We Threw a Pride Ball in Roanoke and the Community Showed Up
This Pride Month, we did something bold: we threw a ball.
Earlier this year, James was named the new Executive Director of the Roanoke Diversity Center, a local community center supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ individuals across the Roanoke region. It’s a huge step—and what we hadn’t fully realized was that his first months on the job would fall right in the middle of Pride Month. And what a Pride Month it was.
When we moved to James’s hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, in 2016, we were surprised to find that the city’s Pride celebration happened in April, while Virginia’s statewide Pride Month is observed in September. As a result, June often felt a little... quiet. While friends across the country were decked out in rainbows, we were left wondering why the month felt so still here. But fast forward to 2025, and it’s a whole new story.
This June was full of action, thanks to events organized by local LGBTQ+ organizations including the Roanoke Diversity Center, Southwest Virginia Pride, Ladies and Gents of the Blue Ridge, and the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project. It was a month packed with community connection, fundraising, reflection, and joy. Still, something felt like it was missing.
We wanted a night that was purely about celebration—something big, free, inclusive, and open to all. No fundraising goal. No entry fee. Just joy.
So we made it happen. We threw a Pride Ball.
There was no official roadmap, just a lot of energy and love. We pooled resources, locked in a venue, sorted out catering, found a DJ, and started building something we hoped the community would embrace. James has years of experience planning events, but even with that in our back pocket, this came together fast.
We’re beyond grateful for the support we received. Crystal Spring Grocery Co. provided delicious catering. Local businesses including Fortunato, Flowers by Eddie, Dusk/Dawn Productions, and more contributed incredible raffle items. Katie Lewis from the Roanoke Diversity Center helped us plan and staff the bar. Marissa Hitchcock kept the music flowing. Sweet Treeets Cookie Co. donated custom cookies. And to help offset some of the costs, our dear friend Linda Gavel Webb generously contributed to the event, helping us secure one of our favorite local venues: the Historic Fishburn Mansion in the Mountain View neighborhood—just a few blocks from our home. Her support, combined with what James and I personally invested, helped make the night possible.
Once everything was locked in, it was time to spread the word. We had a max capacity of 100 guests, so we opened registration for 80 free tickets, ran a few Facebook ads, and put up flyers around the city. We crossed our fingers. Would people come? Would anyone even care?
They did. The tickets sold out quickly, and we had to plan for limited walk-up entries based on space.
The day finally arrived, and what a day it was. Pride Saturday in Roanoke started with a community picnic hosted by Southwest Virginia Pride, followed by a revived Pride March through Downtown Roanoke, and ended with our Pride Ball. It felt like the culmination of something powerful.
As guests began to arrive, we welcomed them at the entrance, checked them in, and sold drink and raffle tickets benefiting the Roanoke Diversity Center. And then—just like that—the party started.
What followed was pure magic.
We saw queer teens attend with their proud, supportive parents. We met a group of young women who drove all the way from Wytheville—over 90 minutes away. And the moments that really struck us were when we saw young LGBTQ+ people, many likely attending their first queer-centered event, find each other. Laugh. Dance. Belong.
That was the lesson of the night.
Community is necessary. It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you come from, or how you identify—having a safe space to show up, connect, and celebrate matters deeply. Especially for queer folks in smaller cities and rural communities. It’s not just about visibility. It’s about creating joy. About bringing generations together. About being the change when you see something missing.
And sometimes, when you can’t find the event you want—you throw it yourself.
