The Jefferson Theater will host a benefit concert Friday night in support of Charlottesville Pride Community Network.
Caitlyn Leary, marketing and social media coordinator for Red Light Management, the company that manages the Jefferson, said local adventure pop band We Are Star Children chose to donate part of the proceeds of their show to Cville Pride after last month’s Orlando shooting.
“We wanted to be accommodating to them, and also let Cville Pride know that we’re a local partner of theirs and we support their mission and what they’re doing,” Leary said. “Charlottesville is such a small, tight-knit community that it’s our way of giving back and being able to do something for other organizations in the community.”
The Jefferson Theater hosted a benefit concert for the Grottoes Volunteer Fire Department in April during the Shenandoah wildfire, and a Prince tribute show that benefited the Music Resource Center earlier this month.
President of Cville Pride Amy-Sarah Marshall said the organization’s safe space training program for schools and workplaces has been very active. The service is free for non-profits and is offered at a low cost for regular businesses.
“But it does cost to offer the training,” Marshall said in an email statement. “Our trainers are all volunteers, and it takes money and time to run and support the program. But by giving people the information and tools to change their own often unrecognized biases, we can start shifting our society to be more inclusive and welcoming, one person at a time.”
In addition to organizing an annual Pride Festival in downtown Charlottesville since 2012, Marshall said that the organization is making an effort to shape public conversations in a way that fosters acceptance.
“Our big push right now is to really take all the goodwill and energy straight people feel and get them to not just feel open about the LGBTQ experience, but to act for justice to understand the bias and discrimination that effects [sic] our personal, social, and legal lives and help us make and find safe spaces,” Marshall said.
Cville Pride is trying to prevent anyone in the central Virginia area from turning against their communities or themselves because they may feel ostracized or alone, Marshall said.
“Unfortunately, suicide is still extremely prevalent in gay teens, especially trans teens. And the LGBTQ community is the minority most likely to experience acts of violence,” Marshall said. “These are national statistics, and we are trying to make them not be true at a local level.”
Representatives from Cville Pride will be present at the concert to sell merchandise and to raise awareness of their organization. Glamour stations will offer hair and makeup services in exchange for donations.
“We’re encouraging people to treat this as an event where you can come and be yourself,” Leary said. “It’s a safe space for anyone to come and do that openly without fear of being judged, so we’re encouraging everyone to come and express themselves, and have a good time, and hopefully raise some money in the process.”
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