Pride Month closes in Shreveport with Rainbow Rave

Shreveport’s night life lit up on Friday, June 28 for the fourth annual Rainbow Rave at Bear’s Bar & Grill. The event is hosted by the former Miss Louisiana USofA, ZaZa Gigante.

The night featured queer trivia at and a drag show, with music by DJ Lomax The Grey.

The performing drag queens were Southern States Bearded Queen, Sarah Tonin Katz; Louisiana America’s Queen Runner-Up, Su DeNim; Miss Shreveport America, Sarina Styles; Miss Gay Lone Star USofA Newcomer, Taylor Summers; Miss Southern Drag Network, Estara Knowles Katz; and the host themself, ZaZa Gigante.

Colton Johnson, owner and operator of Bear’s, met Gigante through frequent visits to the bar, where they approached him about hosting drag shows.

“I’ve appreciated the artistry of it over the years and it was something that I thought we could do here successfully,” Johnson said. “I think over the past three years we’ve done a great job of it, and I think people enjoy them and we’re excited to have more.”

Gigante originally started a brunch for pride, but it became so packed that they couldn’t accommodate the crowd, so they transitioned it into a drag show.

“I think it’s really important to have these events in places that aren’t specifically considered gay because your allies are the reason we are all safe and it’s so important to recognize allies, like Colton, who gave us this space to have fun and continuously gives us a safe space,” Gigante said. “Everyone that I picked for this show is a stand-alone beacon of light for someone. I just know somebody’s going to see them perform tonight and they’re going to resonate with that and they’re going to feel so validated.”

This occasion brought people of all lifestyles together to celebrate their similarities rather than bringing attention to their differences.

For Tonin Katz, pride is being able to confidently celebrate something that she grew up thinking was wrong. Raised in a religious household in the south, she had a lot of internalized homophobia and guilt. Now into her adult life, she no longer feels ashamed and instead feels proud of who she is.

“This is the largest pride event that is held in the SBC and in North Louisiana in general so it’s an opportunity for us to show up and show out and Bear’s always allows us the opportunity to meet a different market that doesn’t normally come to an LGBT specific club necessarily and so it gives us a chance to spread awareness to another community that we don’t always get to see,” Tonin Katz said.

DeNim’s drag journey began in 2019 and she received support from performing at establishments such as Bear’s, Central Station, Queerport and ShrevePride.

“Those organizations really fostered my growth as an artist and allowed me to share who I am with the crowd and to build that persona and that’s taken about five years,” DeNim said. “We’re a small town relative to the nationwide scene but we have a really strong, vibrant and proud community in Shreveport. There’s a drag show here every month, but this month is an excuse to do it even bigger and better than before.”

Styles has been doing drag for 18 years and has found a safe place at Rainbow Rave because it promotes awareness and understanding of drag.

“Pride means accepting who you are and being proud of who you are and loving those around you regardless of nature, gender or sex,” Styles said.

Summers has been doing drag for almost three years and has participated in pageants such as, Miss Gay Louisiana Ultimate Star Newcomer, Miss Gay Lonestar USofA and will be competing for USofA Newcomer July 22.

“I think what makes tonight so special is that I am a part of a community that makes a difference in Shreveport. I was born and raised here, and it means so much to me that we are pushing forward for change and showing our pride in a city I grew up in,” she said.

She believes there is beauty in diversity and thinks it is important that smaller cities be open to events like this to bring positive change and growth.

“Pride is important to me because I think it is so important to be visible regardless of who will try to stand in your way. You need to shine through the negativity and show that it is okay to be different, it is okay to be you, it is okay to not fit the mold,” Summers said.

Knowles Katz enjoys being able to be her authentic self and knowing that no one is going to judge her in this environment. She has performed at Rainbow Rave every year since it began and tries to out do her previous performances by bringing another level of energy through dance.

“You have to start the beginning of pride with a bang, and you have to end it with a bang. We need to show people that drag is not sexualized, it’s actually a learning experience and you can learn a lot of things from drag queens,” Knowles Katz said.

Each queen has a unique story and reason for participating in the event, but they all come together as a family for the same reason of showing their love for themselves, each other and their community.

During their performances, the queens came into the crowd and danced with those attending. Gigante’s performance had almost everyone there singing along to the songs in unison.

One attendee, Jonathan Hennigan, spontaneously decided to go to Bear’s expecting to see a band but was pleasantly surprised when he realized there was a drag show.

“I didn’t expect it to be as fun as it was, but I had a good time. Just seeing them perform and giving it their all, just the passion and energy had a big impact, and it was nice to see everybody interact with them and let them shine. I feel like expression is important, if you can’t express who you are then what’s the point,” Hennigan said.

Another guest, Parker Deaton, has been to a drag show at Bear’s before, and enjoys the unity and happiness that the events welcome.

“Seeing people from all over as well as people I knew having a good time brought joy to me, there’s just a certain energy to the environment. That was probably my favorite part. These events bring people together in a space where everyone is welcome. I cannot express how valuable that is in a world so divided.”

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Pride Month closes in Shreveport with Rainbow Rave