OFM Breaking: Love Trumps Hate in Topeka, Kansas

Topeka, Kansas was once best known as the home of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. Now, it is becoming a city bursting with LGBTQ Pride.

Thanks to the efforts of residents, activists, politicians, and entrepreneurs, the city is leading the way in making the state capitol into a place full of love and acceptance.  

“I always credit former councilman Chad Manspeaker with initiating the conversation,” Mayor Michelle De La Isla says. “He wanted to move forward with making policies that would protect the LGBTQ community, and it was very interesting to see that level of concern. We were able to get the votes for employees to not be discriminated against on the basis of gender or sexual identity, and that kind of started to get the ball rolling. Topeka is known for many things, but inclusivity was probably not one of them. Things have progressed, and I think that provides a voice to the LGBTQ community.”

Following her service on the Topeka City Council from 2013-2018, De La Isla is the city’s first Latina to be elected mayor. She is excited to see how the narrative has significantly changed. 

“We had Chris Shultz, the first open LGBTQ individual that ran for mayor the same time I did,” she says. “We have a very vibrant Pride community. As things kept evolving, we have changed a lot of our policies at the city level without impacting other businesses. We are leading by example with the way that we regard our LGBTQ brothers, sisters, and individuals.”

De La Isla does not want to paint Topeka as a community where there are no differing opinions, but she says what makes the city so wonderful is the fact that individuals who have vehemently different opinions from each other can coexist and be kind to one another. 

“You are going to be loved and welcomed, no matter what,” she says. “Everybody may not agree, but you are still respected and have value way beyond the basic premises. It has nothing to do with who you love or how you identify. You are still a human.”

There are several LGBTQ-friendly establishments located throughout the city, but one of its well-known monuments and most sought out tourist attractions is the Equality House, a “loud and proud” rainbow icon dedicated to LGBTQ rights. Owned by the nonprofit Planting Peace and located across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church, the Equality House welcomes visitors to sign the outside and take pictures in front of the home’s rainbow backdrop. 

Visitors are also invited to stay in the Liberty House, an Airbnb that donates proceeds to the Trevor Project, and encouraged to check out the city’s NOTO Arts & Entertainment District, which is home to Pinkadilly, a hip boutique that offers Pride merch, and Studio 62, an eclectic art bar that hosts weekly drag shows. 

“Studio 62 is the LGBTQ place to be,” owner Chelsea Smith says. “Our guests can paint their own work of art with the help from a studio artist, and we offer Drag & Paint, where our guests are entertained and inspired by drag queens as they perform and guide them through a fabulous painting.”

Studio 62 also offers open mic karaoke every Tuesday night, drag performances with blacklight body glow paint on Fridays, and Drag Saturdays allow guests to enjoy a variety of performances by the drag performers of Studio 62. They also offer open drag shows twice a month where anyone can perform. 

“We encourage and help new performers get their start in the drag world,” Smith says.

Currently, Topeka is preparing for its first statewide 2022 Pride celebration on the steps of the Kansas Capitol Building. Local activist Shawn Brian has established a Kansas Pride 501C3 to create a statewide Pride effort centered in Topeka. This year, the city painted rainbow crosswalks, and the Topeka Chamber created “Inclusive Topeka” stickers for local businesses. 

“A few months ago, a gentleman named Bob Ross, who works for the Greater Topeka Partnership, and I started bouncing around this idea of a statewide Pride celebration,” Brian says. “I think it will be very significant. There have been smaller celebrations that have happened throughout the past, but none of them had the support of an organization such as Greater Topeka Partnership that could really make it a lasting, annual event. With that partnership and with the support of Visit Topeka and Go Topeka, which are all geared towards bringing people from outside communities to either visit or live in the city, it has not been done on this big of a scale. We are not just representing one city, but the state as a whole.”

Sadly, De La Isla has decided to not run for re-election, but she says she is supporting a candidate who is an advocate and supporter of the LGBTQ community. 

“I know this individual will make sure that he is going to stand up for inclusivity and belonging for everybody in our community,” she says. “More importantly, we must remember that changes in our community do not happen because one leader is at the helm. Change in our community happens because you allow for people to be who they are, find their voice, and have the freedom to advocate and speak up. So, regardless of what happens in our community, we are still going to have voices and individuals who are going to be welcoming and loving to everybody. That is the magic of Topeka.”

Images courtesy of Equality House