FAIRHOPE – Chalked hearts and rainbows decorated the sidewalks next to Mobile Bay during the Color Fairhope with Pride celebration Friday, June 25.
The South Beach Park event was put on by Prism United Fairhope, an organization that supports LGBTQ teens in the community. As the sun set over the bay, children played with soap bubbles and people of all ages chalked messages of support and love on the sidewalks.
Sarah Fischer, Prism United Fairhope director, said that support is vital for teens served by the organization.
“One of the things that is so important for the kids in our program is to see that there is support in the community around them. There truly is a lot of that in Fairhope and the surrounding area, but there hasn’t been occasion for people to come out and show that visible support,” Fischer said. “We’re here celebrating the community and celebrating the love and support that exists in this community.”
She said Fairhope has a history of including all types of people, but that support is not always obvious to everyone who needs it, such as LGBTQ teens.
“It’s been an inclusive community, but there has been an idea that’s been pervasive that you can be here and you can be supportive, but it’s something that has to be whispered about and one of the changes that I personally am trying to make in the community is to convince people to stop whispering about their support, because once we start talking about it out loud and stop modulating our voice, we realize that we’re empowering other people to speak their support out loud and suddenly we realize there’s a lot more support around us than we realized,” she said.
Having support and being aware that people are there to help can make a major difference in the lives of teens and, in some cases, might save some of those lives, Fischer said.
“In 2019, the Trevor Project released some information, some data, that when an LGBTQ teen has just one supportive adult in their life, it cuts their suicide risk by 40 percent, almost in half,” she said. “So, there is a higher incidence of mental health issues and a higher rate of suicide among LGBTQ teens, but there are things that we can do to lessen that and being out in the community and showing support and surrounding them with a community of support goes a long way to changing things.”
Looking at the crowds chalking the sidewalks and walking through the park, Fischer said she was pleased with the turnout. She said organizers did not have a chance to plan an extensive event during the pandemic.
“We had to turn away so many people and businesses who wanted to be a part of this, but we only had limited permission from the city because we weren’t able to plan a full festival far in advance because of COVID,” Fischer said. “We weren’t sure it was responsible. So, we have a limited permission to have a festival around the sidewalks. In the future we’re hoping to be able to plan in advance and be able to make room for all of the businesses and organizations that wanted to show up in their own community and support the community.”
Businesses and groups that did support the event included the Alabama Contemporary Art Center in Mobile, which donated the sidewalk chalk and La-La-Land Boutique, which donated water. Hair Do Salon conducted a fundraiser during Pride Month to raise money for Prism efforts as well, Fischer said. Airbus also donated money to support the Friday event.
“What we’ve done is invite the community to come enjoy the park space because parks are for everyone and there are so many ways to celebrate and enjoy the community in a park,” Fischer said. “It just makes me really happy to see the community turn out and we had great support from some local organizations and businesses.”
Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan was among the crowd looking over the artists drawing designs on the sidewalk. She said the community has a history of showing support for all its residents.
“That’s one thing I like about Fairhope is how eclectic it is and how we’re so accepting of anybody and everybody,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s one thing that makes Fairhope so special.”
