Why Queer-Centered Performance Matters: Reflections on Pride Ethos

The audience enjoying a performance during Pride Ethos at the Everson Museum of Art in June 2025.

Last week, we welcomed more than 250 guests to Pride Ethos: A Living Exhibit at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse. Over two nights, more than 20 LGBTQ+ performers transformed five museum spaces into stages for drag, burlesque, dance, theater, and storytelling. It was immersive, moving, joyful, and unforgettable!

In a cultural moment when queer and trans people are facing renewed attacks on their rights, visibility, and artistic expression, creating space for unapologetic queer performance is not just meaningful. It is necessary.

Here’s why events like this matter.

Visibility is power.
When queer people are given full creative control—not just a supporting role—we create spaces of truth, risk, and resonance. Every performer at Pride Ethos brought their full selves to the stage, and in doing so, offered audiences a mirror, a celebration, and often, a challenge. For queer audience members, it was a rare chance to feel seen. For allies and newcomers, it was a chance to witness the range and richness of queer experience, presented without compromise.

Queer performance is culture.
Drag, burlesque, queer theater, and storytelling are not fringe art forms. They are living traditions of protest, survival, and creativity. Hosting Pride Ethos at a major cultural institution like the Everson Museum sends a clear message: queer art belongs here. It is not othered. It is not a side note. It is central to our contemporary cultural conversation.

Community is the product and the purpose.
Our ticketing model was “pay what you like,” with a suggested price of $30. We wanted to remove financial barriers while still honoring the value of queer labor. The result: more than 250 individual attendees. The energy in the museum made it clear—this was not a one-time gathering. It was a community forming in real time.

Allyship is not about taking center stage—it’s about helping to build the stage.
We are deeply grateful for the contributions of our collaborators, especially those who understood the assignment: to help create space without trying to control the spotlight. Meaningful allyship in the arts means listening, sharing power, and investing in work that may not reflect your own identity but aligns with your values. Pride Ethos was successful because it was led by queer artists and supported by allies who knew when to step forward and when to step back.

This work is worth investing in.
Pride Ethos would not have been possible without the support of CNY Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, Onondaga County, and the Everson Museum. But we also relied on the passion, networks, and labor of queer artists, producers, and community organizers. If we want to continue building inclusive, intersectional, and culturally relevant programming, we need to invest in the people who make that work possible. If you want to support our programming, please do not hesitate to reach out to Kevin Bailey, founder of Come Out CNY, at kevin@comeoutcny.com!

Pride Ethos was co-produced by Breadcrumbs Productions, GoJo Productions, and Come Out CNY, in partnership with the Everson Museum. It was directed by Jo Boring, a woman who does not identify as queer herself but whose leadership throughout this project exemplified the kind of thoughtful, intentional allyship that makes collaborative work like this possible. Jo centered the needs and voices of the performers, created space for experimentation and expression, and helped guide a production that never lost sight of its purpose: to honor queer artistry in all its forms.

Pride Ethos was also made possible by the leadership of Tanner Effinger, artistic and executive director of Breadcrumbs Productions. Tanner’s vision to reinforce the sustainability of artists in Central and Western New York—particularly LGBTQ+ artists—and to champion bold, imaginative storytelling is what brought this project to life. His ongoing commitment to creating space for work that empowers, uplifts, and honors queer communities shaped every layer of this event.

We are also deeply grateful to Monica Andrews, the Everson Museum’s director of learning and engagement, whose behind-the-scenes coordination, advocacy, and care were essential to the success of this event. Monica’s partnership exemplifies what it means for institutions to not only welcome queer work, but to help nurture it with trust and respect.

Pride is more than a celebration. It is a declaration. It is a reminder that joy can be radical, storytelling can be resistance, and queer art—when given space to thrive—can transform not only institutions, but entire communities.