From book clubs and career events to festival weekend, Indy Pride creates places for LGBTQIA+ people across Central Indiana to connect and feel celebrated. Established in 1995, the organisation says its programmes reach more than 100,000 people a year. Here’s how its work extends beyond the parade, and how community members can get involved.
Essential Takeaways
- A year-round mission: Indy Pride focuses on connection, belonging and celebration for Central Indiana’s LGBTQ+ community.
- More than a festival: Its programme includes career and resource events, book-club gatherings, wellness activities and Pride-season celebrations.
- A broad reach: Indy Pride says more than 100,000 people experience its community spaces annually.
- Ways to take part: People can volunteer, contribute financially, attend events, support initiatives or share the organisation’s work.
- Leadership: Jennifer Carruthers is executive director, with Komal Sheth-St. Pierre as board chair.
Pride is more than one weekend
The most visible part of Indy Pride may be its festival and parade weekend, but the organisation’s work runs throughout the year. Its stated purpose is to create accessible spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can connect, feel affirmed and experience queer joy. That makes the programme as much about everyday belonging as big, colourful celebrations.
Indy Pride says more than 100,000 people experience its community spaces each year. Its offerings are organised around themes including education, health and wellness, family and youth, community belonging, and celebration. The mix matters: a welcoming event can be a joyful gathering, but it can also be a place to find support, information or a sense of connection.
A calendar built for different kinds of connection
There’s no single way to take part. Indy Pride’s events calendar includes career and resource opportunities, queer book discussions, performances and wellness activities. A career and resource fair, for instance, gives job seekers a chance to meet employers who value diversity and inclusion.
Other offerings bring people together around literature, movement and shared interests, including PrideReads, yoga in the park and Pet Pride. Dates and listings change, so it’s worth checking the calendar before making plans. The useful thing is the variety: community doesn’t have to look like a parade to count.
A long history of making space
Indy Pride was established in 1995, and the organisation’s history sits within a longer story of LGBTQ+ community organising in Indianapolis. Indy Pride describes a journey from smaller, less visible gatherings to public festivals, parades and programmes, while continuing to centre inclusion and belonging.
That history gives the annual celebrations a deeper purpose. Indy Pride’s vision is a region where LGBTQ+ people can live authentically, safely and with affirmation. In that light, visibility is not just spectacle; it’s also a way of making room for people to feel recognised.
Who leads Indy Pride?
Jennifer Carruthers serves as executive director. The organisation’s board leadership includes chair Komal Sheth-St. Pierre, vice chair Maison Bleam, and secretary and treasurer Josiah Harrison-Benjamin.
Leadership changes can be easy to miss when an organisation is best known for its public events, but they shape the work behind them. Indy Pride says its staff and board guide its programmes, governance and community impact throughout the year.
How to get involved, even outside Pride season
Volunteering is one practical route in. Indy Pride invites community members to help with events, with roles such as check-in, setup and teardown among the opportunities listed. Openings and event details can change, so check the volunteer page for current options.
There are other ways to support the work, too: attend a programme, make a financial contribution, back an initiative or share Indy Pride’s mission. As the organisation puts it, its work is for the community and powered by the community. Sometimes, simply showing up is a meaningful start.
Explore Indy Pride’s calendar and choose the kind of connection that feels right for you.
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