Behind every glamorous Pride festival is a lot of unglamorous work. Someone has to wrangle permits, manage budgets, and keep the food pantry stocked on a Tuesday. That someone is Jason Schubert, a Lexington community leader who helps steer the Lexington Pride Center and the Lexington Pride Festival, and we're so glad he finally sat down with us.
In this episode, we cover the Pride Center's day-to-day impact, from support groups and a community library to the People's Market food pantry, which serves 70 to 80 households a week. Jason also breaks down why festival locations change, what accessibility really means when you're setting up hundreds of vendor booths, and how planning starts quietly in late summer before turning into a full-on sprint by June. We also talk Frontrunners Lexington, an LGBTQ walk-run group building connection and funding real outcomes through the Pride Run 5K, grants, and scholarships.
And yes, we get honest about handling protesters without letting them steal the day.
