Franklin Pride Celebrates Six Years at the Farm
At Franklin Pride at the beginning of June, pop artist Morgxn took the stage for a midday show in the sweltering heat.
“This state can be hard to live in, but I come to a place like this and all I see is support and love,” he told the crowd, adding that small-town support is so important to people who might feel left out or different in their communities.
Folks may not think of Franklin as a small town, but some of the same sensibilities abide. Williamson County is more than heavily conservative, and the family-friendly festival Franklin Pride didn’t come to be without a lot of hard work. This year, Franklin Pride celebrated its sixth year of inviting folks of all ages to Harlinsdale Farm. In the past, organizers have faced everything from permit challenges from City Hall to sponsors pulling out and funding issues, but every year, the slight hill to the left of the farm fills up with cars and people line up to celebrate.
“Every year we come back,” Clayton Klutts, president of the Franklin Pride nonprofit said during opening comments. “Through challenges, through change, through whatever life has thrown at us. Pride is not just an event. It’s proof that a community can choose love.”
Almost every year, a small group of protestors gather outside of the event. This year, that presence oddly seemed less than usual. Inside, families ate snow cones, spun wheels for buttons and rubber duckies, watched youth choirs and dashed through bubbles and obstacle courses. Couples find any spot of shade they can find to watch a performance. Every year, people come back to run into old friends, meet new people, grab a bite to eat and dance.
On the way in, attendees found moms lined up to give Free Mom Hugs. This group of women show up every year. Despite this sounding like a nightmare for the non-huggers among the group, many seemed eager to be wrapped in love on their way in. This group’s whole purpose is to ensure people feel loved and supported regardless of sexuality or gender identity.
As performers played throughout the day, vendors as varied as Mars Petcare and the Nashville Predators to Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville and First Presbyterian Church in Franklin and the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee were in attendance.
During Morgxn’s set, he played a mix of covers and songs from “Heartland,” which was released in full in March of this year after an EP release last summer. The tracks are full of love for the queer experience and explorations of cultural stereotypes around what it means to live in the south and what it means to experience it as queer person.
“I sat down with [Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood)],” he told the crowd. “I asked, ‘Why are you doing all of this to attack us when all we want to do is love?’ … We just want to live. We just want to love. … Happy Pride from my little nuclear family to you nuclear families out there.
He ended by inviting the crowd onstage to sing Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” for his send off. Older adults, teenagers and kids as young as four climbed the stairs and sang together to a crowd of doting moms, partners, friends and family members.
“This has been a perfect day,” he said.
The next day, Morgxn played CMA Fest for the first time on a much larger stage in downtown Nashville. In days after, Metro Council recognized Morgxn and“Heartland” with an official proclamation. He was featured in Rolling Stone shortly after.
Meanwhile, Morgxn is planning a small-town Pride event in Sumner County. In September, the farm that he and his husband purchased together will become home to a community of people who built the event together, he said in a social media post. Families, friends, local businesses are working together to put it all together, which he said is the most fun part.
“The spirit of Pride is alive in Sumner County,” he said.