors:
Marquee Small Business Consulting
We’d like to give a HUGE shoutout to Marquee Small Business Consulting, located here in Dodge City.
Jake’s patience, tenacity, and positive attitude as well as over five years of experience makes Marquee an incredible ally to have in your business journey!
“Combine your skills and ambition into a profitable small business! I have created and assisted small business start-ups across several industries and can help you navigate your own journey. Whether you plan to sell a physical product or provide a service, I can help you conceptualize and create a profitable business model. I can assist with creating a business plan, new company registry & filings, online presence & marketing, website building & SEO, networking, fundraising, budgeting, profit/loss statements, and more. Half the game is simply being in it… Let’s get started!”
Kansas Hemporium
We’d like to give a huge shoutout to our returning sponsor, The Kansas Hemporium! The Hemporium has been a huge help and support these past two years and we couldn’t do this without them!
Located inside of the Village Square Mall, The Kansas Hemporium offers a wide variety of fun merchandise and CBD products and has excellent customer service! They have been a part of the hemp movement since its legalization and have been a voice in Topeka for small business in both the hemp and potential medical cannabis markets. This is an inclusive space with good, kind people and we are so thrilled to have their support.
Please be sure to show your support for small, local business by stopping by The Kansas Hemporium!
https://www.kansashemporium.com/
Robbins Nest
Spiritually YOUnique
Natalie Randall Attorney at Law
Arrowhead Family Chiropractic
https://arrowheadfamilychiro.com/
Golden Eagle Marketing
We’d like to give a huge shoutout to Golden Eagle Marketing for being a sponsor of Dodge City Pride ’23!
“It is the mission of Golden Eagle Marketing to provide comprehensive marketing consultation and creation of advertising campaigns for local business and the nonprofit industry. Our firm is not interested in simply producing a service for our clients. We believe in creating a long-term relationship with them so that the delivery of their message becomes a seamless, thought-provoking experience that drives action. Golden Eagle understands that nonprofit groups and institutions have special needs in delivering their information and messages to the public and creating inspiration to act on these messages as well as increasing local business foot traffic, online presence and views, and increased brand awareness.”
Brett Crandall Studios
We’d love to give a huge shoutout to Brett Crandall Studios for being both a sponsor of this years event and one of our entertainers! Brett was raised in southwest Kansas, and is an endlessly creative and talented person. Some of those talents include writing, acting, producing and puppeteering. Brett is also an activist, and works hard to bring creative and inclusive events and programs to southwest Kansas.
Brett will be bring his original puppet show, ONDINE: A Queer Fairytale to Dodge City Pride. Ondine is such a sweet, wholesome story and we are so excited that it is coming to Dodge.
About the play:
“A New LGBTQIA+ Puppet Play based on the myths of Water Sprites. ONDINE tells the tale of how the titular character finds love when he meets a knight errant, Hans. But Ondine must make a pact with the Old One that should his beloved deceive him, Hans will die. As the two set out to marry before the King, Ondine will have to face the harsh, cold injustices of the human realm. Can Ondine and Hans truly live happily ever after? Only with help from Ondine’s puppet friends of the deep. With careful language crafted into hilarious yet insightful verse, ONDINE gives a lesson in emotional intelligence.
LGBTQIA+ representation in media can lead to more empathy and allyship, as well as a much-needed sense of belonging for the LGBTQIA+ Community, especially its youth.”
Learn more at
https://www.brettcrandallstudios.com/
2023 Organizers:
Adrianna Wicker
PresidentHi! My name is Adriana, or “Ana” for short. I grew up in Greeley, Colorado and moved to southwest Kansas in 2020 and moved to Dodge City this past December. I’m the photographer behind the camera at Ana Carbajal Photography and the lead photographer at Golden Eagle Marketing, and I recently joined the LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas board. I also have the honor of being a dance teacher here in town.
Growing up in conservative circles as part of one of the non-conservative families, I was often one of the first people that my peers would come out to. It was important to me to be a person others could feel comfortable coming out to, especially as they faced fears of rejection from their own families. My own fear of judgement and rejection led me to not come out as queer until I moved to Kansas and the distance between me and my hometown felt like a shield, despite having a good and loving family. While living in Kansas, I was able to find community and solidarity with other queer people, despite being new here.
It remains a core value of mine to ensure there are safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people and our allies to find connection and community, and I am so excited and grateful to be a part of the year’s Dodge City Pride event.
Jake Ross
Vice PresidentHello! I am from San Diego and have been residing in Dodge City for the last 4 years. I am a restaurant manager and a business consultant.
In San Diego, I owned and operated a Medical Transportation business transporting seniors and those with disabilities. Closing that chapter, I now also run a Small Business Consulting company where I am thrilled to be helping other entrepreneurs pursue their business goals.
I was taught to love others. I was taught to treat others the way I would want to be treated. I am a huge supporter of equality and an advocate of marginalized groups. Coming from the melting pot of the US, I have friends of all different races, religions, and orientations. The most important thing I’ve learned from my experiences, is that at the end of the day and no matter our backgrounds: we are all in this together.
I am a Christian, I am an Ally; and I am honored to be a part of our Dodge City Pride chapter!
Martin Miller
SecretaryDodge City Pride Board’s Secretary and the man who has been setting so much in motion for us as we plan our 2023 event and continue to move towards becoming an official 501c3 nonprofit!
I’m a software engineer by day and a storm chaser in my time off. I grew up on the great plains, and now have been living in Dodge City for over 12 years. I see our Pride celebration is an important part of putting down roots in Dodge City. We have to embody the community that we want to live in ourselves and not wait for things to change on their own.
Aubrey Dewell
TreasurerThe Dodge City Pride Board’s Treasurer and the one who brought our team together!
I’m originally from Flagstaff Arizona. I’m a full time student getting my social services degree. Last year a couple people asked about pride and I was just coming out. I felt very much alone among other things. That’s when Dodge City Pride was created. To bring people together that felt the same as I did. It’s important to come together as community and have a safe to place to do so while learning how to be more open minded. Not only more open minded but to learn most things that some individuals think and believe are stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community! It’s important to stop those stereotypes and educate individuals or at least give them information or resources for them to educate themselves. That’s why pride is so important to me!
Angel Romero Jr.
Board MemberAngel is a master at networking, and has played a significant role in getting us connected with so much of Dodge City.
Angel Romero Jr is a longtime civic engagement leader in the city of Dodge City and is representing Lead for America to volunteer for this years event. From being involved with Project Teen Safe- The Alley, The Depot Theatre, and various organizations throughout Dodge City, Angel is excited about participating in this years Pride 2023. “Everyone should be able to love each other, live as they feel the happiest, and evolve over time to feel comfortable in their community.” Angel is excited to invite along his Pro Wrestling LGTBQ community to be apart of our event this coming June 24th! “One love my fellow yee-haw humans, let’s make history once again!”
Carolina Ross
Board MemberHello there, my name is Carolina Ross. I was born and raised in good ‘ol Dodge City. College aspirations took me to Manhattan, Kansas, and four years after that, a mission to change the world took me all the way to San Diego, California, for law school.
After practicing law in California for almost 14 years, my family and I relocated back to Dodge City to be close to my parents.
The big city taught me a lot about life and the fundamentals of solid business practices. A successful community necessitates the celebration of diversity and inclusion of all, including marginalized groups. Everyone has a place in society- no one is better than another. Yet, societal practices don’t necessarily convey that notion-with our LGBTQ community often shunned, shamed, and victims of egregious hate crimes.
Although I am no longer practicing law, old habits die hard. The passion to fight for and protect the underdog runs deep within me. It’s a privilege and honor to assist my fellow committee members in leading the charge of equality. I’m an ally and always will be.