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Writer's pictureMcCayla Groski

Behind the Brush: A Face Painter's Perspective on Twin Cities PRIDE Festival

This year, I had the incredible opportunity to be a vendor at Twin Cities PRIDE—an experience that was as enlightening as it was heartwarming.


Drive-by Intolerance

On my first day, I was dressed in a rainbow tie-dyed T-Shirt, with rainbow hair extensions worn in two long braids, and rainbow eye shadow. I was on cloud 9, filled with excitement to be a vendor for this event, filled with anticipation of who I might meet, and the beautiful outfits I would see. My friend Tereasa helped me set up my booth for the first night of the PRIDE weekend: Youth Night.


After 2 hours of set up, Tereasa and I settled in and awaited some customers..... who just walked right past us all night long. We were so confused! None of the booths around us were set up for sales, nor was anyone working in the booths, it was a ghost town.... However, tons of people did walk past our booth! Eventually, Tereasa walked around and we realized that the Youth Night was a somewhat separate event, in a very specific part of the park, and I was not a part of it. LOL.


We had a pretty good laugh, tore down our display that we had spent 2 hours putting up, hooked up the 4 walls of my canopy, sealed it all down to protect it from the impending rain, and started the 20 minute walk to our cars.


As we walked back to our cars together at the end of that first day, still very much dressed for PRIDE, laughing and chatting and enjoying each others presence... a passing car honked at us and flipped us the bird. We stood there and stared after the car absolutely disappointed. I felt sadness and anger and numbness bubble up within me as I said, "Wow, that was so rude."


My friend just said, "Yup." We shared a look of melancholy understanding, took a deep breath, and kept on walking. This time without laughter.


We can only assume what they were trying to do.... Was this was someone who wanted to display their intolerance of PRIDE? Was this someone homophobic? Was this someone who disapproved of everyone within the LGBTQIA2S+ community? Was this someone who just felt like flipping off a random stranger? I guess we'll never know for sure, but you're welcome to speculate as I did.


I speculated.... and I got mad...


While I only experienced that intolerance for a moment. And, that moment sucked, hurt, made me scared to walk back to my car the rest of the weekend.... but it was just that - one moment.


I started thinking about how my friends within the LGBTQIA2S+ community face intolerance like that, and much worse than that, and so much more frequently just for being their true authentic selves.


And, even as I write my blog post about the weekend, I contemplated the choice to either include this experience or not. And I contemplated the luxury of choice, and my privilege to choose to speak on this at all. Then, I felt ashamed for considering leaving it out.


We MUST speak up, stand in allyship, spread our support far and wide as often as we possibly can.


It takes all of us. Even as I'm writing this now, I'm afraid that this blog post will be my most viewed blog post, and will open me up to intolerant and cruel comments... So, I guess bring it on. Because I recognize that I have the privilege of choice here: I could choose to not post this, choose to avoid even the potential of receiving intolerant comments. Instead, I choose to speak up, to demonstrate my respect for my friends within the LGTQIA2S+ community, to fully express my love them for who they are.


Love. Is. Love.

The Daily Experience

Throughout the event, I fully embraced the Pride spirit with rainbow hair extensions, multi-colored eye shadow, and outfits that celebrated every shade of the rainbow. One day, I even adorned rainbow freckles—a whimsical touch that resonated with attendees and added to the festive atmosphere.


I engaged with some really beautiful people as I provided face painting to more than 70 folks of all ages. I absolutely adored the opportunity to tailor my designs to match a person's specific pride flag. From the vibrant hues of the all encompassing rainbow flag, the light blue/pink/white combination on the trans flag, to anything their heart desired! I loved helping everyone express their pride in a glittery, fun, and personalized way.


I also sold dozens of bracelets adorned with phrases like "be the change," "femme," "masc," "love is love," and "ally." These accessories weren't just about adding flair; they were about empowering individuals to proudly display their support for the LGBTQ+ community and express themselves authentically.


I also sold approximately 70 stickers and a dozen prints - all created from recyclable materials and packaged by a BIPOC and LGBT+ owned small business in SE MN called @alethalweaponart who does phenomenal work!


Special shout-out to the vendor priority port-a-potties ~ THANK Y'ALL for having these, and thank you to everyone who completely respected this as a norm, and allowed us to budge so that we could get back to our booths.


And.... the Employee of the Month Award goes to Katrina Thoe for her anti-theft initiative! She saw a swiper eye-ing up a priceless piece of artwork (a $15 notebook) and she quite literally hurdled her way towards them to snatch the artwork back and inform them that "Hey! You need to pay for this!" - Kat, your efforts were greatly appreciated!


Looking back

My journey as a vendor at Twin Cities PRIDE was more than just a weekend of face painting and selling stickers, cards, and canvases. It was a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of allyship and reinforced my dedication to fostering inclusivity in every aspect of my life. I am grateful for the connections made and the opportunity to contribute to a community that continues to inspire me.


As a cis-gender straight woman, I acknowledge the privilege I have in choosing to participate in events like PRIDE and am so grateful to have been able to be a part of such a magnificent event. To my friends within the LGBTQIA2S+ community I loved celebrating and embracing y'all.


As I look back on this journey, I am filled with gratitude for the connections I made and the conversations I had.


Let us continue to celebrate diversity, challenge prejudice, and build communities where love truly knows no bounds. Together, we can create a world where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued—because love is love, and it’s worth celebrating every day.


Thank you

Thank you, Twin Cities PRIDE, for welcoming me into your vibrant community. I am honored to have been a part of this journey, and I look forward to continuing to learn, grow, and advocate for a more inclusive future.



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