Cooperstown Pride Continues to Grow, Strengthen Local Ties

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
COOPERSTOWN

What began in 2023 as a small but determined effort to make LGBTQ+ people visible in Cooperstown has, in just four years, become a defining community tradition. Organizers say this year’s Pride Block Party feels like the clearest expression yet of what they set out to build: a celebration rooted in belonging, visibility and the belief that Cooperstown is strongest when everyone is seen.

For Cooperstown Pride Committee member Keith Gulla, the evolution has been striking.

“When Cooperstown Pride started in 2023, the goal was to create a visible Pride event in Cooperstown that felt welcoming, celebratory and rooted in community,” he said.

Pride’s origins as protest still matter, he noted, but the event has grown into a space that honors progress while acknowledging the work ahead. As the fourth annual celebration approaches, Gulla said the purpose feels even more focused: bringing LGBTQ+ people, allies, families, neighbors and visitors together.

A major part of that mission is the group’s ongoing partnership with the Identity Alliance, Cooperstown Central School’s LGBTQ+ student organization. Gulla describes the relationship as central to Pride’s work.

“Since day one, Cooperstown Pride has raised funds to support the Identity Alliance,” he said. “But it’s more than fundraising. It’s about letting students know there are people outside the school walls who support them, believe in them and want them to thrive.”

That message resonates deeply with Rebecca Burk‑Sciallo, co‑advisor of the Identity Alliance. The club was born more than a decade ago from students themselves, she said, after they asked to start a gay-straight alliance.

“From the first day, IA has been student led,” she said. “The presence of the club sends a message to students that everyone has a voice and that we are committed to creating a welcoming learning space for all.”

Burk‑Sciallo said the support from Cooperstown Pride has had a tangible impact on the Identity Alliance. Funds raised through Pride have helped the club design shirts, host dances, purchase Pride pins, take students to a Proctor’s show and stock the school’s hygiene closet. The group is planning a community movie night this fall and saving for a guest speaker. They’ve also purchased books for the elementary library, including “Boxitects,” “The Queen of Chess,” “Boys Dance” and “The Good Hair Day.”

“We are so honored and proud to partner with Cooperstown Pride,” Burk‑Sciallo said.

For many, the growth of Pride and the Identity Alliance reflects a broader shift in the village. Gulla said visibility has increased in meaningful ways—Pride flags in the village, a block party in Pioneer Park, and local businesses showing up in support.

“It tells people they are not invisible here,” he said. “When you enter Cooperstown, there’s a sign that says we are ‘a community committed to dignity, freedom, equality and the safety for all.’ Cooperstown Pride is one way we can help bring those words to life.”

This year’s block party will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 in Pioneer Park. Programming underscores that momentum. Music from DJ Raphael and Benji Spears, family activities, community partners, performances from Glimmerglass Festival Resident Artists, and contributions from local businesses all point to a celebration that extends beyond the park.

Spears, who grew up in Cooperstown, said seeing Pride here still feels remarkable.

“It’s not something I thought I would ever see in Cooperstown,” he said
Growing up, he didn’t hear conversations about homosexuality and didn’t know what it meant to be gay.

Now, he said, “I confidently and proudly live here feeling accepted and like I belong.”

Spears hopes young people attending the Pride Block Party feel that same sense of welcome.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to be who you are,” he said.

And he’s ready to bring the energy behind the DJ booth: “You’re going to hear a lot of Britney, Ke$ha, Whitney and Madonna…I’m excited to get the runway working and see some dance moves.”

For Katlyn Hallock‑Palmatier, a 2016 CCS graduate and one of the founders of the Identity Alliance, the community’s growth has been powerful to witness. When she helped launch the club, she was one of few openly LGBTQ+ students. Posters advertising meetings were torn down almost as quickly as they went up.

“Starting Identity Alliance felt like an uphill battle at times,” Hallock‑Palmatier said.

Her hope back then was simply that the club would survive.

A decade later, Hallock‑Palmatier sees something far bigger.

“These are things that I don’t think I could have imagined being possible 10 to 16 years ago,” she said.

Knowing the club now helps students feel accepted and supported “means everything.”

As Cooperstown prepares for another Pride celebration, the message from organizers, students, and alumni is consistent: visibility matters, support matters, and community matters. Pride, they say, is one way to show young people—and everyone else—that they belong.