Blount Pride organizers are searching for a venue for this year’s local pride celebration since efforts to renew last year’s location fell flat. Maryville College officials have said last year’s festival cost the school tens of thousands in legal and other fees.
The announcements come on the heels of Blount Pride 2023 , hosted at the Clayton Center for the Arts, which spawned a flurry of legal action after Blount County District Attorney Ryan Desmond announced a willingness to prosecute drag performers under the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act. The law, which has been declared unconstitutional, bans “male and female impersonators” among other listings from performing within 1,000 feet of certain establishments, such as places of worship.
A restraining order preventing county law enforcement from prosecuting under the law is pending the outcome of a federal appeal on its constitutionality. Desmond, along with the heads of all local law enforcement and the Tennessee Attorney General, are named in a related lawsuit .
On Tuesday, June 4, Blount Pride organizers said their application to rent the Clayton Center for the Arts was denied after months of consideration. Maryville College, which oversees the center, allegedly asked Blount Pride to exclude drag performances from its celebration.
“We asked the college several questions, including asking them to define drag performance,” Blount Pride organizers wrote in a statement posted to social media. “They did not answer our questions, but instead, two weeks later, denied our application.”
A Maryville College representative declined to comment in response to questions from The Daily Times, instead pointing to the school’s own statement posted hours after Blount Pride’s announcement. The statement affirms Maryville College’s support for Blount Pride with an offer to sponsor this year’s celebration — albeit at a different location.
Blount Pride 2023 inadvertently caused numerous disruptions to college life, officials said.
“The inability to reach an agreement for this year’s event is not about any stance on drag performances or lack of support for Blount Pride, but is about the college’s ability to deal with the legal ramifications and public reaction,” the statement reads in part.
Public outcry against the celebration led to safety concerns such as “strangers wandering campus and through buildings, looking for college leaders,” the school said. Concerned students left campus ahead of the event.
Groups of protestors gathered outside school grounds last year under the supervision of Maryville Police Officers.
Maryville city staff confirmed Blount Pride has applied to use Jack Greene Park as the location for Blount Pride 2024. A representative of the city told The Daily Times that staff are waiting to hear whether the organization wishes to use the park amphitheater.
A representative of Blount Pride did not respond to an offer for comment by press time.
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