Baton Rouge was flipped by the colors of pride.

July 6^th, 2025---ChrisWill Media

The Fourth of July is the day we celebrate our independence. Our founding fathers created the Constitution to give us all the ability to declare that each of us is created equal. Every Fourth of July, we celebrate our freedom to be, something that is supposed to be followed every day of each year. Instead, it seems that “We The People” doesn’t mean all the people, but it takes the people to build a country that stands for the freedom that all the people deserve. We The People are the standing group that declares that our Founding Fathers gave us all the right to be different. The same principle that our God that we trust recognizes all of us as one family without judgment. It takes all of us to resurface what is right for our country and what unconditional love really means. We shouldn’t believe in limitations; we should believe that we are all limitless. We as a community need to stand for what we are meant to be, not what others believe we should be. No political direction, no discussion with opinion, but acceptance of all human life. Sometimes it takes the little things in life to make acceptance feel good and proud. So, what are we doing to make ourselves feel proud?

Not too long ago, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was finally flipped by the colors of the rainbow. Hosted at the Baton Rouge River Center in downtown Baton Rouge, a free event called Baton Rouge Pride was launching one of its most successful Pride events. The River Center has been a part of my life since it opened in the late 1970s, originally called the Baton Rouge Centroplex. Remembering back to when I was standing in line at 3am outside of the department store Maison Blanche. Waiting with hundreds of people to rush upstairs for TicketMaster, trying to purchase the best tickets for Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, Expose, and many more. The night of the concerts finally arrived, and we were sitting center of the arena to enjoy each performance. This day in 2025 took me back into those past moments by taking me back to the last time I was on the arena floor or in the arena at all. To top it off, I managed to explore the same location where I first met Reba McEntire.

That amazing experience was recreated by the Baton Rouge Pride Organization. Several dozen vendors from ExxonMobil, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, (AHF) Aids Healthcare Foundation, OpenHealth Care Clinic, and more. This family event included an upstairs area for families to enjoy story time and lots of games presented by BREC. The main arena was delighted with craft booths, free gift handouts, important information, food, Yoga, and entertainment from local queens that took the stage in dignity and glamor.

Kelsi Creek took the stage with an amazing acoustic performance, followed by 90’s icon CeCe Peniston, and concluded with headliner, an international recording artist, G-Flip. The crowd was by far welcoming and packed together with no free space to be found. Centering the stage for each performance, performers were welcomed by fans eager to see their favorite performer on stage. Rain didn’t stop this enormous crowd from continuously coming into the arena. Not even the three protesting groups outside stopped the LGBTQ+ community from coming together to express their favorite color and confidence in the capital area of Baton Rouge.

Top to Bottom----Kelsi Creek, G-Flip, and CeCe Peniston

Fourth of July weekend taught all of us how numbers and love make a difference. Considering the environment, yes, there were some doubts, but that did not stop the organizers of Baton Rouge Pride. It was like they were the Energizer Bunny; they kept it going and going without wasting a bar of energy. Willie and I broadcast at many Pride events across the country, even 2025’s WorldPride in Washington, D.C. The advantage other prides hold over Baton Rouge Pride is the wide range of outdoor locations, but take it from artists like us who have done events and know artists that have taken the stage in arenas, it’s hard for any event to fill an arena, let alone two other sections used for the event. Guests were proud and weren’t bothered by today’s growing issues within the LGBTQ+ community.

Bobbi Wisekal, the organization's Director, works tirelessly to help raise thousands of dollars for the LGBTQ+ community in Baton Rouge. Imagine working a full-time job, balancing a personal life, a life at home with her girlfriend, and a life with her fur babies, then finding seconds of her life to hold up the organization's message to the community that looks for guidance from Bobbi. She’s respected, loved, and more importantly, seen as the glue that keeps the LGBTQ+ community together, healthy, and strong in a time when we are all not welcome. Louisiana is a very political and Christian state, combining the two poses a huge problem for those who are different. Think about it, she even had area religious organizations gather at the event to show all of us that God doesn’t choose who He likes, He loves all of us.

We even overheard the River Center staff say, “No one is going to hurt our friends.” They were referencing the LGBTQ+ community. Love was needed, and love was found. The place to be entertained was here. The foundation of confidence was largely presented. No other location could present queens with talent and looks like no one has ever seen before. Queens gave Baton Rouge a name and, in our opinion, deserve to be performing across the globe; who needs the RuPaul queens when the real entertainment is right here in Baton Rouge.

Top Left to Right: Amanda Rose Andrews, Mahogany Campbell, and Anita Razr

Bottom Left to Right: London Manchester, Kandy Cayne, and Kween Kozmik

Finally, we can say that Baton Rouge is on the map for pride in the United States. Will and I are proud to have been broadcasting and writing about my hometown’s pride for the past two years. If you’ve never been, then you need to go; life is too short not to go. As we build our love together, one of the many important dates that you need to know is June 27^th, 2026. The day we all gather again for Pride in Baton Rouge. To all the board members, we applaud your creation of an amazing event. In closing, everyone held the message high that we all matter. We traveled to many areas across Louisiana, and even they heard of how amazing the pride in Baton Rouge was this year. Congratulations, you guys did it! The LGBTQ+ community is alive and well in Baton Rouge. Roar it loud with love and keep it going, because love is love is love, and Baton Rouge Pride, we all felt it. So, what have you done today to make you feel proud?

For more information about Baton Rouge Pride, please go to www.batonrougepride.org. To listen to Chris and Will’s podcast on iHeartRadio, go to iHeartRadio podcasts and search for “What About Our Life?” or go to their website at www.chrisandwill.com.