Skip to main content
LGBTQ+ Pride season is still a few months away, but the folks at Pride Northwest, who make Portland’s annual queer pride parade and celebration at Tom McCall Waterfront Park happen, are already dreaming big.
Though the roster of local entertainers hyping up crowds hasn’t been released yet, Pride Northwest’s organizers revealed Wednesday, April 2, that they had wished upon some of the most proud stars in reality television history. United under a theme of “Dream Big,” Portland can look forward to the combined forces of Frenchie Davis, Jason Stuart, Landon Cider and the band 76th Street.
Davis, known for her Broadway work in Rent, Dreamgirls and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, was introduced to the world on American Idol’s controversy-laden second season. Despite establishing herself as an early fan favorite, producers axed Davis due to the existence of out-of-circulation topless photos, ultimately rigging a win for Ruben Studdard over Clay Aiken (Davis and Aiken both later came out as bisexual and gay, respectively).
Stuart achieved fame in the ‘80s and ‘90s as a standup comedian. He wasn’t America’s first openly gay comedian, as he was often labeled early in his career, but he was among the biggest names to break out following the AIDS crisis. Stuart lost to Martin Lawrence on Star Search, and though he faced intense homophobia throughout his career, he memorably guest starred on TV shows, including Will & Grace, Murder, She Wrote and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
After making history as the first drag king to compete in a televised drag contest, Landon Cider kept making headlines when he won The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’s third season in 2019. He didn’t get there by sashaying or chanté-ing, but by staying one step ahead of the Boulets’ grueling, gruesome challenges (Portland’s own Asia Consent followed in Cider’s footsteps in December when she won the show’s sixth season).
Nashville indie pop duo 76th Street, composed of singer-songwriters Haley Gold and Spencer Bryant, are currently touring LGBTQ+ bars and venues in support of their EP WILD. Their single “Girl” racks up streams on the same sapphic side of TikTok that’s elevated the careers of Mitski, girl in red, and Chappell Roan, with more than 2 million on Spotify alone.
“This year’s Pride Festival celebration will put an emphasis on music and its power to unite, so that we can dream,” Debra Porta, Pride Northwest’s executive director, tells WW via email. “We were intentional about bringing a diversity of talent and genres. Each of the headliners, in their own ways, represent some of the best queer talent out there.”
The waterfront Pride festival is free, but Pride Northwest accepts donations as a nonprofit organization. This year, it will roll out a predonation website where, if guests so choose, they can skip in-person donation to streamline entry and opt out of the security line. The roster of local talent supporting Davis, Stuart, Cider and 76th Street will be announced June 1.