Todrick Hall and Pussy Riot to headline Palm Springs Pride festival

Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read

The theme of this year's Palm Springs Pride is "Say Gay," which symbolizes defiance of recent political extremism aimed towards the LGBTQ community. This theme is especially reflected in the entertainment schedule for the festival.

Former "American Idol" contestant Todrick Hall will headline the event on Nov. 5, and Russian feminist band Pussy Riot will close it out on Nov. 6.

Hall, who hid his sexuality while competing in the show's ninth season, told Hypebae in 2019 that producers kept saying "make sure you appeal to middle America." He later made a promise to be himself and a path to follow for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.

The members of Pussy Riot were arrested in 2012 at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow during a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin.

According to Billboard, the band was arrested again in 2020 for hanging LGBTQ pride flags outside of five government buildings in Moscow in protest of the Russian government's anti-LGBTQ actions, such as the "gay propaganda" law passed in 2013.

Other acts scheduled to appear at Palm Springs Pride include Tanzer, Jane Zyrus, One More Time: A Tribute to Daft Punk, The Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus, Wannabe: A Tribute to the Spice Girls and more.

The festival is scheduled from Nov. 4 to 6, and more information is available at pspride.org

Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill into law, which restricts classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity, including barring them altogether through third grade. LGBTQ youth in other states face similar legislation, which could target discussion of LGBTQ-related subjects in community spaces.

Conservatives are also leading a charge against LGBTQ-related books and materials aimed towards teens, which account for one third of all attempted "book bans."

Thousands of people sit and stand along Palm Canyon Drive to watch the Palm Springs Pride Parade in downtown Palm Springs, Calif., on November 7, 2021.
Thousands of people sit and stand along Palm Canyon Drive to watch the Palm Springs Pride Parade in downtown Palm Springs, Calif., on November 7, 2021.

Palm Springs Pride President and CEO Ron deHarte said in a statement that "Say Gay" is a theme, political statement and call to action.

"Mobilize your friends, family, neighbors and workplace to vote for politicians that stand up and fight for LGBTQ rights. Say Gay No to politicians taking away control of our bodies and silencing teachers from recognizing the existence of LGBTQ+ people to their students," deHarte said in a statement.

Previous reporting by USA TODAY and Desert Sun staff contributed to this report.

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Todrick Hall and Pussy Riot to headline Palm Springs Pride festival