It is an historic port city where all kinds of people come together to achieve success. Like spokes in a shipping wheel, all of us must work hand-in-hand to realize this success; a single spoke in the wheel cannot do the job, but together we can steer the course of the future. Today Jeffersonville boasts a community of over 45,000 people, living side-by-side, each with their own story to tell. Jef
fersonville Pride Festival Founder & Director Evan Stoner sought to make Jeffersonville a leader in southern Indiana by creating this event as a means to bring the great people of our southern Indiana community together and raise advocacy for the LGBT+ community. Evan had himself been on the receiving end of LGBT-discrimination and saw it happen to many others. He sought to do something about it and reached out to Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore with the idea of a pride parade and festival. Mayor Moore was supportive, and planning began. At about the same time, Brad Bell, President of Southern Indiana Equality (SIE), and Jeffersonville Pride Festival Director of Entertainment, was seeking to do the same thing. SIE was planning on having a Southern Indiana Pride Picnic. About a month before their work for that event began in earnest, they were approached by Evan. Instead of having competing events, Jeffersonville Pride Festival and Southern Indiana Equality decided to combine forces and focus all efforts towards the pride festival. Southern Indiana Equality then became the proud host of Jeffersonville Pride Festival. From there Evan and Brad recruited a team of dedicated community leaders to produce this historic event. The Jeffersonville Pride Festival team felt this was the time and place to give a voice to all of us seeking to actively make this community one where love and kindness thrive, where people are treated as people, and where solidarity through celebration of our differences creates a prosperous future for generations to come. Working with each other and with community supporters from all backgrounds, they look forward to making June 25, 2016, an historic event for everyone!