Field Gay returned to Shreveport with a day filled with Pride, family fun and games

ShrevePride's annual Field Gay event came to A.C. Steere Park in Shreveport a little earlier this year to beat the heat and the fun was in full force as players faced off in classic and non-traditional field day games.

Various local vendors set up camp around the park pathway selling everything from customized cups to handmade jewelry in addition to informational tents from local businesses. Food trucks selling Italian ice, Korean BBQ, authentic Jamaican and more were set up in the parking lot to keep players and spectators full and ready to go.

"It's just reminiscent of the days of old field day games, but really it's just about bringing the community together to have, especially open LGBTQ+ people out in a public city park is just wonderful," said ShrevePride Co-Founder Nicole Ortiz. "And the fact the city embraces us is just what makes this so cool."

Classic games like tug-of-war and the three-legged race were accompanied by less traditional games like the pizza box relay race, the ping pong shake, four square and had a new addition with human hungry, hungry hippos.

Field Gay began as a way to bring the community together after the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone to quarantine.

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"For so many of us in the LGBTQ+ community we want to have spaces where we can go with our families and do things with other people who support us and love us and step away from all the hatred in the world and be ourselves authentically," said ShrevePride Co-Founder Sam Ortiz. "It really does provide that space for people. When the hate comes out, so does the love and so does the support and so does the acceptance and we're all just here to remind people that we exist in this world too."

The fun doesn't stop at Field Gay, though. ShrevePride will also host their annual Q-Prom in late June, Pride in the Park later in the summer and their music and arts festival QUEST is returning for its second year in early 2024.

Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Check out the fun and games that happened in Shreveport this Field Gay